PPS School Board Member Andrew Scott to Resign in January

Portland Public Schools Board member Andrew Scott will resign his seat in January.

Scott, who first made the announcement at a Wednesday night School Board meeting, said he’s no longer a resident of the school district’s Zone 1, citing “personal reasons” for moving. Because of that, he has until June 30, 2025, to resign from his seat, but he’s choosing to leave early. A successor will be needed to finish his current term, which ends in June 2027.

Scott was first elected to the School Board in 2019; Zone 1 covers much of Southwest Portland, including Ida B. Wells High School. He captured 91.4% of the vote in 2019 and ran unopposed in 2023.

“I’m choosing to step aside in January, both for personal reasons, but also because I want to give ample opportunity for people who are interested in serving out the remaining two years of my term to run for that opportunity in May of 2025,” Scott said at the meeting.

It’s up to the remaining members of the board to appoint a Zone 1 representative for the time between Scott’s January resignation and June 30. The board will advertise for 20 days to find an eligible resident in the same zone. If no one applies, the board can then turn to a resident from the district at large.

Scott’s appointed replacement will serve until a publicly elected successor assumes the position in July 2025.

Scott, who is also the deputy chief operating officer at Metro, said his top priority for the remainder of his term is to refer Portland Public Schools’ May 2025 schools bond to voters. He’ll continue to chair the board’s facilities committee, which oversees that. Scott said he hopes the bond referral goes through on Jan. 7, but he’s giving himself an extra week in case that’s delayed.

Scott said he’s not moving out of the school district entirely, just out of Zone 1.

“I’m not going anywhere. I still care very much about the schools and will do what I can,” Scott told WW. “I hope anybody who comes in wants to see the district successful, works with the superintendent, our teachers and employees, and the community to make that happen.”