Would You Donate to a School Somebody Else’s Kids Attend?

Educational disparities begin at home.

LAST DAYS OF DISCO: Surina Hollingsworth (right) at the Alameda School Foundation’s “Disco Fever” auction that she planned. (Angela Dawn Photo)

This week’s WW cover package is “How to Be Cool,” a kind of exploration of Portland youth culture right now—which, despite the times, is surprisingly less grim than one might assume.

I have shit in my pantry older than most of these contributors, so rather than try to, like, relate, I’m talking to my age-appropriate pod homie Rachel Saslow. Her contribution to the package is “Paddles Down,” an examination of public school auctions, which, if you don’t live in one of the city’s posher neighborhoods, you might not know anything about. I certainly didn’t. Guess where I live.

In this week’s issue, the youth take the reins, break down what they love about Portland, what they wish would change, and grant us access to their trend reports. But Rachel’s piece stands apart. It examines the inequities faced by Portland’s school-aged kids and how parents having to largely fund their children’s public educations can deepen those divides. Let’s discuss it.

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