Public School Districts in Portland

Adopted 1968. Updated 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 2006 (revised), 2011.

The League of Women Voters believes that public education is critical to the success of our city and that public schools should provide education for all children to develop the greatest potential in each individual.

Therefore the League supports:

• A quality basic education provided for all students, with services available in an equitable way so that all students have access to comparable services, regardless of circumstances as income, race, ethnicity, geographical location, or family background.
• Programs or services provided by districts which offer an alternate approach or focus for students with different learning needs, including a strong mix of off-site and on-site vocational education programs.
• Teacher evaluation that improves teaching quality and student learning.
• Grade organization that is determined by a number of factors, including evidence-based research, student needs, logistical impacts, and community input.
• Adherence to set school boundaries with few exceptions, which may be based on educational, emotional, behavioral, or medical criteria, and offering all students access to a consistent and broad spectrum of classes.
• Creative approaches to achieve diversity in school populations.
• Changes in the school education structure which positively affect the quality of education and which take into consideration the preservation of neighborhoods and the needs of the community.
• Adequate physical facilities, with buildings and all facilities meeting state and local standards.
• School districts’ decisions on future use of land and buildings based on a strategic facility plan that takes into account population projections, physical conditions, land use designations, and community needs, with coordination between the City of Portland and school districts in long-range planning.
• An effort made to generate income to offset the costs of maintaining underused facilities, while those facilities deemed to have no future use sold in accordance with a sound investment strategy. Public announcements of district facility plans with adequate information and opportunity for public discussion and participation in the decision-making.