Test of New Master

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(No Transcript)
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Objectives for today

• Review the critical challenges we must address
• Providing an excellent education for all kids
• Stabilizing the District for the future
• Discuss our thinking behind current options for
  moving forward

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Building on a tradition of excellence

• PPS students outperform state averages
• 84 of children go to public schools
• A strong tradition of neighborhood schools within
  a system of choice
• A range of choices and options for students and
  parents
• Strong parent and community support

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But PPS student outcomes fall as students
transition
PPS performance (04-05) of schools which
scored in each category, by level
57
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10
Source PPS State Report Card, 2004-2005
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Students improve throughout elementary, then
drop in middle school
Students in Same Elementary School Gr 68
Students in Same Elementary School Gr 3 5
Source PPS
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Persistent achievement gap for minority
students
Source PPS State Report Card, 2004-2005
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More than 30 of PPS families choose transfers
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Bold steps are underway to deliver results for
all students

• Uniformly high standards
• Enabled by district-wide curriculum and rigorous
  assessments
• And supported by intensive professional
  development for teachers

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Rigorous Core Curriculum Results
Within PPS
Across the Country

• Renewed focus on teaching learning has resulted
  in
• Across the board gains at levels in reading and
  math
• Significant gains for special populations
• K-1 investments demonstrating strong outcomes

• Similar focus on raising standards in
• NYC District2,
• Charlotte Mecklenburg
• Norfolk, VA
• Long Beach, CA
• Boston
• Philadelphia
• Resulting in
• 15-20 point gains in reading and math for all
  students
• Even larger gains for poor and minority students,
  shrinking the achievement gap

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We must support student achievement,while
stabilizing PPS for the long run

• Keep improving our schools so that all students
  have a full range of choices and opportunities
• Stabilize and strengthen the system so we can
  focus on educating children, not on managing
  short-term budget crises
• Its counter-productive to put yet another short
  term band-aid on the problem
• We cant just keep stretching resources thinner
  and thinner across all of our schools

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Three steps to position PPS for future

• 1) Preserve core educational opportunities for
  our students
• Rigorous and full curriculum for all students
• Sustain emerging and successful reforms
• Maintain reasonable class sizes and school year
• 2) Stabilize the district for the long term
• Establish schools of size and scale to
  accommodate core educational opportunities for
  all students
• Live within existing resources
• Address elevated cost of doing business older,
  larger, under-utilized buildings, rising health
  care costs
• 3) Increase the accountability and performance
  of central services.
• Lean, highly responsive, and supportive central
  office
• Focus every penny from taxpayers classroom needs

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4 Areas of Cuts Under Consideration to cover
24M shortfall
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• Central Office Staff and Services

• Support to Schools and Classrooms

areas
areas

• Reconfiguration of Schools

• Teaching Staff Reductions, Wages/Benefits

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Staff cuts have outpaced enrollment declines
District FTE 1991 vs. 2005
Enrollment Decline 1991 54,900 2005 47,008
Change -14
-30
-26
29
-66
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Hard choices and tradeoffs to get to
24MExample Options
Source PPS estimates
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If reconfiguration doesnt save much, why even
consider it?
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Weve been tackling this problem for years
.From a Facilities Perspective
8 Buildings Closed since 1995 Edwards Applegate S
mith Kenton Whittaker Lakeside Wilcox Glenhaven F
oster SPED facility

• Multiple Task Forces Held
• 2001- Best Use of Facilities Task Force
• 2002-Portland Schools Real Estate Trust
  Development sponsored by Innovation Partnership
• 2002-Long Range Facilities Plan
• 2003-04 Capital Bond Task Force
• 2003-Westside Boundary Process Task Force
• 2003 Eastside Educational Options Task Force
• 2006 Long Range Facilities Plan Update in
  Progress.

Lets find a solution this time once and for
all!!
Leased to Columbia Regional Programs
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Lets use an Educational Perspective

• Educational Benefits of Reconfiguration
• Stronger, more varied programs
• Ability to offer a core curriculum that includes
  art, music, wellness
• Lower class sizes
• Fewer transitions for kids
• Stability and continuity of parent involvement
• More comprehensive access to student supports
• Equitable configuration of ESL, SPED, social
  services, after school programs, etc.

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School configuration models under consideration
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School mergers can increase strength of programs
Example Edwards -gt Abernethy
178 students
366 students
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Larger schools fare can offer PE/Music/Art, with
reasonable class sizes
Example Elementary School Current Staffing
Ratio
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Larger schools also fare better if staffing ratio
is increased
Example Elementary School Staffing Ratio
increased to 251
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No relationship between PPS school size and
performance
Example Size of Elementary Schools by
Performance Rating
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K-8 model is re-emerging as educationally sound
particularly for high needs kids

• Better suited to needs of young adolescents
• Fewer transitions
• Reduced social pressures
• Higher parental engagement
• More individualized attention from teachers
• Studies show that K-8 students fare better than
  middle school peers on multiple dimensions
• Feel safer
• Have higher self esteem, sense of belonging
• Higher involvement in extra-curricular activities
• Perform as well and often better academically
• e.g., in Baltimore, Cleveland, New Orleans,
  Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City
• Academic improvement especially strong for
  students in high poverty, high minority schools

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K-8 Model is not new to Portland
6 K-8s planned for 2006-07 Skyline (?) Ockley
Green Beach Boise-Eliot Vernon King All
elementaries in Jefferson cluster by 2007-8
4 Existing K-8 Schools Sunnyside Environmental
(Strong) Winterhaven (Exceptional) Sabin -
Access (Exceptional) Hayhurst -
Odyssey (Strong)
PPS was a K-8 district until converting to middle
schools in the 80s
With the exception of Chief Joseph
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Considerations for school configuration decisions

• Academic and instructional integrity and benefits
• Preserving neighborhood relationships
• Current and Projected Enrollment
• Geographic balance
• Accommodating district wide programs (e.g.
  special needs classrooms)
• Building Size, Amenities, Condition and Operating
  costs
• Consistency within clusters

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Where we plan to go from here

• Solicit more public input into the choices we
  face
• Budget Forums and facilitated discussions
• March 21 (Lent) and 22 (Wilson)
• Budget Tools
• Priorities Zoomerang Tool
• Budget Calculator Tool
• Public Testimony
• March 23 Board workshop and public testimony
• Budget recommendation for 24M cuts - (April 3)
• Public review of and feedback on recommendation
  (April)
• 4 Quadrant testimony hearings
• Hearings in each building recommended for closure
• Define outstanding issues and the process for
  resolving them (April May)
• Develop two-year implementation plan, with
  community input (April June)