November 10, 2015 Public Comment – Cesar Chavez K-­‐8 Portland Public Schools Public Comment -­‐ Growing Great Schools EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FROM 11/10/15 CESAR CHAVEZ K-8 MEETING
Key takeaways from the public comment received by Portland Public Schools (PPS) at the
11/10/15 meeting, which was conducted in English and Spanish in partnership with Latino
Network:
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Not a single family expressed support for reconfiguration for Cesar Chavez into a K-5
school. The vast majority of families who attended the Cesar Chavez meeting expressed
grave dissatisfaction that both Scenario I and Scenario II reconfigured Cesar Chavez into
a K-5 program and sent 6-8 grade students to George Middle School. Families cited the
poor performance of George MS’ test scores, lack of safety at the facility, distance of
George MS from existing community and the lack of safe walking routes to the facility,
strength of existing community at Cesar Chavez, and preference for small-school feel of
K-8 model at Cesar Chavez as reasons they wished to avoid this reconfiguration. Parents
also noted that Cesar Chavez was originally built as a middle school, and offered
encouragement for PPS to continue looking at other options, including opening Cesar
Chavez as a secondary Middle School for the Roosevelt Cluster that would have facilities
like Astor and Clarendon feed Cesar Chavez.
A handful of families from Southeast Portland’s Lent neighborhood also attended this
meeting, taking advantage of the bilingual presentation offerings. Lent community
members expressed their concern about the distance from their school to Kellogg and
Harrison Park middle schools, and worried about the concentration of poverty at these
two schools as proposed by these configurations.
While no one expressed support for the Scenarios that sent Cesar Chavez students to
George Middle School, community members noted that if it was absolutely necessary, the
district needs to promise ample time, effort, resources, and staff to ensure that George
MS improves and that the students’ transition to the new facility goes as smoothly as
possible.
The meeting was facilitated in English and Spanish, and drew an estimated total
attendance of 180 people.
PRESENTATION SUMMARY
Presentation began at 6:04.
PPS Staff welcomed the audience to Cesar Chavez K-8 and provided an overview of the
meeting. After showing the Growing Greater Schools video in both English and Spanish, Ms.
Judy Brennan, PPS Director of Enrollment and Transfers, introduced the District-wide Boundary
Review Advisory Committee (DBRAC) Members Alice Perry, Jason Trombley (chair of the
committee), Sheila Martin, Joe Zhender, and Scott Bailey in attendance for the public hearing
session. Her presentation explained that PPS was looking at solutions for rebalancing PPS’s
facilities to address over/under enrollment and over-crowding at PPS facilities, and that PPS
eagerly welcomed community participation in helping find ways to address these problems in a
manner consistent with guiding values adopted by PPS and the DBRAC. PPS Staff have
November 10, 2015 Public Comment – Cesar Chavez K-­‐8 Portland Public Schools Public Comment -­‐ Growing Great Schools developed two Scenarios, written not as definitive plans for change but rather starting points for
discussion, that adjust enrollment to accomplish goals by changing the configuration of schools
from K-8s to K-5s and 6-8s, moving boundaries, opening schools, and relocating programs.
Ms. Brennan continued the presentation by specifically highlighting the proposed changes to
schools in North Portland in Scenario I and II; Cesar Chavez would switch from a K-8 to a K-5
and would feed into George Middle School. In Scenario 1, King becomes a K-5 school and feeds
into Harriet Tubman. Ms. Brennan emphasized that any changes related to Tubman or Kellogg
would not begin until 2017 at the earliest, citing the need for upgrading and maintenance to those
facilities, but that other changes could begin in 2016. Current policy states that boundary changes
would only take impact with new students, but that the PPS Board has the authority to override
this policy preference if they deem it necessary to balance enrollments more rapidly.
QUESTIONS ASKED FROM AUDIENCE TO PPS STAFF
Before public testimony was taken, PPS Staff solicited questions about the presentation from the
audience. Questions centered on the following topics:
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Lack of changes to nearby Astor K-8 despite rapidly changing youth population in the
neighborhood. PPS Staff notes that Astor is currently the appropriate size for a K-8 and
none of the nearby middle schools have space to host a reconfiguration of Astor to a K-5.
However, PPS Staff stressed that Scenarios I and II are just proposals and welcomed
feedback and ideas for ways to address the concerns to Cesar Chavez.
