Murmurs: PPS Releases Two School Closure Scenarios

PPS RELEASES TWO SCHOOL CLOSURE SCENARIOS: Portland Public Schools officials on Oct. 5 released two school closure scenarios to the Portland School Board for further discussion. The board has about two and a half months to deliberate on three options, which members may modify, though it’s unclear whether they will. The first two options come in the form of scenarios. In Scenario A, the district would close 14 schools—13 elementaries and Sellwood Middle School. In Scenario B, PPS would shutter 11 schools—10 elementaries and Sellwood. (Ten of the elementary schools targeted for closure appear in both scenarios.) If the board chooses to proceed with either, changes would take effect starting fall 2027. Under both scenarios, six Title I schools serving higher percentages of low-income students would close, seven of the district’s 11 K–8 schools would turn into elementary schools, and the high school at Metropolitan Learning Center would shutter. Scenario A calls for 38 boundary changes; Scenario B contains 34. School Board members could also choose a third option: defer a decision and maintain the status quo. That’s a move district leaders say would make most schools unsustainable within a few years given PPS’s rapidly declining enrollment from a declining birth rate and migration out of the district. Momentum is already building around a protest effort: The Portland Association of Teachers has asked the district to slow down and think about how it can conserve resources elsewhere. “We ask that the district exhaust every available option it has before considering closing schools,” said PAT president Alisha Chavez.

CONGRESSWOMAN SAYS CITY COUNCIL IS ‘ACTING CRAZY’: U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.) came to WW’s offices this week to seek endorsement of her reelection bid for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District. We asked her about the Portland City Council, which has become increasingly divided since the 12 members took office in January 2025. Bynum shared some candid thoughts about their conduct: “Number one: Having some decorum on camera is important. It cannot be about social media. It cannot be about likes. It cannot be about obstruction. It has to be for people, for working families, and pro-business.” It’s unusual for a sitting congressperson representing a segment of Portland to harshly criticize city officials, but Bynum said the conduct of city leaders could very well make her efforts to deliver federal aid to her district harder. Bynum said that when local elected officials are “erratic in your rule-making, if you are pompous in the way that you talk with people,” that conduct makes it harder for businesses to come to Portland or stay there. “I can’t go to D.C. if we are acting crazy here in Oregon,” she said. “I can’t bring home money. I can’t make us more attractive for investments.”

TOP OHSU LAWYER GETS $1.8 MILLION TO GO QUIETLY: On Aug. 7, Oregon Health & Science University made an abrupt internal announcement: Its chief lawyer, Alice Cuprill Comas, would retire that very day. She had been on family leave for weeks, OHSU said, and felt the need to turn her full attention to the health of an ailing parent. But there was an additional dynamic at play that the medical center did not publicize or answer questions about at the time: an exit agreement in which OHSU, Portland’s largest employer, agreed to say nice things about Cuprill Comas—and pay her $1.8 million in severance pay. Cuprill Comas acknowledged she would not have been entitled to these financial benefits if not for their inclusion in the exit agreement, which WW obtained through a public records request. In return, she agreed not to file legal claims against the institution. As OHSU’s general counsel since 2017, Cuprill Comas was responsible for the legal advice given to the institution’s governance board, president, and other executives—as well as the university’s broader legal strategy, which has undergone scrutiny at times (“Lost Homework,” WW, Aug. 27, 2025). Cuprill Comas did not respond to a request for comment. OHSU didn’t answer a question about how this exit agreement compares with those normally given to retiring employees, citing its “policies and practices regarding employee confidentiality and personnel matters.” Indeed, the contract would appear to severely limit what the university can publicly say. It included agreed-upon language that OHSU would “exclusively” use in communications about Cuprill Comas’ separation from employment—whether it was speaking with the press, faculty, students, donors or trustees.

WILDLIFE TAX BACKERS WIN SALLINGER AWARD: Champions of a new Oregon law that raised hotel taxes to fund wildlife protection are the inaugural recipients of a conservation award named after late environmental advocate Bob Sallinger. The nonprofit Bird Conservation Oregon named Danielle Moser and Sristi Kamal the winners of the first annual Bob Sallinger Conservation Advocacy Award on Oct. 3. Moser, director of state programs at Oregon Wild, and Kamal, deputy director of the Western Environmental Law Center, spearheaded House Bill 4134, which raises the tax on hotels, Airbnbs and other short-term lodgings from 1.5% to 2.75% and directs the proceeds to wildlife protection. Lawmakers passed the bill over the fierce opposition of business groups and hoteliers; it became law June 5. “Sristi and Danielle started with an idea that few thought had a chance of becoming law,” said BCO board president Dan Rohlf, “and convinced both legislators and the public that Oregon could create a pathway to better protect its abundance of wildlife.” Sallinger, a relentless advocate for Oregon wildlife, was the director of Bird Conservation Oregon and Willamette Riverkeeper when he died at age 57 in 2024.