Portland Public Schools released two consolidation scenarios to the Portland School Board Monday evening.
The first scenario would close 14 schools: 13 elementary schools and Sellwood Middle School. The second would close 11 schools: 10 elementary schools and Sellwood. In both scenarios, which WW As shown below, seven of the district’s 11 K-8 schools will become K-5 schools. It also recommends closing the Metropolitan Learning Center high school, which was scheduled to close last year and was saved through advocacy. No alternative schools or guidance options are targeted for closure, although Sunnyside K-8 would see its environmental guidance option discontinued in either scenario.
The majority of elementary schools planned for closure appear in both scenarios. Of the 10 that overlap, six are Title I schools that serve a high percentage of students from low-income families. The three who do not appear in Scenario B are Rose City Park, Stephenson and Lewis. In Scenario A, the district proposes 38 boundary changes. In scenario B, he offers 34.
The district currently operates 45 elementary schools, 11 primary and secondary schools, and 15 middle schools.
In a memo to the school board, written by the district’s senior chief operating officer, Dr. Jon Franco, the district explains that Scenario A leaves more schools above the enrollment thresholds necessary for robust programming. Rebalancing in this scenario would leave 67% of schools enrolled at the threshold, while scenario B would leave 57% of schools enrolled at or above the threshold.
A third scenario, notes a PPS press release, would consist of postponing the decision and maintaining school configurations as they are “for the moment”.
The district will continue to engage families through November. PPS Superintendent Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong will present her final recommendation to the board before the vote in December. The decisions will be effective by the start of the 2027-2028 school year.
“We know how deeply connected students, families, educators and communities are to their schools, and contemplating the closure of a school is extraordinarily difficult,” Armstrong said in a statement. “But we also have a responsibility to look at Portland Public Schools as a whole and consider changes that give every student access to strong programs, stable staff and the opportunities and support they deserve.”
The district is sure to face fierce challenges to its closure process in the coming months, particularly from its largest union, the Portland Association of Teachers. On Sunday, the union released a petition calling on the district, among other things, to redraw its boundaries, return its central office to pre-2019 staffing levels and invest in opportunities to increase its membership.
In a statement sent shortly after the district released its two scenarios, PAT President Alisha Chavez urged the district to pump the brakes and slow down the process of closing schools, calling for a more community-centered approach over a longer period of time.
“Closing schools is not a plan, it is a reaction. Our students deserve better. Families deserve better. Educators deserve better,” Chavez’s statement read. “We are asking the district to exhaust all available options before considering closing any schools.”
In developing its scenarios, PPS considered a number of factors, including enrollment numbers, equity and quality of facilities. In the coming months, it will also face increased scrutiny from the broader Portland community, where school buildings now define many neighborhoods.
Gabrielle Haber, a parent who is part of a coalition formed to defend Title I schools in the closure process, said the coalition found the proposal “disappointing.”
“We disagree on the need for right-sizing, but we don’t see where the fairness lies in these scenarios,” Haber said. “We see the burden falling on Title I communities, on communities in North Portland, on families already impacted by past changes. But we hope this is a place to start having more concrete conversations.”
WW presents both scenarios below and will update this story with more information. Schools in bold are targeted for closure, while receiving schools are those where students currently enrolled in affected schools will be redirected.
Scenario A:
Maplewood Elemental
Host schools: Hayhurst and Rieke.
Stephenson Elementary School
Host schools: Markham and Capitol Hill.
Irvington Elementary School
Host schools: Beverly Cleary for students from kindergarten to 5th grade and Beaumont for the region’s middle school program.
Rose City Park Elementary School
Host schools: Scott for neighborhood K-5 students and Vestal for Vietnamese immersion.
Buckman Elementary School
Host schools: Abernethy and Sunnyside.
Creston Elementary School
Host schools: Atkinson for local K-5 students and Glencoe for deaf and hard of hearing classes.
Marysville Elementary School
Host school: Arleta.
Woodmere Elementary School
Host school: Whitman.
Lewis Elementary School
Host school: Duniway.
Beach Elemental
Host schools: Chief Joseph for K-5 district students and César Chávez for Spanish immersion.
James John Primary School
Host schools: Sitton for K-5 district students and César Chávez for Spanish immersion.
Peninsula Primary School
Host school: Rosa Parks.
Sabin Elementary School
Host school: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Sellwood Middle School
Host schools: Hosford for students from the Llewellyn area and Brentwood for students from the Duniway and Lewis areas.
Scenario B
Maplewood Elemental
Host schools: Hayhurst and Rieke.
Irvington Elementary School
Host schools: Beverly Cleary for students from kindergarten to 5th grade and Beaumont for the region’s middle school program.
Buckman Elementary School
Host schools: Abernethy and Sunnyside.
Creston Elementary School
Host schools: Atkinson for local K-5 students and Glencoe for deaf and hard of hearing classes.
Marysville Elementary School
Host school: Arleta.
Woodmere Elementary School
Host school: Whitman.
Beach Elemental
Host schools: Chief Joseph for K-5 district students and César Chávez for Spanish immersion.
James John Primary School
Host schools: Sitton for K-5 district students and César Chávez for Spanish immersion.
Peninsula Primary School
Host school: Rosa Parks.
Sabin Elementary School
Host school: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Sellwood Middle School
Host schools: Hosford for students from the Llewellyn area and Brentwood for students from the Duniway and Lewis areas.
In both scenarios, the K-8 schools that would become elementary schools are: Beverly Cleary’s grades 6-8 would move to Beaumont; Laurelhurst at Mount Tabor; Sunnyside is in Hosford; Bridger Creative Science at designated neighborhood colleges; that of César Chávez to George; Faubion at Ockley Green; and Vernon to Harriet Tubman.
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