Definition of “right-sized” facility. PPS Staff addressed the definition of “right-sized,”
noting that PPS intends to have facilities that can appropriately fit the number of students
necessary to run a successful core curriculum. PPS Staff noted that schools typically
function best with two
Whether other options besides the Scenarios I and II, which don’t provide many options
for Cesar Chavez families, were considered. PPS Staff responded that the district
considered other opportunities to turn Cesar Chavez into a middle school, but there
weren’t enough feeder K-5 elementary schools in the area that would allow Cesar Chavez
to have enough students for robust programming.
Questions about the existence and location of Immersion programs at Beech, Jefferson,
and King.
FORMAT OF RECEIPT OF PUBLIC TESTIMONY
PPS Staff provided the audience an opportunity to orally testify on the proposed Scenarios.
Testimony transcribed below is presented in the order it was provided at the meeting. The
audience in attendance requested to avoid separating the crowd into two groups based on
language and preferred using a translator to allow the audience to provide testimony together
(and translated to address the language barrier). Testimony was given in both English and
Spanish; what follows is an English language summarization in of each individual’s testimony,
provided in the order testimony was received.
November 10, 2015 Public Comment – Cesar Chavez K-­‐8 Portland Public Schools Public Comment -­‐ Growing Great Schools ERINNE COIT, Cesar Chavez: Ms. Coit shared her concerns that George MS is not large
enough to accommodate the expected growth from this reconfiguration, noting that George MS
will be holding between 500 and 600 students with this transition. Ms. Coit suggested that the
Roosevelt Cluster needs another middle school, and that she and her community partners
preferred that Cesar Chavez should be that building. She articulated a proposal that would send
lower grades of Cesar Chavez students to Clarendon while moving Astor’s 6-8 students to the
newly configured Cesar Chavez Middle School.
RAFAELA HERNÁNDEZ, King. Ms. Hernandez expressed her concern about the relocated
immersion programs and the lack of transportation options. She also noted that she felt that the
district had also not done enough to make the public aware of these proposed changes, noting
that Kindergarten students were not given information about these proposed changes in their
preferred language (Spanish) and that many families lack reliable access to internet or cell
phones. Ms. Hernandez asked for more time to digest this information and for the district to
study the potential financial impact of these Scenarios. She noted that she was in a car collision
because she was hurrying across town to pick up her children from daycare, and that locating her
children at different facilities (as proposed in Scenarios I and II) caused extra hardship for many
working families. She concluded that she’d like to hear more about how the district ensures that
the George Middle School would have proficient staff and teachers after this configuration.
MAURICIO SOMILLEDA, Beach. Mr. Somilleda testified that he wished PPS would
consider conducting additional outreach to parents of students in the Immersion Programs,
noting that many were unaware of these proposed changes and that the Scenarios don’t provide
clear options that may directly impact their children. He also requested that parents be given
more time to evaluate these options and asked the district for more transparency in the process.
He also suggested that more meetings be held at individual schools to make it easier for families
to provide feedback without having to travel across the cluster. He concluded by asking for more
information about if teachers get to choose to travel with the Immersion Program if it is
relocated.
VICTOR CANDIA FLOORS, Lent. Mr. Candia Floors testified that he’d like to hear more
about PPS’s plans with Franklin HS and how the Scenario I and II plans would impact Franklin’s
growth. He also stated his frustration about how Lent would be impacted in either scenario, and
concluded that he and his peers didn’t trust Portland Public Schools to make these changes
thoughtfully.
BETH LEMON, Abernethy / Cesar Chavez. Ms. Lemon testified that she was a teacher at
Cesar Chavez, and pointed out the geographic inequity about which neighborhoods were
experiencing significant changes due to PPS’ enrollment balancing Scenarios.
PAULA HERNANDEZ, Lent. Ms. Hernandez testified about the difficulties that working
parents face to get their students ready to attend school, and that these changes in boundaries
could have significant impact on overworked parents. She noted that many of her peers had five
children, and picking up and dropping of students is particularly difficult for members of the
November 10, 2015 Public Comment – Cesar Chavez K-­‐8 Portland Public Schools Public Comment -­‐ Growing Great Schools Latino/a community who don’t always have drivers’ licenses. She asked for PPS to continue
work on issues such as neighborhood vandalism and to keep in mind that the changes to these
schools with larger numbers of low-income populations have significant impacts on working
parents.
AMANDA TELLING, Cesar Chavez. Ms. Telling provided testimony that she actively sent
her daughter to a Cesar Chavez over James John because she preferred the k-8 format and didn’t
believe that James John was a safe school for her child. She expressed frustration that PPS hadn’t
done more to make George a better school before proposing these boundary changes, and noted
that she would need to see significant changes before she felt comfortable sending her student to
that institution. She expressed a preference for Cesar Chavez keeping the K-8 format, and that
the longer student/faculty relationships formed by the K-8 configuration are particularly
important to the students in North Portland, where a significantly larger percentage identify as
nonwhite and in poverty.
