Personally, I hated gym class with a fiery passion. The smelly shorts, the weird gym-floor grit that collected on your hands as you crabwalked or what-have-you to suit the sadistic teacher's whims, the occasional tide of relief that came with a session with The Parachute only to discover that you're going to have to "grab a pinnie" and do laps on the muddy field.

But still... I think our society would be a lot happier and more peaceful if everybody exercised. That's why I agree with Anna Griffin at the Oregonian, who says that gym class is a terrible thing to lose. She's responding to a recent announcement by Portland Public Schools that it may have to cut PE teaching positions to save money in the face of Governor Ted Kulongoski's 10% across-the-board budget cuts.

Some parents, health care organizations and corporations have launched an (expensive?) marketing campaign to encourage the school district to tap into $33 million of reserve funds rather than slash PE.

But, asks Griffin,

What about the year after that? Heck, what about the decade after that? Even if school board members opt to preserve PE and cut elsewhere, the broader dilemma remains: Trusting state leaders to solve our financial problems and the current state tax structure to adequately fund public services is like building a sand castle at the beach. Plan big. Work hard. And know that eventually, the tide will come along and erase all your hard work.

So: higher taxes? Or fatter kids? The school board met last night to talk about the budget situation—it looks like PE teacher cuts (among other options) are still on the table, although classroom teachers would be expected to lead students in "physical activities."

Over a hundred Portland teachers at all grade levels may get laid off due to budget woes.

In response to Governor Kulongoski's proposed across-the-board 9% budget cuts, a weak state economy and the fact that $16 million of next year's Portland Public Schools budget comes from reserve funds, Superintendent Carole Smith has proposed budget cutbacks totaling nearly $20 million.

This is her second attempt to save money in the coming years, after a proposed pay freeze was stoutly rejected by the teachers' union last week. At stake was a two percent pay raise next year, which teachers retained after 19 months of negotiations earlier this year.

From PPS's list of proposed cuts:

Central support and operations: $3.1 million
PPS central services and operations — including administration, finance and payroll, transportation, building maintenance and more — will cut spending on materials and services, as well as reduce staff by the equivalent of 25 full-time positions (or FTE).

Special education and English as a Second Language: $4.6 million
Reductions to these services, staffed centrally but touching all schools and programs, include elimination of the equivalent of 52 full-time teaching positions through shifts in staffing assignments and a delay of program enhancements.

School staffing: $11.6 million
This cut will eliminate the equivalent of 126 teaching positions in PPS schools — further reducing already lean school staffing.

"No way to sugarcoat the news," PPS wrote on its Facebook page. Smith sent a letter to families discussing her recommendations.

The school board will discuss these potential cuts at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, at 501 N. Dixon St.

After months of negotiations, false starts, scares, controversies, rallies, impassioned speeches, tears, speculation, and secrecy, Portland Public Schools' High School Redesign is officially... tabled until next year.

[record scratch] What? At a meeting last night where Jefferson and Marshall Supporters, as well as Sam Adams, were prepared to weigh in on the closing of Portland's most minority-attended schools, Carole Smith made a surprise announcement:

Given the complexity of the issues we are tackling, and my understanding of current board interests, board leadership and I have agreed that my staff will suspend preparation of requested board resolutions...

Board leadership and I are in full agreement that the board is not in a position to vote on these questions now.

We are also in agreement that this is not the end of this process.

Instead, on the first day of summer, this is the right moment to collect our breath, see how far we have come in this conversation and determine the path forward.

The place erupted in cheers after she announced the delay. The redesign isn't being scrapped, but the district is backing off its previous plan to start implementing changes this coming September. The board will take up discussion on high schools again after school starts.

I thought the proposed timeline was nuts. We're talking about completely reinstalling a curriculum, moving around tons of teachers, growing or shrinking student populations by the hundreds, canning athletic teams, teaching people how to navigate the new attendance boundaries... all on a compressed timeline. On a practical level, this delay makes perfect sense. But it sure did take a long time to admit that, and few people at the district mentioned the sense of headlong rush and last-minute scramble. The cacophony of "Don't Close My School" protests certainly wouldn't have sped things along.

Sam Adams was along to commend the board's decision to delay the process. His sudden involvement with the process could be a good thing or a bad one.

More thoughts on this to come.

A school board work session on Wednesday, June 16 began with a huge crowd of Jefferson supporters, mostly African-American, filling the boardroom and the lobby outside. They numbered in the hundreds, and a Portland policeman stood guard from an upper balcony.

For thirty minutes, they gave passionate testimony about why Jefferson should not be closed. A majority of the Portland School Board wants to consider closing Jefferson. The board’s only two members who have directly opposed a closure, David Wynde and Ruth Adkins, were present to hear the testimony. Dilafruz Williams and Pam Knowles were absent, as was Martín González, who first broached the idea of closing Jefferson earlier this month.

• Board member Bobbie Regan, who wants to consider closing Jefferson, enters the meeting through a throng of Jefferson supporters.

