Oh,
Canada
Ben Canada's lawyers think he may be
making a big mistake.
In a confidential memo sent to Portland Public School
board members and administrators last week, the district's
outside counsel, Miller Nash, suggested that the schools
could face litigation over a proposal to reallocate desegregation
funds.
Canada, the district superintendent, has proposed that
Ball, Beach and Irvington elementary schools lose all
or part of their desegregation funding in the fall. Canada
says the schools don't have enough African-American students
to qualify for desegregation.
In a one-page memo, which sources shared with WW,
the district's outside counsel says that if Canada wants
to proceed, the school board should consider suspending
the district's desegregation policy. Although the memo
doesn't explicitly say so, it implies that Canada's plans
are at odds with existing policy.
Those inconsistencies have been brought to light by Irvington
supporters. They note that current district policy does
not define minorities solely as African Americans. Yet
Canada's recommendation implicitly does. It would shift
money from two schools, Ball and Beach, which have a predominately
minority student body (yet have African-American enrollments
below 50 percent) to Whitaker Middle School, which is
largely African-American.
The current policy requires that the superintendent recommend
changes in desegregation spending by Nov. 1 for the following
school year. Canada wants to make changes now, five months
late, that will be effective next fall.
Rather than creating a conflict between policy and practice,
Miller Nash suggested that the board suspend the policy.
But according to one board member, that would make things
worse.
Suspending the current policy, says Doug Capps, "would
suspend the very foundation of equal opportunity for our
school children. This would be akin to suspending part
of our [federal] Constitution to justify an interim action."
The alternative, Capps says, is potentially spending
district funds to defend lawsuits, something he thinks
is equally unacceptable.
Using the Miller Nash memo as support for his argument,
Capps proposed Monday night that the board delay any action
on desegregation.
Canada, however, is digging in his heels. Rejecting Capps'
plea, Canada says desegregation funds will be allocated
to Whitaker next fall. "I stand firm on that position,"
Canada says, "and I'm not prepared to change it."
The district's in-house counsel, Bruce Samson, says talks
with Miller Nash are continuing but that the desegregation
policy's ambiguity gives Canada broad discretion.
Irvington parents have protested the loudest about Canada's
plan, but Beach parents may have the better argument.
This week, supporters of the impoverished North Portland
school filed a complaint against the district with the
federal Office of Civil Rights, saying that their funds
were yanked without due process.
--Nigel Jaquiss
Serving
Up Enron
The breakfast crowd at the Chamber
of Commerce's annual meeting got more than it bargained
for on the menu.
On May 12, about 1,000 business leaders gathered at the
Hilton Hotel to hear Kenneth Lay, chairman of Enron Corp.,
deliver a keynote address.
Greeting them as they made their way to the escalator
heading down to the Grand Ballroom was John Tuttle of
the Center for Environmental Equity. He was passing out
satirical menus his group had written to point out what
it sees as Enron's corporate crimes. At the bottom of
the escalator, chamber members collected the sheets from
the confused early risers.
Those who managed to sneak menus past the Chamber of
Commerce guards were treated to some very creative writing.
The faux menus included entrees such as "Freshly Squeezed
Ratepayers," referring to PGE's efforts to bill consumers
for continuing Trojan Nuclear Power Plant costs, and "Poached
Dams," relating to an ownership controversy over many
of the state's hydroelectric dams. (The entrees cost a
mere $525 million and $1 billion respectively.)
Don McClave, president and CEO of the chamber, says Tuttle's
presence had no impact on the meeting and that his staff
collected the menus only to keep them from being thrown
on the floor. --Patty Wentz
From The Department of Shameless Self-Promotion:
Last week, the Greater Oregon Chapter of the Society
of Professional Journalists handed out its awards for
stories published in 1998. As usual, WW got its
share. Here are our winning entries in the non-daily newspaper
contest:
REPORTING OF GOVERNMENT
Maureen O'Hagan, first place,
"The Crime That Changed Punishment" (Sept. 23)
EDUCATION FEATURE
Nigel Jaquiss, first place, "The
Education of Brandon Brooks" (March 4)
PERSONALITIES
Bob Young, first place, "Still Going...But
Where?" (Dec. 16)
LIFESTYLE, FOOD, CONSUMER, HOME
Patty Wentz, Matt
Giraud and Roger J. Porter, first place, "The Cult of
Cooking" (April 29)
SOCIAL ISSUES REPORTING
Maureen O'Hagan, first
place, "Tough Love or Tough Luck" (March 18)
EDITORIALS
Richard Meeker, first place, "A Dose
of His Own Medicine" (April 15)
SCIENCE AND HEALTH REPORTING
Nigel Jaquiss, first
place, "Raw Nerve" (May 20)
HEADLINES
Editorial Staff, first place
NEWS FEATURE
Maureen O'Hagan, second place, "Battered Truth" (Nov.
18)
Patty Wentz, third place, "Bastard" (Sept. 16)
BUSINESS NEWS
Nigel Jaquiss, second place, "Micro
Blues" (April 8)
ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING
Elizabeth Manning, second place, "Get the Lead Out" (Jan.
14)
ARTS AND CRITICISM
Patty Wentz, third place, "Would You Trust This Man
with Your Daughter?" (June 3)
Why,
There Oughta Be A Law...
HOUSE BILL 4018 * RELATING TO CHEAP SHOTS AT TEACHERS
SPONSORED BY LISA HONG
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OREGON:
SECTION 1: Whereas elementary and secondary
teachers in Oregon have the right to eat for 12 months
of the year and not only nine; and
Whereas these teachers often spend hours planning,
assessing, and seeking professional growth during evenings
and weekends; and
Whereas these teachers must abide by ever-changing
state standards and must learn how to assess students
according to these standards even while they are expected
to be in the classroom daily; and
Whereas these teachers often purchase resources for
classroom use with their own money; and
Whereas these teachers often see and are expected to
give personal instruction and attention to more than
160 students daily; and
Whereas teachers spend much of their summer reflecting
on and revamping curriculum; and
Whereas most teachers feel a great sense of responsibility
and love in their work of educating our youth:
(a) It shall be unlawful for Oregonians to complain
that teachers are paid for a full year when they work
only nine months.
(b) Any Oregonian who persists with the complaint
as stated in Section 1 will donate three months of his
or her income to a school of his or her choice, as our
state officials can't seem to agree on the funding necessary
for K-12 education.
This week's amateur legislator, Lisa Hong of Tigard,
wins dinner at Captain Ankeny's.
Send your proposals to WW Law Contest via fax
([503] 243-1115), e-mail (jschrag@wweek.com)
or snail mail (822 SW 10th Ave., Portland OR 97205).
Correction
A recent story about the Oregon Supreme Court
credited Justice Mick Gillette with authoring the
PGE
vs. BOLI case. ("
Team
Supreme,"
WW, April 28, 1999). In fact, that
benchmark opinion was penned by Justice George Van Hoomissen.
WW regrets the error.