CAYLOR ROLING, Cesar Chavez. Ms. Roling expressed her solidarity for the parents who
traveled from southeast Portland to attend this meeting, noting the similarity with the frustrations
espoused between both groups of parents. She expressed her support for continuing the K-8
model at Cesar Chavez, noting that her initial hesitancy she felt when her children enrolled in
kindergarten has evaporated and that she believes the model provides important support for her
younger children and mentoring ability for the older students. She noted that her daughter
regularly looks forward to her weekly meeting with her Eighth Grade reading partner and that
she empathizes with the other families working hard to keep the community afloat at the facility.
She concluded that PPS needs to reconsider shuffling students and should continue to keep Cesar
Chavez with its K-8 configuration.
VICTOR CAMBIO-HERNANDEZ, Lent. Mr. Cambio-Hernandez reminded PPS staff about
the difficulties students face to make the multiple transitions required between facilities, and that
these transitions are made even more difficult when students have to transfer facilities due to
enrollment balancing. He also noted that for students at Lent, a walk to Harrison Park or Kellogg
Middle Schools would take over 45 minutes, which does not conform with PPS’ goals of
assigning neighborhood schools near where students live.
BETHANY PELAYO, Cesar Chavez. Ms. Pelayo stated that she had three students in the
Cesar Chavez program, and that her children flourish in the institution. She stated that she would
rather go broke paying for private school than send her children to George, citing its poor test
scores and concern for her children’s safety. She also expressed concerns that George may not be
big enough to be reconfigured as a middle school with North Portland’s ongoing population
growth. She suggested moving the Head Start programming as a way to make way for Cesar
Chavez students.
TUPOV TAKAN, Cesar Chavez. Mr. Takan expressed his desire to see PPS honor the unity,
community, and family-oriented Cesar Chavez institution. He noted that the community will
continue to grow around Cesar Chavez if the institution is kept as a K-8 and noted that the
November 10, 2015 Public Comment – Cesar Chavez K-­‐8 Portland Public Schools Public Comment -­‐ Growing Great Schools families of Cesar Chavez would do whatever it took to find ways to keep this institution working
for their children.
ROBIN LISH, Cesar Chavez. Ms. Lish echoed previous testimony with her reiteration of
support for the K-8 model at Cesar Chavez. She shared with PPS staff and the audience her
personal experience going through a difficult transition from Elementary to Middle School, and
noted that her nephew had had a poor experience at George. She warned PPS that many parents
with ability to do so will send their kids to private school if they are forced to enroll at George
MS, and urged PPS to find ways to improve George if this transition is to happen.
HUCH WILKEN, Cesar Chavez. Mr. Wilken, a teacher and a parent, stated that he thought
both Middle School, K-5 and K-8 institutions can all work if they are built with enough support.
He stated he believed the current K-8 model is lacking in enough support to successfully serve
all children, and that he was open to other options that would provide that support to students
more fully. He concluded that he urged PPS to provide adequate resources, funding, facilities
and staff regardless of which Scenario was chosen.
ANGELA FOX-ORTIZ, Cesar Chavez. Ms. Fox-Ortiz testified that she had three children at
Cesar Chavez, and that she intentionally transferred her students here because she preferred the
K-8 configuration and the bilingual programming. She stated that splitting her children among
different facilities would crush her youngest daughter, and that there has to be some way to
adequately support K-8 at Cesar Chavez, whether through changing the boundaries or building in
some Portables. She echoed previous comments that she knew many parents who would put their
students in private school before sending them to George.
HALDA HERNANDEZ, Cesar Chavez: Ms. Hernandez asked PPS to explicitly address how
this redistricting option would make her life easier by having her students separated at different
institutions.
ROCIO SIMÓN, Cesar Chavez. Mr. Simon stated his opposition to establishing George
Middle School as the destination for a K-5 for Cesar Chavez, and asked for PPS to find a
solution to keep the K-8 programming at Cesar Chavez. He expressed support for the existing
teachers at Cesar Chavez and wanted to know if Chavez’ principal agreed with the district that
this change would be beneficial for PPS students.
