SCHOOL
BOARD DISCORD
Oregon's charter-school law, hailed by many lawmakers as
the biggest piece of legislation to come out of the 1999
session, is headed for its first major test.
On Monday night, the Portland School Board voted 6-1 to
deny a charter application from the Portland Arts &
Sciences Academy. The academy proposed to open a 450-student
elementary school next September at Northeast 42nd Avenue
and Killingsworth Street. The school's backers include ex-GOP
party boss Craig Berkman, two-time Republican Congressional
candidate Molly Bordonaro and Albina Fuels owner Neil Arntson.
The board's rejection was based on a legal opinion from
Miller Nash, the district's outside legal counsel, challenging
the academy's plans to contract out all the school's administrative
and instructional functions to Mosaica, a for-profit company
based in Maryland.
In a rare show of discord, the board's most powerful member,
Ron Saxton, chairman of the law firm Ater Wynne, voiced
opposition to the majority decision. "I'm not persuaded
our legal analysis is correct," says Saxton, who's announced
plans to run in the 2002 GOP gubernatorial primary. "Two
legislators I talked to referred to it as 'nonsense.'"
At issue is a section of the charter-school law that states,
"A public charter may enter into contracts and may lease
facilities and services from a school district, educational
service district, state institution of higher education,
other governmental unit or any legal person or entity."
The academy's lawyer, former GOP lawmaker Kelly Clark,
says the language clearly gives charter schools the right
to contract with for-profit entities.
District lawyers, however, say that the intent of the charter-school
law was that nonprofit entities operate all such schools.
By ceding all administrative and teaching responsibilities
to Mosaica, they argue, the academy would violate that principle.
Furthermore, says Sue Hagmeier, chairwoman of the board's
Instructional Improvement Committee, granting the loss of
450 students and the associated state funding so late in
the year would cause an unacceptable "adverse impact" to
the district.
John Liljegren, the academy's executive director, believes
the board is simply resistant to charter schools. "The for-profit
issue is simply not credible," he says. "And we've had our
application in since February. How much time do they need?"
The academy plans to appeal Monday's ruling to the state
Board of Education.
--Nigel Jaquiss
Jake's
Mistake
On Monday afternoon, mayoral candidate Jake Oken-Berg called
WW with a startling--and, ultimately, ill-considered--announcement:
He was heading toward a November runoff with Vera Katz.
The 19-year-old had reached his conclusion after local
elections officials declared that a final count of the May
16 election had pushed the Portland school levy above the
needed 50 percent turnout threshold. The levy won after
mail-in ballots of voters who'd skipped the school measure
were added to the vote total and ineligible voters were
purged from the rolls. The result pushed turnout above the
50 percent threshold required for money matters. Using similar
logic, Oken-Berg saw that Katz, who received 55 percent
of the votes cast for mayor, was coming close to dropping
below 50 percent support from all who cast ballots last
week.
"What's good enough for the Portland School District is
good enough for the city," he told WW Monday. It
would be "a double standard" to have votes calculated by
two methods on the same ballot, he said, and lawyers were
advising him he was on solid ground.
At least one news organization bit; KPTV-12 aired a report
Monday night that Katz's lead had ebbed.
But Vicki Ervin, the county's elections director, and Susan
Francois, the city's elections official, tossed cold water
on Oken-Berg's November plans. They said Katz must win a
majority only of those who voted in the mayor's race, not
those who voted in the election.
On Tuesday, Oken-Berg backpedaled and admitted to simply
being confused about Oregon's electoral rules.
Sam Adams, Katz's usually tight-lipped chief of staff,
couldn't find the words to critique the young ex-candidate's
logic--he was too busy laughing.
--Philip Dawdy
The
$40 Solution
After WW's story about SUVs and the women who love
them ("SUV LUV," WW, April 19, 2000), our phone and
e-mail lines sizzled with reader complaints about them (check
out the past month's letters to the editor).
Although the sins of SUV drivers are apparently legion,
nothing seems to bother people more than encountering a
big rig parked on a corner. This creates a hazard for drivers
of normal-sized cars, bikers
or pedestrians trying to see their way clear at an intersection.
People hate that. It's irritating. It's dangerous.
It's also illegal.
Under Portland's city traffic code, any vehicle
taller than 6 feet is prohibited from parking within 50
feet of an intersection. Not only that, it's unlawful to
block the visibility at an intersection in general, so vehicles
under 6 feet are still breaking the law if no one can see
around them.
We wouldn't want to advocate tattling, but if angry motorists
call the city's parking enforcement number at 823-5195 with
the locations and license-plate numbers of offenders, SUV
sisters and brothers could face a $40 fine.
--Patty Wentz
GET
THEE TO A NUNNERY?
When last spotted, Riverdale school officials were hightailing
it out of Oregon City, chased away by angry residents and
politicians who didn't like the affluent westsiders' plan
to relocate there.
Plan B is almost as bizarre as Riverdale's attempt to build
a high school in another district.
In a mailing to parents earlier this month, Riverdale superintendent
Jim Mabbott introduced the district's latest best option--the
Franciscan Renewal Center, an 18-acre site on Southwest
Palatine Hill Road, which is within Riverdale's boundaries.
The nuns who occupy the center have announced the site will
go up for sale, and Mabbott's note made it clear that, if
necessary, his district will make the sisters an offer they
cannot refuse. "If negotiations are not successful," he
wrote to parents, "the District does have condemnation rights."