Tony Hopson, president of the SEI charter school and one of Jefferson’s most vocal supporters, gave the board an ultimatum. “We will do whatever’s necessary because the decision that you’re making, you have to understand that this isn’t just about Jefferson, you are ripping out the heart of black people in the city,” said Hopson.

“When people are pushed up into a corner, people will do whatever is necessary to survive.”

Thomas Lauderdale, band leader of Pink Martini, testified that he volunteers as a music teacher at Jefferson, and that he had big plans to increase music education programs at the school. "But we can't do that if there's no school," he said, to rousing applause.

The board member absences led Chair Trudy Sargent to cancel the planned work session, rescheduling it for later this month. After a half-hour of testimony, the crowd filtered out of the building.

When Portland Public Schools Superintendent Carole Smith announced the first version of a proposed high school restructuring in April, there was a promise implicit in her decision.

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The Oregon State Board of Higher Education has approved next year's tuition rates for Oregon's 8 public universities—which are desperate for funds. They represent a 6.5% average tuition hike.

Here's what you'll pay if you're a resident:

You can find more details, including nonresident tuition, on the Board's website.

Portland Public Schools (PPS) Superintendent Carole Smith wants to close down the three small schools operating at the Marshall campus in outer Southeast, and use some of the space for a tiny magnet school.

That has Lents residents and the school community up in arms: they say that if PPS doesn't want to put in the money and effort to give Marshall a comprehensive curriculum, they should hand the school over to David Douglas school district, which is in charge of educating far-east Portland.

After authorizing a study earlier this week to see if that transfer would be feasible, Lents Neighborhood Association Chairman Nick Christiansen explained, "If PPS is willing to give up on the outer eastside, we need to look into what options exist to provide the educational foundation for a successful community."

• Martha Rosenberger (Marshall '65) tells Carole Smith: "We have possibly the highest diversity of any high school."

"I've seen this neighborhood blossom," said Kay Del Marshall, a 1965 alumna. "I got a comprehensive education. Don't take that away from our neighborhood."

Parent Brad McFeters called on PPS to act: "We urge you to negotiate with David Douglas. We want to stay here."

While Smith has proposed a space-sharing agreement with David Douglas at Marshall, it doesn't sound like she's open to a complete handover at this point.

"We consider this to be our community," says Smith. "We want to continue serving it well. So that's the conversation, and I think we can end up with something cool."

David Douglas currently runs one high school—and with 3,000 students, it's the most crowded in the state. David Douglas spokesman Dan McHugh says it's too early to know if they'd be amenable to a switch. "If somebody ever came to us with a specific proposal our board would be open to listening," he says.

The Portland School Board votes June 21 on a more modest proposal to share some of the space with David Douglas.

The principal of the beleaguered Jefferson High School in North Portland, Cynthia Harris, was placed on paid administrative leave yesterday with no public explanation.

Harris's part-time business manager Reis Wilbanks was also placed on leave. Portland Public Schools spokesperson Matt Shelby says he doesn't know the duration of the leave. He says this has nothing to do with Jefferson's fate in the high school redesign.

Deputy Superintendent Tori Hunter will take over in the meantime.

• Harris

• Wilbanks

Update 9:54 am: Beth over at WW has details on a pretty damning audit, released yesterday, that sheds light on some of Harris's purchasing decisions—including using student body funds to buy lip gloss, paying out of accounts with negative balances, and losing money on a latte machine. No word yet on whether the incidents are related.

Update 2:45 pm: More from The Skanner, whose reporter got kicked out of a parent meeting on athletics funding on March 3.

Portland Public Schools (PPS) is plowing ahead with its plan to overhaul the city's high school system. Tonight Superintendent Carole Smith revealed the general plan: Marshall High School will become a magnet-style "focus option" school. The rest will get a makeover, becoming "community comprehensive" schools with a wide range of offerings. The new plan will do away with the current liberal transfer policy, opting instead for a neighborhood-focused approach.

• Superintendent Carole Smith announces the high school plan to the Portland School Board

After the school board voted 5-2 last month to allow Superintendent Smith to develop specific recommendations, the details have been hashed out largely in secret over the past six weeks. Here are the basics:

Closing: None.

Community Comprehensives: Cleveland, Franklin, Grant, Jefferson, Lincoln, Madison, Roosevelt, Wilson.

Focus Option: Marshall (currently a campus housing three "small schools," which has seen its share of No Child Left Behind sanctions). There's no word yet on what the "focus" will be (Arts? Science?). That will be worked out in the future, with input from teachers and parents. I'll be putting in my vote for Animal Husbandry or Brazilian Fighting Arts.

On March 18, PPS announced that it had applied for federal School Improvement Grants for its three other small schools, housed on the Roosevelt campus. That money can only be awarded under a few circumstances, one of which involves replacing staff and implementing a "new and revised instructional program." The move to a community comprehensive would likely fit that bill, so Roosevelt's transition could be federally funded.

The focus option program at Marshall will be open to students from David Douglas school district (serving far eastern Portland) as well as PPS. Smith says this will open the program to more opportunities.