JAMES LOPEZ ERICKSON, Cesar Chavez. Mr. Erickson asked PPS staff who specifically
asked for these boundary changes, because the testimony provided today clearly indicates that no
one from Cesar Chavez believed that their institution needed to be altered. He expressed concern
about the demographics of the neighborhood schools that are being changed by PPS, and noted
that he was concerned that the population at Cesar Chavez is not wielding equal power in this
process when the Astor community next door was not seeing any proposed enrollment changes.
He noted it wasn’t the fault of the parents, students or community at Cesar Chavez that PPS’
demographics have undergone significant changes over the past twenty years, and that processes
of gentrification and displacement are certainly impacting these institutions, but that the Cesar
November 10, 2015 Public Comment – Cesar Chavez K-­‐8 Portland Public Schools Public Comment -­‐ Growing Great Schools Chavez community shouldn’t be held responsible. He lamented the hard work of Cesar Chavez
community members to build this school’s test scores and results and was frustrated that these
students would have to rebuild at a new institution.
VERONICA SILVA, Cesar Chavez. Ms. Silva provided testimony in opposition to the K-5
reconfiguration at Cesar Chavez. She expressed her support for the improvement that the school
has made in the past few years, and that she wanted to see all of her children matriculate through
Chavez in its current model. She appreciated having all her children at one facility and noted it
made it easier to stay in touch with all of their teachers.
SUBMITTED WRITTEN TESTIMONY RECEIVED AT MEETING
In addition to oral testimony, the audience was provided an opportunity to fill out a written
comment card. Testimony written in English received at the 11/09/15 meeting is provided below,
in alphabetical order by testifier’s last name.
MARLON B., Cesar Chavez. “Has PPS done a retrospective study about the previous PPS
boundary changes? What were the findings? What was learned? Were those lessons used in this
current boundary discussions?”
JOSE BEDOLLA, Cesar Chavez. “My questions would be are the start times going to be
same? Is the Dual Immersion program still going to be available at both schools?”
AMY DeWALLACE, Cesar Chavez. “Why are we being asked to make another enormous
programming change so soon after we became a K-8? Since Astor is more overcrowded than us,
why are they not being asked to change? We are a focus school and we deserve the space (time,
physical space – portables) to continue the amazing work our teachers, administrators and
parents are doing to rebuild this school. The optics are that because our families are low income
and people of color, we won’t fight this change. A move to George MS would only solve the
space issue temporarily. We would outgrow the space in a year or two, and then we’ll be doing
this again.”
JAMES LOPEZ ERICKSEN, Cesar Chavez. What support will be given at George for the dual
immersion program? The boundary on Willis does more to exclude Astor from the Roosevelt
Cluster. What efforts are being put into place to not have one school with the most resources
exclude itself from its surrounding schools? Considering older sibling care is vital for younger
siblings and working families, recommend programs such as SUN and Boys + Girls Club be
accessed for all year 5-day support.
AMY GILKEY, Cesar Chavez. “We know that North Portland is growing and infilling at a
rapid rate. How do the scenarios address ensuring that George MS won’t be overcrowded in just
a few years?”
ISABEL JUAN, Cesar Chavez. “We moved from Northeast Portland because of the K-8. We
planned on living in the neighborhood for long period of 8 years and are going to have to move,
rental is expensive elsewhere. Dual immersion is the best here so far.”
November 10, 2015 Public Comment – Cesar Chavez K-­‐8 Portland Public Schools Public Comment -­‐ Growing Great Schools LINEA KING, Cesar Chavez. “If we do end up turning to a K-5, students have said they would
like it to be a slow transition so current middle schoolers can finish here.”
JEN LANGER, Cesar Chavez / George. “What is the district’s plan to deal with the
overcrowding we can still expect in 2-10 years?”
KARI MCFARLAN, Peninsula. “I understand the need to address number size and facility
utilization; however I don’t understand how boundary changes will improve student
achievement/performance. How will boundary changes be evaluated for success? What is the
evaluation plan? How will equity improvements be measured?”
DIEGO QUIM, Cesar Chavez. More information about benefits for the new school. 2) Why
not enough support for Cesar Chavez? Cesar Chavez has been neglected over time. Why not put
annex in Cesar Chavez and not move the students? There is a lot of discussion about the changes
but not enough shared about the details, benefits, disadvantages.”
AMY SCOTT, Chavez and ACCESS, Kenton Neighborhood. “I urge you to consider the
low-income, diverse population of North Portland when deciding where to locate ACCESS
Academy. A central location such as Tubman would provide more equitable access than
Kellogg. Thank you.”
SUSAN STARMAN, Astor. “There is really only one option/scenario for the North Quadrant.
Why is that?”
