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CLOSE ADMIN BUILDING INSTEAD OF SCHOOLS
I’ve been reading and listening about the PPS plan to close a dozen or more neighborhood schools [Murmurs, WW, Oct. 21], and how upset many of the families are at the prospect of having a chunk of the heart of their communities removed.
I have no dog in this fight, just a healthy concern for my fellow Portlanders and their kids.
Neighborhood schools are great in so many ways—friendships with kids who live close, thus avoiding driving to the dreaded “playdate.” Kids walking and biking to school, thus building independence, getting a little exercise and fresh air, and, again, parents avoiding driving kids to school, sitting in near-school traffic clogs, burning expensive gas, and polluting our air. There are other benefits, more than I can list here.
Anyway, I had an out-of-the-box thought today.
What if PPS closed its administrative offices and had all the admin staff work from home? They could have weekly meetings in the really nice meeting rooms available at several of our beautifully renovated public libraries to maintain staff connections.
I’m sure the cost of maintaining admin buildings is quite high, and that those dollars would be better used serving kids and communities.
After all, kids and teachers actually need to be in the same room to get their work done. Administrators, not so much.
We know from the pandemic and beyond that employees working from home mostly get the job done just as well, so why not reallocate dollars from admin offices to classrooms?
Xande Zublin
Northeast Portland
ENDORSE HER OR DON’T
Your endorsement of Myrna Muñoz [“Shop and Save!,” WW, Oct. 14] is a case study in biased coverage.
In your own words, Janeen Sollman “walked into a bear trap” by casting maverick votes that “angered influential education, labor and environmental groups,” including SB 1586 that would have allowed data center development in rural Washington County.
Then in the next paragraph, those same education, labor and environmental groups become “special interests” who backed Muñoz and used the data center issue as a “pretext to punish Sollman.” Which is it? A grassroots concern about water quality and utility rates, or a pretext?
You then recycle two unverified social media allegations—that Muñoz called Sollman a “three-headed, fire-breathing dragon” and donated to the legal fund of a man arrested for harassing Sollman—while admitting she did not attend your endorsement interview or respond to inquiries. You didn’t get her side, but printed the claims anyway.
Finally, you admit Harold Hutchison, 72, is “mere token opposition” with no substantive answers who falsely claims anal sex is taught to 10-year-olds, yet you still frame this as “Muñoz’s to lose” and lecture her that she “behaved unprofessionally” and needs to channel her anger.
Voters deserve reporting, not scolding. If you endorse Muñoz on civil rights, education and health care, endorse her. Don’t do it while carrying water for the data center lobby she ran against.
Simone Campbell
Hillsboro
A LOVE NOTE FROM WILDWOOD
In a reality that is embroiled in political darkness and hallmarked by making people feel like they cannot make a difference, Wildwood reminds us not only can small acts make a difference but also that the spirit of Portland is alive and well [“Wild for Wildwood,” WW, Oct. 21].
In what can only be described as a love note to Portland, Laika’s adaptation of Colin Meloy’s Wildwood should be on everyone’s watchlist in the coming weeks. The animation is striking and the storytelling is beautiful. More importantly, Wildwood captures the true essence of what it means to be a Portlander.
Set in the fantastic world of Wildwood (Forest Park), you walk beside the main character Prue on a mission to save her brother. Beside her? Portland. Unified by a common goal, the people of Wildwood are called to action. From those that find peace among the trees (the mystics) to the revolutionaries reclaiming their land (the bandits), the very core of Portland is embroidered into the fabric of this movie.
Wildwood will not only make you proud to be part of Portland but remind you what we stand for as a community. In this tribute to chosen community fighting for justice together, I hope you find not only the story moving but also that the beauty of Portland is waiting to greet you while you take a seat and enjoy this masterpiece.
Get some popcorn, raise a glass to Laika and Colin Meloy, and enjoy the show.
Ethan C. Snyder, J.D., M.P.P.
Southwest Portland
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P.O. Box 10770
Portland, OR 97296
Email: amesh@wweek.com
