PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV) – Portland Public Schools is proposing two scenarios that would result in the closure of up to 14 schools as the district faces a $65 million deficit.
Schools named on the proposed closure lists are Maplewood, Stephenson, Irvington, Rose City Park, Buckman, Creston, Marysville, Woodmere, Lewis, Beach, James John, Peninsula, Sabin and Sellwood Middle School.
In the two proposed scenarios:
- The Odyssey program would move to the Metropolitan Learning Center. Grades 9 to 12 at the center would be closed.
- Seven K-8 schools would become K-5 schools.
- Bilingual immersion programs would continue, but many would move to different buildings.
- Sunnyside Environmental School would lose its environmental focus and become a K-5 neighborhood school.
Find full details, including host schools and other changes included in both proposals, on the PPS website.
Superintendent Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong defended the proposed closures in an exclusive interview with FOX 12, as the recommendations spark anger and questions about whether they can get approval from the school board.
At least one rally is already planned for Tuesday evening in response to the shutdown list.
The Portland Association of Teachers said it planned a rally Tuesday and sent FOX 12 the following statement regarding plans to close schools:
“Today, PPS released school closure scenarios, and it is clear that a more measured, community-centered approach is needed. After all, we are talking about closing, consolidating, and profoundly changing more than two dozen schools and programs. Decisions of this magnitude require time and caution, and PPS leadership has proven incapable of making decisions of this magnitude on a rushed timeline. Their timetable is less than a year, and the proposal PPS’s current focus is to decide by December when we should all focus on supporting student achievement this fall.
“Closing, consolidating and transforming programs at more than 25 schools is a step change. It is critical that PPS implements the right process, which requires slowing it down and involving more stakeholders. Students and families deserve a plan that ensures every student has access to a high-quality, well-resourced school.
“Closing schools is not a plan, it is a reaction. Our students deserve better. Families deserve better. Educators deserve better.
“We are asking the district to exhaust all available options before considering closing schools. And at PAT, we will fight hard for quality education funding because students and families deserve high-quality, well-resourced neighborhood schools.”
Armstrong said declining enrollment is the main factor behind the plan.
“It’s about getting to the right size in the portfolio of schools that we have,” Armstrong said.
Asked if she had the votes to push the plan through the school board amid significant public outcry, Armstrong said she was confident board members were “ready to engage in a conversation about sustainability.”
“We are waiting for feedback, comments, questions. We welcome it,” she said.
Armstrong said she doesn’t yet have a figure on how many layoffs the closures will cause. She said the public school fund, set by the governor and subject to legislative approval, will shape those decisions.
The district’s financial management is also under scrutiny. Even accounting for inflation, the district spends about 23 percent more per student than it did 10 years ago.
Armstrong said the district has worked to close budget shortfalls since its inception, including cutting central office staff by 14 percent.
She also responded to criticism over her salary at a time when many staffers were being asked to push back cost of living increases until January. Armstrong said his employment contract was negotiated when he was hired in 2024 and was below market rate.
“What I have asked for, though, is that my COLA be capped,” she said. COLA stands for Cost of Living, which is a salary or benefit increase designed to match inflation.
Armstrong said the district will spend the month of October gathering public input at school sites and in virtual and in-person listening sessions with the school board. She said she expects that input will lead to changes to the list.
She added that it is also possible that the board will decide to suspend the plan and respond to it at a later date.
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