ANONYMOUS, (no school given). “George Middle School isn’t large enough to support all of
the middle school students in North Portland as enrollment growth happens over the coming
years. Therefore, Cesar Chavez School should transition back to serving as a middle school. It is
the building that is big enough and already has the necessary facilities. If Chavez transitions to a
K-5 now, there will be a major disruption to the whole neighborhood when we outgrow George.
The transition I propose would look like this:
Phase One: Lower elementary grades (K-2, maybe 3 depending on space and enrollment) move
to Clarendon School. Upper elementary grades stay at Chavez with 6-8 and add the 6-8 grade
students from Astor School to address overcrowding and lack of middle school options there.
Some Head Start classes are moved back to their neighborhood K5s, while others could stay.
Phase Two: When enrollment is high enough to Chavez to allow enough funding with fewer
younger students, shift more younger grades to Clarendon. This will be minimally disruptive
since it well mean simply not moving students from their PK-2 school when they reach 3rd grade
(and then remain at the same school for successfully more years over time). More Head Start
classes can be relocated as the space is needed, but this will give them time to find new homes.
Phase Three: When enrollment at Chavez is high enough, move all the K5 classes to Clarendon
and create a right-size middle school at Chavez. This could involve the addition of a 3rd feeder
school.
November 10, 2015 Public Comment – Cesar Chavez K-­‐8 Portland Public Schools Public Comment -­‐ Growing Great Schools This solution would occur gradually, allowing time for the community to adjust, and provide the
continuity that our school so desperately wants. The slower implementation also allows the
district to make changes as issues arise, so that we don’t again need to make sweeping changes
that require major reconfiguring in the future.”
Following are the questions and testimony delivered in Spanish and transcribed and translated by
PPS staff member Elizabeth Ordaz.
Preguntas/Clarifying Questions: Mauricio Somilleda -­‐ Buenas noches, yo soy un padre que represento estudiantes de la escuela de Beach del programa de inmersión dual, y mis preocupaciones son las siguientes: la escuela de Beach como muchas otras escuelas que ya tienen problemas por no tener el apoyo adecuado para el programa de inmersión. Me refiero a que todavía sufre por no tener el personal adecuado para apoyar una escuela de programa dual. Entiendo que hay deficiencias en encontrar personal que tengan la habilidad para enseñar el programa dual. Viendo las propuestas de Beach, quiere decir que van a separar a una escuela secundaria a Ockley Green. Esto quiere decir que van a separar a los maestros que ya dan apoyo a un nivel de K-­‐8. Al separar estas dos escuelas, la primaria y la secundaria, mi pregunta es, ¿cómo van a ser para dar apoyo a un programa que tiene deficiencias con maestros? I am a parent representing students from Beach dual immersion program, my concerns are the following: Beach school like many other schools already struggle to provide adequate support for the immersion program. What I mean is that we still struggle as a result of not having qualified staff to support a dual immersion school. I understand that there are deficits in the ability to find staff with the ability to teach an immersion program. Looking at the proposal for Beach, it means that the schools will be separated into Ockley Green Middle School. Which means you will separate teachers who currently provide support at a K-­‐8 level. As you divide into two schools, how will you support a program that already is dealing with a teacher deficit? Rafaela Hernandez -­‐ Buenas noches, yo vengo como familia de King, no representando a King sino como familia de King. Mi preocupación es que se habla de inmersión, se habla de la separación de las escuelas pero mi mayor preocupación es que yo tengo una niña de inmersión Chino y en el área donde están poniendo los escenarios solamente hay una entonces como se va a convertir este programa cuando llegue a la secundaria? Esa es mi mayor preocupación. Lo que yo no estoy de acuerdo es la separación de las escuelas porque tengo hijo en PreK, primaria, preparatoria y ahora la secundaria preparatoria y ahora secundario. Los horarios como van a estar como nos vamos a enloquecer aún mas los padres que tenemos más de dos hijos. En el área de Jefferson solo hay un programa de inmersión chino, ¿qué va a pasar con el programa? I am here as a King family, not representing King but rather as a King family. My concerns are the following; when you refer of immersion, you mention separation of schools, my biggest concerns in that I have a daughter in Chinese Immersion and we are the only Chinese immersion program in the area. The proposal splits the school. What will happen to the immersion program as it reaches middle school grades? I am not in support of the separation of schools because I have a child in PreK, elementary and high school, and now you want to