Plus, "we will build a Benson High School for the 21st century," says Smith. The school will serve 800 students, all of whom will be half-time and co-enrolled at their neighborhood community comprehensive schools. Benson is currently a science and technology academy open to students from across the district by lottery.

Now that the cat's a little further out of the bag, we'll have more details in this week's paper on what lies ahead. "There are risks inherent in this model," Smith told the school board, "but the success of the plan does not rest on the school district alone."

Highlights of how some key disputes were resolved are after the jump.

After more than 19 months without a deal, Portland Public Schools (PPS) and its teachers' union, the Portland Association of Teachers (PAT), appear set to agree have agreed on a contract that covers last year, this year and the next.

The school board met this morning at 10:30 for a closed-door executive session at PPS headquarters. At 11:00, they began a public meeting to vote to ratify the tentative agreement. They voted "yes" unanimously at 11:16 am.

"I do feel like we found common ground," says PPS Superintendent Carole Smith. "I feel good about where we are... in this economy it was a hard sweet spot to find," she says.

The PAT ratified the contract yesterday, February 26. A majority of teachers in the district voted to accept the deal.

"We hope the Portland Public School Board ratifies this agreement," wrote PAT President Rebecca Levison in a statement.

Carole Smith and her chief of staff Zeke Smith (no relation) arrived together at the PPS offices this morning, and talked privately in their car for about twenty minutes before entering the building.

Directors Dilafruz Williams (just back from India), Martín González, Trudy Sargent, Ruth Adkins, and David Wynde were present for the vote. Pam Knowles and Bobbie Regan were away, and joined by teleconference. Regan asked if the board could "just vote yes" before deliberation, but Chief Legal Counsel Jollee Patterson said that wasn't possible.

"It took a longer time for us to reach a resolution than any of us wanted to take," said Sargent, referring to the year and a half of lurching negotiations.

When the parties gave each other their final offers two weeks ago, there were still some disagreements.

After the jump: some of the major issues, and how they were resolved in the tentative agreement.

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The audience at Monday’s school board meeting witnessed a rare occurrence: board members disagreeing with one another. Usually, by the time a meeting is called, all the rough spots between directors have been ironed out in private.

• Well, there's a talking point.

Apart from the issue of whether the district needs to close schools (which, of course, inspired bickering across the board members' table), Co-Chair Ruth Adkins voiced some common-sense concerns on a number of important issues. She’s usually pretty quiet during board meetings, and it was nice to see her bring some skepticism to the buzzword-addled debate.

Provided after each of Adkins’ suggestions is the dismissive response of Co-Chair Trudy Sargent, who seems happy with the resolution as it is.

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Dozens of students shared their views on the upcoming high school redesign at a meeting last night hosted by Portland Public Schools. The event attracted middle school and high school students from across the district—most of whom were concerned that the proposed changes would leave them with fewer choices.

The district is planning to turn two or three of its nine neighborhood schools into small “focus option” magnet schools, and the rest into more standardized “community comprehensive” schools. Students would then be required to attend the school in their neighborhood, or apply to a focus school.

Nearly every current high school was represented at the meeting, with two glaring exceptions: Roosevelt, which has been split into three focused academies, and Jefferson, whose North Portland students are some of the poorest in the district. While the redesign is meant to increase socioeconomic and racial equity, the students it’s supposed to help were absent from the meeting.

After a brief slide show outlining the district's vague goals (close the "opportunity gap," increase the graduation rate), students broke into groups of ten for pizza and discussion. The groups then presented their concerns to each other and to Zeke Smith, Superintendent Carole Smith’s Chief of Staff.

“There’s a lot of information missing,” said one group’s representative. “We’re missing an explanation of how the community comprehensive schools can support a broad offering of elective courses.”

Other students echoed this concern, that more standardized schools will impede individual exploration. “We need an independent learning style,” said a Renaissance Arts Academy student from Gresham. “Change won’t create greater demand.”

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I was expecting a pretty contentious Board of Education meeting last night—teacher contract woes, High School Redesign anxiety—but one controversial item was pulled from the agenda just hours before the meeting.

Each year the board approves a contract to accept around $300,000 from the Oregon Military Department to pay for the program.

They were set to do so again last night, but when it came time for the approval, the item was declared "withdrawn." After the meeting, PPS Chief Legal Counsel Jollee Patterson told me that "questions had been raised about the program," and "we don't have all the answers that we need." The board's vote has been postponed until February 22 or March 8.

School Board Manager Linda Rose says the "questions" came from two or three board members who were exchanging e-mails. She says their concerns will be addressed before a future meeting.

It's possible that those board members have been reading their blogs: blogger and parent Nancy Rawley has been criticizing the program for years, and helped issue a press release before last night's meeting.

Did her blog entries influence the delay? "I'd like to think so," says Rawley. School administrators "definitely read the blogs," she says. "Our greatest number of hits [at ppsequity.org] is from school system computers."

Who were the dissenting voices on the board? What "questions" will be answered? And will the answers be made available to the public? We shall see!