My Words to the Mayor, PPS Superintendent, Jefferson High School Principal, and State Superintendent

My Words to the Mayor, PPS Superintendent, Jefferson High School Principal, and State Superintendent

There is a survey available to provide feedback on the Mayor's week at Jefferson High School. It's easy. For the sake of Jefferson's children, and all children of Portland Public Schools, please take a few moments to fill it out:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=a8KClIp7lT6yUKDySnFBMw_3d_3d

The first four questions ask things like which events you participated in, whether you had been inside Jefferson before the Mayor's Week, whether you had been inside a high school in Portland, and why you participated in the events at Jefferson during the Mayor's Week.

Questions 5-10 ask for specific feedback. Here's what I said:

5. After participating in events at Jefferson High School during Mayor's Week, how did your impressions change?

They did not; I have always known that the students at Jefferson are outstanding young individuals who repeatedly get a bad rap in the media.

6. What were some of the highlights of your experience at Jefferson during "Mayor's Week"?

Seeing students and parents being provided the opportunity to relay the deplorable state of educational opportunities they are being provided; all Portland's children deserve far better.

7. Next steps: After your time at Jefferson, what is the ONE thing you would tell each of the following people to focus on?

Mayor Potter: To ensure that equitable educational opportunities are provided for all of Portland's public school students.

PPS Superintendent Carole Smith: To ensure that equitable educational opportunities are provided for all PPS students. End the transfer policy that is resulting in such harm to low-income and/or children of color.

JHS Principal Cynthia Harris: Increase course offerings and college-credit opportunities. Reach out genuinely to all members of the Jefferson community.

State Superintendent Susan Castillo: Ensure that PPS ends its racist, classist practices, and ensure that PPS provides equitable educational opportunities for all PPS students.

Self: Continue to work to provide equitable educational opportunities for all PPS students.

8. How do you think the City of Portland government should support education and youth in Portland, given the fact that the City of Portland has no jurisdiction over educational institutions?

The city of Portland cannot tolerate the blatant racism and classism taking place in Portland's public schools, with public neighborhood schools that serve poor and/or children of color receiving only a fraction of the educational opportunities afforded other whiter, wealthier neighborhood schools.

All Portland residents pay taxes. It is simply unethical that poor families and families of color are personally flowing funding into wealthy, whiter schools to further increase educational opportunities for those families, while their own children's opportunities are steadily decreasing, and schools in their neighborhoods are being shut down at a disproportionate rate.

Even though the City of Portland government may not have jurisdiction over PPS, they have made promises in their policies that all Portland's children will be provided equal access to educational opportunities, and that is clearly not the case currently.

It is the responsibility of the City of Portland government to respond to the Flynn/Blackmer audit of Portland Public Schools and to ensure that the issues addressed by these City of Portland and Multnomah County auditors are corrected. This was a requirement of the Multnomah County ITAX.

It is the responsibility of the City of Portland government to ensure that this shameful racist, classist, inequitable educational system in our beloved city is made equitable and whole; all of our beloved children deserve no less.

If there are not concrete steps taken by the City, PPS Superintendent, School Board and Oregon Department of Education to address the issues raised by the Jefferson High School students, staff, site-based organizations and parents, this entire Mayor's visit exercise will have served to do nothing but to further devalue and disenfranchise the Jefferson children and families of North and NE Portland, who have cried out from their hearts for those in positions of power to "right" these very horrible "wrongs" in our city's educational system.

9. What is a "next step" you might take that was inspired by your visit to Jefferson?

Will continue to fight for equity and quality for every child in Portland Public Schools.

10. Please use this space to add any additional comments about your experience at Jefferson High School during Mayor's Week. Thank you very much for your time -- your feedback is extremely important to us.

Would have liked to see more students from Jefferson, and students from schools in the Jefferson cluster, perform during the Thursday community night in the small gym.