introduce middle school. How will bell schedules be arranged, November 10, 2015 Public Comment – Cesar Chavez K-­‐8 Portland Public Schools Public Comment -­‐ Growing Great Schools how crazy will our schedules become for parents who have more than two children? In the Jefferson area there is only one Chinese immersion program, what will happen to the program? Testimonio Publico/Public Testimony: Rafaela Hernandez – Bueno mi preocupación como ya la eh dicho es acerca del programa de inmersión. Mi pregunta es, ¿cómo va a ser la transportación? También quisiera pedir que sean más claro y que den más información por escrito en español. En King no se envió información por escrito en español y no todas las personas tienen acceso al internet o a los celulares donde puedan dejar información. Les pido que nos den tiempo para diluir toda esta información, es información importante que nos va a afectar económicamente. Todavía no se ha dicho nada sobre la transportación ni los horarios, ¿cómo se van a clasificar los horarios? A causa de la separación de escuelas, yo tuve un accidente de automóvil porque son tan estrictos con las horas de recoger a los niños y si no llegas a tiempo te dan un “warning”. Quiero que tengan conciencia a los que están encargo de esto que nos den más información acerca los horarios y el transporte. Sugiero que haiga maestros adecuados para instruir a nuestros hijos, porque la educación está por el suelo. Well my concerns as I have already stated are regarding the immersion program. My question is; will there be transportation? I would also like to request that you be clearer and that you provide written information in Spanish. There was no written information sent in Spanish to King families. Not all families have internet or cell phone access where they can access the information. I ask that you give us time to digest all of this information; it is important information that will have a financial impact to us. You still have not mentioned a thing about transportation and schedules. How will schedules be arranged? As a result of the separation of schools I was in an auto accident because schools are so strict about pick up times, if you are not there on time to pick up your child you receive a “warning”. For those of you in charge of the changes, I ask for you to be mindful of the need to share information about schedules and transportation. I suggest more teachers, educators for our children because our education at this time is on the floor (at a very low level). Mauricio Somilleda -­‐ Primero que nada quiero aclarar que no estaba tratando de poner a la escuela de Beach abajo, únicamente estaba tratando de demostrar que hay deficiencias en tener maestros calificados. Yo sé que hay escases en el distrito. Entonces mi sugerencia es que se le de atención y consideración especial a los programas de inmersión. Les pido que informen a los padres de antemano que cuanto va a ver estos cambios como se van a distribuir los maestros tengo el entendimiento que los maestros pueden optar quedarse en el edificio o cambiarse de escuela de acuerdo a las reglas de la unión. Y bueno no es una pregunta sino consejo; talvez hubiese sido más eficiente tener juntas en cada escuela y no por zonas. First of all I want to clarify that it was not my intention to bring Beach school down, I simply wanted to demonstrate that there is a deficit in having qualified teachers. I know that there is a shortage across the district. So my suggestion is that you give the special attention and consideration to the immersion programs. I suggest that you inform parent ahead of time of the upcoming changes and how teachers are going to be distributed. I understand that teachers have the option to opt to stay in their current building or change schools in accordance with the union rules. Well, this is not a question November 10, 2015 Public Comment – Cesar Chavez K-­‐8 Portland Public Schools Public Comment -­‐ Growing Great Schools but rather a suggestion; perhaps it would have been more efficient to have had meetings at each school and not by zone. Fabricio Arellano – Yo vengo representando a Lent y tengo 3 preguntas: 1) Viendo el mapa, mi escuela no está sobrepoblada ni tiene menos estudiantes de los que debería tener, ¿Por qué entonces están recomendando cambios? 2) ¿Si realimente quieren mejorar las escuelas y están viendo a un futuro cercano por que no hacen lo que hicieron con Franklin? Franklin se están remodelando para el futuro para mejorar las escuelas para un futuro mejor de la escuela. Por qué no hacer lo mismo con las primarias y secundarias. 3) Si PPS no está preparado para tener una junta como esta en la que no tienen tiempo para contestar nuestras preguntas, ¿cómo sabemos si va a funcionar su programa? I am here representing Lent and I have three questions: 1) By looking at the map my school is not overcrowded or under-­‐enrolled, why is it that it is being recommended to change? 2) If you really want to improve the schools and you are looking at the near future, why not do as you have done for Franklin? Franklin is being remodeled for the future to improve the school for a better future. Why not do the same with elementary and middle schools? 