Portland Public Schools is proposing to close 11 to 14 schools under a process called "rightsizing."
The proposals were released October 5. The School Board is scheduled to vote December 15.
That's barely two months to evaluate decisions that could permanently change our schools, neighborhoods, and children's futures.
Sound familiar?
I've spent eight years watching Multnomah County make major decisions without adequate planning, meaningful public engagement, or accountability for results.
Now we're seeing a disturbingly similar pattern with PPS.
To be clear, PPS faces real challenges. Declining enrollment and financial pressures demand action. But recognizing a problem doesn't mean the proposed solution is the right one.
Before closing neighborhood schools, PPS should be able to answer some basic questions:
What is the actual financial benefit of each proposed closure, after accounting for transition costs and potential further enrollment losses?
How will these closures affect student learning, class sizes, transportation, and neighborhood stability?
What alternatives have been seriously evaluated—and why were they rejected?
What measurable outcomes will demonstrate that the changes actually worked?
These aren't unreasonable demands. They're the minimum standards of responsible governance.
And there's another question:
Why aren't PPS and Multnomah County working together to solve these problems?
Consider Preschool for All. Multnomah County has accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars in program reserves while PPS has underutilized school buildings and declining enrollment.
Why aren't we exploring opportunities to locate more preschool classrooms in neighborhood schools? Could this strengthen early learning, make better use of public buildings, support enrollment, and create revenue for PPS?
There may be financial, legal, and operational barriers. But shouldn't we be working together to identify and address them?
Instead, we have separate government institutions making decisions about the same children, families, and communities without the comprehensive coordination they deserve.
And as one candidate for chair - Julia Brim-Edwards - simultaneously sat on the boards of both Multnomah County and PPS for years, she presided over the profound failures of both.
This is exactly the kind of fragmented, siloed government I've been fighting to change.
A community group has developed an impressive resource, Save PDX Schools, presenting research, questions, and alternatives that deserve serious consideration.
I support an immediate pause on school closure decisions until PPS has provided a transparent analysis, meaningfully engaged the community, and seriously evaluated alternatives.
Closing schools is an action. Improving education is an outcome. Government keeps confusing the two. As County Chair, I will bring the same principles to every major decision: Organize for impact. Measure what matters. Tie budgets to results. Account for every dollar.
These aren't just slogans. They're the foundation of my comprehensive plan to transform county government.
Our children deserve better than government institutions operating in silos. Our taxpayers deserve better than major decisions made without clear evidence of their benefits. And our communities deserve to be partners in decisions that will shape their futures.
We cannot keep making irreversible decisions without first doing the work to get them right.
Sharon