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The Portland School Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to adopt a resolution that outlines the clearest guiding principles and work plan yet for Portland Public Schools’ school closure process.
As the district considers closing five to 10 schools by fall 2027, the resolution establishes four priorities: All students across the district should have access to well-resourced schools (currently, uneven enrollment distribution makes this difficult); schools should be safe and healthy learning environments; PPS should provide options of both robust neighborhood schools and choice programs; and PPS must apply an equity lens to inform how decisions might affect its most at-need students.
The district defines “most impacted focal students” as Native students, Black students, multilingual learners, those receiving special education services, and those experiencing poverty.
The resolution will also implement a work plan requiring PPS to conduct a transparent and robust data analysis in identifying schools it wishes to close, and an “equity impact analysis” on any closure scenarios it presents. That analysis would assess everything from access to specialized programs to Title I status.
The work plan also sets up a multipronged community engagement process to engage families in various scenarios.
“The [School] Board finds it desirable to adopt a Workplan for the districtwide rightsizing process that ensures that students, families, and community, as well as financial transparency and stewardship of district resources, are at the forefront of rightsizing decisions,” the resolution reads.