3) If PPS is not prepared to have meeting like these in which you don’t have time to answer our questions, how do we know that your plan in going to work? Paola Hernandez -­‐ Vengo de la escuela Lent solo quiero decirles a los representantes de PPS que estoy un poco triste sobre lo que está pasando en nuestro barrio ya que quieren mudar muy lejos a nuestra escuela. Estamos preocupados por la seguridad. Mucho vandalismo está sucediendo en nuestra vecindada y alrededor de nuestra escuela. Simplemente queremos más aulas en nuestro territorio. Ustedes se preocupan por nuestros estudiantes les pedimos que se preocúpense también por los papas que día tras día nos esforzamos a llevar a nuestros niños a las escuelas. Muchos de nosotros tenemos 3 a 5 niños que llevar a la escuela. Muchos de nosotros no tenemos licencia para manejar y día tras día nos levantamos y nos esforzamos y nos arriesgamos a mucho. Si necesitan apoyo estamos aquí para ayudar. Tenemos nuestras manos y estamos aquí para ayudar y construir escuelas. I am from Lent school and I only want to say to PPS representatives that I am a bit sad about what is happening in our neighborhood since you want to move us further from our school. We have safety concerns. There is a lot of vandalism taking place in our neighborhoods and around our school. We simply want more classrooms in our territory. You are concerned for our students, we ask that you also show concern to the parents who day after day work hard to take our children to school. Many of us have 3 to 5 children to take to school. Many of us don’t have driving licenses and day after day we get up and put our efforts forward while putting a great deal at risk. If you need help, we are here to help. We have our hands and we are here to help build schools. Victor Candia-­‐Hernandez -­‐ estudiante de Lent. He estado en el programa de inmersión desde kinder y quiero dar mi voz sobre lo que pienso de esto. Creo que es importante que PPS y el comité escuchen la voz de un estudiante. Eh estado allí de K-­‐8 es difícil para muchos estudiantes hacer una transición de K-­‐
5 a 6-­‐8 y a 9-­‐12. Para muchos no les parece bien porque han establecido una comunidad muy fuerte en la que han sobrevivido. El tener una comunidad es muy importante para los estudian, familias y escuelas. PPS dice que la distancia para caminar a Harrison Park o Kellogg es 1.5 millas de distancia. Al buscar en el internet si es 1.5 millas pero sería mejor que proveen transportación por que el caminar se toma mucho tiempo. November 10, 2015 Public Comment – Cesar Chavez K-­‐8 Portland Public Schools Public Comment -­‐ Growing Great Schools I have been in the immersion program since kindergarten and I want to share my voice regarding what I think of this. I think it is important for PPS and the committee to hear the voice of a student. I have there from K-­‐8 and it is difficult for many students to make the transition from K-­‐5, 6-­‐8 and 9-­‐12. For many it is not easy because they have stablished a very strong community in which they have survived int. It is very important for students, families and schools to have a community. PPS says that distance to walk to Harrison Park or Kellogg is 1.5 miles. When I search online yes it is 1.5 miles but it would be best if you provided transportation because walking would take too long. Robin Lish-­‐ Mi hijo viene de una escuela privada de K-­‐8 yo veo que en las escuelas privada tienen un programa de K-­‐8 por la razón es porque funciona. Durante mi escuela hice el cambio de K-­‐5 y 6-­‐8 y esos cambios a esas edades los niños cambian mucho. Es importante tenerlos juntos. George no puede con los estudiantes que ellos tienes como van a poder con otro 200 más estudiantes. Mi sobrino va allí y a reprobando cada clase y los padres no se dieron cuenta. Yo tengo un niño que está en quinto, lo cambie para acá porque pensé que estaría aquí hasta octavo grado. Yo puedo regresar a la escuela privada pero otras familias no tienen esa opción. Al separarnos la escuela bajara, niños dejaran la escuela, mucho negativo por suceder. Si los estudiantes van a George lo que va a pasar es que los niño ya no van a seguir van a perder los ánimos de seguir adelante ya no siguen a la preparatoria son muchos cambios. My son came from a private K-­‐8 school I see that private school have K-­‐8 program because they work. During my schooling I made a lot of changes from K-­‐5 and 6-­‐8 and those changes at the age of the children are experiencing a great deal of change. It is important to have them together. George cannot handle the students they currently have, how will they handle another 200 more students? My nephew goes there and he has flunked every class and the parents didn’t know about it. I have a child in the fifth grade. I transferred him here because I wanted for him to remain here through 8th grade. I can return to private school but other families don’t have that option. Separating us the school will be brought down, children will stop going to school, a great deal of