Mabbott is quick to explain that he's not eager to wrest
the nuns' property from them. "They've said publicly they
want to sell," he notes, "and condemnation is something
our board absolutely doesn't want to have to do."
The real audience for Riverdale's show of muscle-flexing
seems to be Lewis & Clark College, which covets the
grassy, heavily wooded retreat and has reportedly set aside
several million dollars to purchase the property.
Although the idea of a school district condemning a nunnery
sounds far-fetched, Margaret Peterson of the Oregon School
Boards Association says that schools do have that power.
She says Parkrose and Tigard, among others, have exercised
the right of eminent domain in the recent past.
In any case, Mabbott says, his high school needs to find
a home soon. "Will we do something before the next school
year?" he asks. "No question."
--Nigel Jaquiss
Murmurs
ALL
THE NEWS THAT DIDN'T FIT ANYWHERE ELSE
* "You almost feel as though all of a sudden the West Hills
will explode in flames, in the shape of W&K," said one
local artist who found himself a guest at Wieden &
Kennedy's humungo party on May 18. More than 2,500 people
who matter were summoned to the ad shop's new digs in the
Pearl for a housewarming of sorts. Finger food was passed,
performance in the form of yoga was unleashed and bars (fully
hosted) on each floor of the Brad Cloepfil-designed
building were clogged with young marketables. The invitation
promised a surprise musical guest, and most were not disappointed
with an intimate performance by Grammy-winning chanteuse
Erykah Badu.
* At least one snide politico is calling it the pairing
of the Beauty Queen and the Ice Queen: Murmurs hears that
newly anointed GOP SOS candidate Lynn Snodgrass has
already picked a campaign manager for the general election:
Packwood bride Elaine Franklin.
* Crying in the Rain: The Oregonian's long-awaited
Sunday makeover contained a bunch of new elements, but one
longtime fixture was missing: Ellen Emry Heltzel.
The former books editor was ousted in an apparent move to
make the literary pages (now a subsection of the new Arts
Week pullout) more current and hip.
* Ralph Nader, Oregon's favorite progressive, hits
town Thursday afternoon. The Greens presidential candidate
will speak at the Unitarian Church at Southwest 12th Avenue
and Salmon Street at 5:30 pm.
* The world's most famous tree sitter was in town on book
tour for The Legacy of Luna. Proving that she truly
is a preacher's daughter, Julia Butterfly Hill railed,
rallied and roared to an appreciative and inspired overflow
audience in Portland last week.
* As if he doesn't have his hands full with the Shaq! Ingrida
Sabonis, wife of the lumbering Blazers center, was cited
May 16 for a DUII, just hours before the Blazers finished
off the Jazz. Interestingly, although two local TV stations
aired reports on the arrest, the Blazer boosters at the
local daily paper haven't found space to mention it.
* Evolutionary opinions:
"Portland Police did a splendid job managing the volatile
protest demonstrations on downtown streets on Monday."
--Oregonian editorial May 3
"Portland police have some things to learn about dealing
with demonstrations..."
--May 11
"...May Day riot control where a riot didn't exist..."
--May 20
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF
SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION:
The Oregon Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists
gave out its awards last weekend at Spirit Mountain Resort
and Casino. Willamette Week hit the jackpot, taking
home 23 awards in the non-daily newspaper contest, including
a dozen top honors. Here's a breakdown of our winning numbers:
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
First place, Bob Young
"The Other Face of Tri-Met"
Third place, Nigel Jaquiss
"The Whistle-Blower"
ARTS AND CRITICISM
First place, Zach Dundas
"The Haunted World of Andrew Vachss"
Third place, Caryn B. Brooks
"What Falwell Hath Missed"
BUSINESS FEATURE
First place, Nigel Jaquiss
"The Great Cattle Caper"
Second place, Patty Wentz
"Sweeps Stakes"
GENERAL FEATURE
First place, Chris Lydgate
"Dwarf vs. Dwarf"
Third place, Bob Young
"Wet Dreams"
PERSONALITIES
First place, Nigel Jaquiss
"Ask Andrew Wiederhorn"
Second place, Patty Wentz
"There's Something About Larry"
SCIENCE AND HEALTH REPORTING
First place, Nigel Jaquiss
"Readin', Writin', and Ritalin"
SPORTS FEATURES
First place, Bob Young
"Rasta Monsta"
EDUCATION NEWS
First place, Nigel Jaquiss
"None of the Above"
REPORTING AND GOVERNMENT
First place, Maureen O'Hagan
"Why Hasn't Gov. Kitzhaber Set Him Free?"
ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING
First place, Chris Lydgate
"The Poisoned Well"
BUSINESS NEWS
First place, Bob Young
"The Shot Heard 'Round the World Wide Web"
NEWS FEATURE
First place, Philip Dawdy
"The Killer Inside"
HEADLINES
Second place, Staff
SOCIAL ISSUES REPORTING
Second place, Bob Young
"Dissed"
RELIGION AND VALUES
Second place, Philip Dawdy
"Down by the Riverside"
LIFESTYLE, FOOD, CONSUMER, HOME
Second place, Kim Morgan
"Barrel Fever"
PAGE ONE DESIGN
Second place, Molly Henty
INSIDE, FEATURE, OR SECTION PAGE DESIGN
Third place, Mariane Zenker
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