SUMMARY

• These schools will likely sell at or near land value and probably be demolished for re-development due to their location within residential zones.  
• City of Portland has a ‘Zero Net Loss’ rule that prohibits residential zoned property from any zone change.
• More houses built in these neighborhoods means probability of more children. 
• More children surely means the need for more schools.
• Based upon residential & apartment building permits over the past five years housing construction is up. 
• These seven schools cannot be rebuilt at the price they will sell for. 
• The location, once sold, probably cannot be replaced in Portland’s high density zoning structure.
• If Portland’s population increases as projections indicate, new schools will have to be built to replace those lost. 
• Cost to build a new school is at least $8-14 million per school, in 2005 dollars, depending on type and size.
• Preserving and maintaining an existing school is less expensive then building a new school. 
• Retaining schools safeguards neighborhoods so they can experience revitalization.

If Superintendent Phillips is wrong and these neighborhoods experience regeneration and the family population increases again (as so many Portland neighborhoods have), the School Board will be coming to these taxpayers to ask them to underwrite the building of new schools.  That’s at least $45 million dollars in taxed assessed value let alone cost to replace value.  There are no real savings to be had in closing these schools.

STOP INNOVATING & START EDUCATING

Consistency is important in a child’s life – consistency in discipline, routine, love, and education to name a few.  The first and most important educators in a child’s life are parents.  Many parents today have abdicated that role to public schools.  Parents need to be involved and stay involved in their child’s education especially through high school years.  Change is extremely disruptive –for all of us—but particularly for children in a school district that is overall struggling to achieve basic competency in reading, writing and arithmetic.  Last year nearly 40% of 8th graders in PPS could not meet the minimum benchmark in these subjects.  Over 50% of 10th graders failed to meet the minimum standard in reading writing and arithmetic. 

The school board knows this; they volunteered for this difficult job.  Please remember to thank school board members for their commitment and sacrifice to this school district when you remind them that Portland Public Schools needs to stop innovating and start educating.  This is not the time to be moving students around.  Right now, Portland Public School students need consistency.  Students need to know the community values their schools and will stand up to protect their schools.  Call or write school board members today!

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