Our Perspective on Portland Budget Cuts
We cannot ignore the current crisis and the very real effect it will have on Portland’s kids next year - and we do have budget news and an action opportunity from PPS to share.

But we know what’s happening in Portland is a symptom of larger problems that still remain. That's why we've decided as an organization to focus on the structural issues that keep bringing us back to this heart-wrenching discussion year after year. We need your help to:

• Elect Strong Leaders. Oregon schools are suffering from a lack of vision for education. We need to change this by electing true leaders, who have a clear vision and road map for education and are willing to fight for it - and by protecting the leaders we do have.
  
  
• Establish a Rainy Day Fund. If we had a robust rainy day fund, we could save during good times and mitigate cuts during harder times. We need to demand our leaders take on this issue! Learn more, and stay tuned - we're having another Portland Rainy Day rally this fall.

This crisis is more than just a question of whether our kids will have PE or music, or how big the classes at our neighborhood schools will be next year. It is a wake-up call that our state has serious work to do to make our schools great for every Oregon child - for next year and beyond.

Learn how you can get involved and take action - email Tyler at twhimire@stand.org.

A Step Forward for Equity in PPS
We are excited to announce an important step forward for equity in Portland Public Schools, announced in April as part of the district's high school redesign - the commitment to form academic priority zones around struggling and low income schools.

Notably, the plan addresses mutual consent hiring, ending forced placement of teachers within these zones. This is a huge step forward for equity and fairness - one that Stand and CPPS have advocated for for several years.

We applaud the district for this smart decision - one that is good for kids, good for teachers, and good for the community. Read the full Superintendent's Report on the redesign.

UPDATE: During recent budget cuts, the school board and district have agreed to protect the seven Tier 1 academic priority zone schools for the coming school year.