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Last week’s cover story explored a peculiar result of Portland Public Schools’ steep decline in enrollment: Parents of kindergartners feel wooed by charter and private schools as they weigh their loyalty to the neighborhood elementary (“Big Kid on Campus,” WW, April 12). As our reporter followed parents through school open houses, she identified several factors eroding confidence in neighborhood schools. Readers had their own ideas:
16semesters, via Reddit: “Demographics are shifting, that’s absolutely true. There’s fewer kids in Portland (and nationally). We’re going to have some very uncomfortable decisions in the next 20 to 30 years because every level of education is going to have decreased enrollment. Schools elementary through college will need to be consolidated or closed. Which ones close is going to be a hot political topic here.”
Josh Lehner, via Twitter: “Here’s the [point] with population loss I try to make. Yes, growing pains are real, but managing decay is harder. Good luck deciding which 10 schools to close.”
Prismatic_Effect, via Reddit: “I went to PPS, my dad went to PPS, his mom went to PPS. Public education is the most effective way to address and improve nearly every societal problem, from drug addiction to economic mobility to unwanted pregnancies and more.
“When the pandemic hit and we were pushed into ‘comprehensive distance learning’ I was on the PTA of my kids’ school. I was completely dismayed by the lack of urgency by the administration of PPS to ensure that they were reaching out to all the students and meeting them where they were able. Parents and kids were anxious, confused, and afraid and the admin did NOTHING that I could see to ensure that everyone knew that whatever they were able to do would be adequate during the crisis. Instead, we were left wondering about attendance requirements, schoolwork obligations, curriculum and benchmarking. It was a huge missed opportunity and doesn’t surprise me that people with means went somewhere less confusing, and people without left because they couldn’t figure out how to meet their obligations.
“Makes me incredibly mad and frustrated.”
LU, via wweek.com: “We’ve long been toward the bottom of school rankings, we have one of the shortest school years in the country, and we prioritized vaccinating teachers over the elderly and still didn’t reopen schools, and you think they’re worried about something trivial like declining enrollment? They know they’ve got nothing to worry about.”
sscamaro3, via wweek.com: “Both in Europe and U.S., university-schooled parents have fewer children. The younger generations are having children later in life than 20 years ago, as the article mentions…
“But societies cycle. A Portland-educated boomer will recall the burst in school building during the ‘60s only to find newly built schools shuttered 10 to 15 years later. Jackson High School (Southwest Portland) being but one example.”
What About Preschool For All?
I really enjoyed your piece on the decreasing numbers of kids enrolling in PPS elementary schools and the detailed stats you included. That’s why I enjoy WW: real info regardless of ideology or agenda. (If you were expecting a but…, this is where it would be in a compliment sandwich, and there isn’t one.) I’m really curious about that information you presented combined with the glut of new revenue from the “Free Preschool for All” tax. We have record low enrollment, record high funding, a billion-dollar bond, and a new preschool tax?! Where is that going, and what is the spend per precocious little preschooler?! Is that not drawing in new parents to Multnomah County and Portland Public Schools? If you’re bored… ;) Dan Corcoran Northeast Portland
CLARIFICATION A correction in last week’s edition said a 501(c)(4) nonprofit may not advocate for political candidates. It may, but not as its primary activity.
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