Skip to main content
What if they rebuilt a high school and nobody came? That’s the prospect Portland Public Schools faces, at least if enrollment projections by Portland State University hold true (“Too Many High Schools,” WW, March 19). But the school district a decade ago promised rebuilds to parents at Cleveland, Jefferson and Ida B. Wells high schools, and that’s what appears on the May construction bond renewal. Changing course would be a political nightmare. Sticking to the plan looks like wishful thinking. Here’s what our readers had to say:
Lisa Lowry-Pierce, via Facebook: “So what we have here is a School Board listening to the loudest voices and spitting in the face of researchers. Lovely. This is simple. They should not be rebuilding Jefferson magnet school to fit 1,700 students when only 500 attend it now. That’s idiocy. In addition to the $250-plus million they already collected from us taxpayers, they collected another $180 MILLION dollars to relocate Harriet Tubman Middle School that has about 350 kids enrolled, and build a Center for Black Excellence. That $180 million is rotting in a savings account because PPS cannot find a location for either in North Portland. It’s a no-brainer to take the $380-plus MILLION they already have and build a state of the art campus to house ALL three in a grade 6–12 facility on the Jefferson site. It could be amazing. That would be a fiscally responsible decision.”
GoDucks, via wweek.com: “Yeah, this is definitely a mess. It is looking like a lot of folks who have NEVER voted against any kind of school funding are likely to vote against this, unless there is an announcement that one or more of these schools is going to be closed. And, of course, if that announcement comes, next to no one in the area of the closing schools will vote for the bond. Someone needs to make the hard choices, and it does not look like anyone is willing to do so.”
Scott Schiefelbein, via wweek.com: “This debate appears to ignore the obvious—that an investment in first-rate school construction can be a selling point for Portland. At a time when Portland looks like the city that can’t get anything done, building new flagship schools would be a tangible message to parents that Portland is a great place to raise a family. My wife and I have factored the quality of schools into virtually all of our important family decisions ever since our first child was on the way. We have seen friends relocate outside of Portland for many reasons, and schools are one of those factors. This would help reverse that trend. Do these enrollment projections take into account the recruiting power of first-rate schools?”
Portland Person PNW, via Bluesky: “I think L.A. fires and fascist education changes might change the short-term enrollment and we should build. Schools will be public land and can be used for public good or rented if not fully used. Or middle schools can get an upgrade as many PPS middle schools are rough!”
Rod Stevens, via wweek.com: “Assuming that PPS is overestimating Jefferson enrollment and that the more likely number is 500 students, the cost-per-seat of that new school is $722,000. Maybe the District should simply make a bulk purchase of Walt Bowen’s unsold Ritz-Carlton condominiums and hold class there.”
STUDENTS DESERVE BETTER SCHOOL BUILDINGS
WW’s recent article “Too Many High Schools” [March 19] does a disservice to Portland’s students. Population projections are notoriously unreliable and should not decide the fate of public schools.
Portland’s students need these updates. They deserve better. There are more than 3,000 students who are attending these three remaining aged and unsafe high school buildings. Ceiling tiles are falling, temperatures are sweltering, and the buildings are crumbling.
PPS committed to doing this work and should see it through. Imagine your boss committed to updating your offices, completed most of them and roughly 13 years later said, “Wait, maybe not...” when it came your turn.
Portland needs to show civic pride and update these schools as soon as possible. Cleveland was recently ranked the No. 5 high school in Oregon by U.S. News & World Report. It could be a draw. But families are leaving, in part, because of the failure to support students.
WW’s focus was misguided and irresponsible.
Sarah Sell
Southeast Portland
WAR ON GAZA?
Andrew Jankowski’s article “War on Shrugs” [WW, March 19] illustrates the progressive media bias via the phrase “Israel’s war on Gaza.” The subhead implies that Israel is waging a war against the Palestinians. It is not. They are waging a war against the cowardly murderers that refer to themselves as Hamas. My brothers and sisters on the left can’t seem to parse that Israel is fighting a group that uses its own citizens as human shields in places like schools and hospitals. The metaphor about not being able to see the forest through the trees is apropos here.
Jerome Chicvara
Southwest Portland
Letters to the editor must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to:
P.O. Box 10770
Portland, OR 97296
Email: amesh@wweek.com