UPDATED 1pm 6.24.09  ~ Cornelius Swart

Portland Public School announced this morning that they will consolidate and restructure all high schools in the district.  The announcement at PPS.K-12.org stated that the new model would include neighborhood-specific "community" high schools of 1,100-1,400 students each.  Up to six magnet schools would open to students citywide. However, transfer out of the cluster to other community schools would be prohibited. 

The plan calls for “6 to 7” such community high schools. There are currently 10 PPS high schools. Neither Roosevelt or Jefferson High Schools capture more than 900 students from their clusters. The plan would possibly redraw boundaries across the Willamette River to determine new high school "communities."  That could entail placing students in the westside neighborhood of Linnton and Forest Heights back into the Roosevelt cluster.
Either way, the plan seems sure to mean at least one of the North Portland high schools would have to close or convert to a magnet program.

Smith’s statement said that it will take a number of years to implement the plan.
“We will move thoughtfully and openly toward implementation, with the first decision points coming this fall to take effect for the 2010-2011 school year. Full phase-in will occur over the next six years, including the first building improvements.”

FROM PPS STATEMENT

Our future high school system
We will move toward a system with three major components:

• Community high schools of 1,100 to 1,400 students, with a consistent array of programs at every school, including advanced and support courses. Students are guaranteed access to the school in their attendance area. While they may choose to transfer to a magnet school or to attend an alternative school, they may not transfer to another community school. We envision six or seven community high schools.
• Magnet schools will offer students other educational approaches or the chance to go deep in key interest areas such as the arts and career technical education. Three to six magnet schools, each with 300 to 1,100 students, will be open to all district students through the school choice process."

PPS Statements on implementation

"These are some of the key streams of work:

• Site location: We will examine existing campuses for the best locations for future community schools and magnet schools. Some existing neighborhood campuses may become magnet sites.
• Enrollment and transfer: Staff will develop a plan for how and when to adjust attendance boundaries as PPS moves toward having 6 or 7 community schools. Changes to the transfer policy and to boundaries will be phased in. The school choice policies around magnet school admissions also will be defined.
• Magnet schools: We will work to define which magnet programs to offer - possibly building on existing programs or starting up new ones. Student interest, community support and employer partnerships all will be factors.
• Defining the community school program: To ensure that every student has equal access to a wide array of programs, PPS will ensure that every community school has advanced and support classes, a range of electives and other offerings.
• Funding and staffing: We will examine opportunities to leverage existing budgets and staff to support the new model, including assigning additional staff based on the level of incoming students' needs.
• Facilities and partnership: At community schools and magnets, the model envisions rebuilt schools that invite community partners - whether non-profit groups, employers or other governments - to share the space and enrich students' education. We hope to include two to four high school buildings in a capital bond on the May 2010 ballot to pay for desperately needed school building improvements."

FROM THE OREGONIAN

"Portland high school overhaul plan would mean closing some schools, creating magnets"

by Kimberly Melton, The Oregonian

Tuesday June 23, 2009, 9:00 PM

Portland has settled on a makeover plan for its high school system: It will feature six to seven neighborhood schools and several districtwide magnet schools possibly focusing on subjects such as the performing arts, world languages or the environment.

That means the district would close two of its current high schools and likely reopen them as magnets.

The district will name names this fall, but the overhaul is on a five- to six-year timeline.

The plan also would upend the city's 30-year tradition of letting students transfer to a more appealing school in another part of town. The practice was designed to give families choice but ended up segregating students by race, family income, disability status and first language."

Read the article at OregonLive                                 SENTINEL COVERAGE HERE