negative changes will happen. If the students go to George what will happen is that children will not continue instead they will lose motivation to continue ahead onto high school these are a lot of changes. Hilda Hernandez -­‐ Cesar Chávez -­‐ Les doy las gracias a los padres aquí apoyando nuestras escuelas me refiero a las culturas no razas. Una pregunta para el distrito quiero que me contestes, ¿Cómo le van a hacer para mi tengo 4 hijos, soy voluntaria en la escuela y la comunidad, trabajo. ¿Cómo me resolverían mi situación? Nosotros empezamos desde Clarendon nuestra primera generación se graduó de aquí. Esta generación fue una de las mejores. Nadie quería ir a Roosevelt. Empezamos aquí, mi hijo fue una de las mejores generaciones de graduarse de aquí, siguieron a RHS y cambiaron la escuela. Nadie quería ir allí pero al hacerlo cambiaron la escuela. I want to thank all the parents who are here supporting our schools. All cultures coming together and I say “cultures” not races. One question for the district and I want you to answer me, what will you do for me? I have 4 children, I volunteer at the school, in the community and I work. How will you resolve my situation? We started at Clarendon our first generation has graduated from here. This generation was one of the best. No one wanted to go to Roosevelt. We started here; my child was one of the best generations to graduate from here, continued to Roosevelt and changed the school. No one wanted to go there but by doing so they changed the school. November 10, 2015 Public Comment – Cesar Chavez K-­‐8 Portland Public Schools Public Comment -­‐ Growing Great Schools Roció Simon – Cesar Chávez -­‐ Yo solo quiere decir que no estoy de acuerdo a que cambien la escuela de K-­‐8 a K-­‐5 y 6-­‐8. Yo tengo las estadísticas sobre la escuela que me correspondería, George. Yo no estoy hablando aquí está en el papel. Me gustaría que mejor de cambiar la escuela apoyen a los maestros que son muy buenos tienen experiencia y mucho tiempo aquí. Quiero saber si la directora está disponible para apoyar a la escuela en estos cambios. Quiere que ella esté dispuesta a apoyar a la escuela. Gracias y quiero que apoyemos a nuestra escuela. El distrito les pido que hagan más aulas en lugar de mandarnos a otra escuela que no sirve. I just want to say that I am not in agreement with you changing the school from K-­‐8 to K-­‐5 and 6-­‐8. I have the statistics about the school that I would be assigned to, George. I am not speaking I have the paper, here it is. Instead of changing our school I would suggest that you the teachers who are good teachers and have a lot of experience and time here. I want to know if the principal is able to support our school during these changes. I want for her to support our school. Thank you, I want for you to support our school. I ask the district to make more classrooms instead of sending us to a school that is not a good school. Veronica Silva – Voy a comenzar diciendo que mi opinión es que no separen a Cesar Chávez a K-­‐5 y 6-­‐8 porque el cambio K-­‐5 and 6-­‐8 esto ha funcionado para mi familia. Mi hija mayor comenzó el colegio y tengo una que comenzó en Roosevelt por primer año, otra en cuarto y otro en kinder. Todos han estado buenos lugares. Esta escuela a mejorada mucho cada día más buenos lugares en varias categorías. Yo puedo vigilar a mis hijos, y cuidar de ellos en todos los grados si están en la misma escuela. Yo no puedo ver el futuro de ver a mi hija separada de mi hijo pequeño porque cuando vengo a recogerlos puedo hablar con los maestros. Sería un error separar a la escuela. Espero nos escuchen. Nosotros estamos disponibles a ayudar en lo necesario con el fin de tener a en otra escuela. No puedo imaginar separar a mis hijos. Puedo estar en contacto con los maestros día con día. Sería difícil estar separados. Estamos dispuestos para apoyar en lo necesario. Esta escuela está mejorando a diario. I will start by saying that my opinion is that you not separate Cesar Chavez to K-­‐5 and 6-­‐8 because the change does not work for my family. My oldest daughter started college this year I have another child attending her first year at Roosevelt, another in fourth and one in Kindergarten. All have been in good places. This school has improved a lot it improves every day. It has ranked well in many categories. I can watch over my children and care for them in all the grades if they are in the same school. I can’t see the future with my children separated from my youngest child because when I come to pick up I can talk to the teachers. I would be a mistake to separate the school. I hope you listen. We are willing to help however it is necessary for as long as we don’t have to go to another school. I can’t imagine separating my children. I can be in daily contact with the teachers. It would be difficult to be separated. We are willing to help in what is necessary. This school is improving daily. Marcela -­‐ Ya dijimos lo que teníamos que decir. Sigan buscando otra solución no queremos separarnos. We have said what we had to say. Keep looking for other solutions we don’t want to be separated.