Students Return to Every Portland Public School Except One

While most Portland students made their long-awaited return to classrooms today with the conclusion of the teachers’ strike, the 525 students of Jefferson High School have to wait until tomorrow. In a cruel twist of timing, a pipe burst this morning and the school had to remain closed due to flooding.

“Good morning Demos! This morning, our building flooded and we shut off the water. School closed today,” read the message that went to out to students on what was supposed to be their first day back after the strike.

An old fire main pipe that runs under the gym broke and water leaked into the school, according to a Portland Public Schools spokeswoman. The maintenance issue is fixed now, and Jefferson will be ready to host students tomorrow.

Students were encouraged to attend their scheduled classes at Portland Community College, for those who are dually enrolled in the Jefferson High School Middle College for Advanced Studies.

Teachers and staff at the other 80 PPS buildings welcomed their students back today after a Portland Association of Teachers strike that settled yesterday afternoon. The saga is not quite over yet, though: Teachers still need to vote to ratify their new contract and the School Board will need to approve it at its meeting tomorrow.

In addition to giving Jefferson students a 12th day of missed instruction in November, the leaky pipe comes at a time when the future of the historic 1909 building is under hot contention. Community members have loudly objected to a Jefferson renovation plan that would bus students to the Marshall High School campus for three years.

At a Nov. 6 meeting hosted by the nonprofit Self-Enhancement Inc., community members presented a poll that showed 89% of 132 respondents would not support any renovation scenario that would require a swing site such as Marshall. Jefferson is scheduled to undergo a $300 million modernization starting in fall 2024 that would give the Democrats a completely new interior, including walls, floors, finishes, mechanical, electrical and—yes—plumbing.