Portland Public Schools

This inaugural meeting of the Racial Equity and Social Justice Community Advisory Committee, established pursuant to Senate Bill 732, focused on introductions and a review of the committee charter. Key discussion points included the committee's role in advising the Superintendent and School Board on improving practices, policies, and protocols to create more equitable outcomes for students of color, and progress monitoring. The committee also discussed the outreach plan for recruiting Phase Two members, detailing strategies to engage students, staff, PIL (Potential Involvement Leaders), student-athletes, and various affinity groups, with consideration for diverse lived experiences. Plans for upcoming quarterly meetings, including orientation and relationship building, were also outlined.

Key discussion topics included updates on the return of Marysville students to their newly renovated school following a fire, highlighted by a well-attended grand opening event. The board also heard a presentation from representatives of Vestal regarding a live video downlink with the International Space Station, which involved 400 students and was part of the Student Spaceflight Experiment Program (SSEP). Additionally, a presentation was made by representatives from Oregon Partnerships Lines for Life concerning their efforts in preventing bullying, referencing personal experiences and summarizing new Oregon legislation regarding harassment, intimidation, and cyberbullying protocols for school districts. Other announcements covered the expansion of full tuition scholarships for eligible Jefferson High School students to several new university partners, a new partnership between Benson and the Oregon Institute of Technology for dual credit courses, and recognition for Patrick Wolf for receiving the Safety and Health Professional Award.

The session focused on receiving information and discussion from staff. Public comment included concerns regarding the defunding of solution-based programs addressing attendance, and advocating for consistent funding for equity initiatives, emphasizing that known solutions are not being funded sufficiently. Public commenters also raised issues regarding institutional racism, lack of inclusion of communities of color in budget development, and inadequate training for teachers on cultural competency, citing specific examples. A request was made to adjust public testimony time rules for non-English speakers to stop the timer during translation. A representative from the Portland Federation of School Professionals supported the concerns raised regarding the necessity of Educational Assistants (EAs) for maintaining progress in reading benchmarks, especially at third and fourth-grade levels, and supported general funding concerns.

The Audit Committee meeting focused on selecting future audit topics. Key proposed audits included a school building security audit to verify compliance with individualized building security plans, an audit of Measure 98 funds to ensure they are used appropriately for dropout prevention and college readiness initiatives, and an audit of Career and Technical Education (CTE) offerings to assess equity and accessibility across the district in relation to board goals. Discussions also touched upon the ESCR funding and whether a specific audit for those funds is necessary, noting that related funds were covered in previous audits of special revenues like Title I and the Education Stabilization Fund. The committee decided to postpone formal recommendations on the three selected audits until the next meeting to ensure a quorum and further investigate potential overlap between the Measure 98 and CTE audits.

The meeting commenced with a statement regarding the livestreaming of the proceedings and the availability of posted voting items online. A key discussion involved the resolution to recognize November as National Native American Heritage Month, featuring a presentation from the Director of the Title VI Indian Education Program, who detailed the program's services for approximately 430 students, noting improved educational outcomes for enrolled participants. The board subsequently adopted this resolution. Another agenda item addressed the resolution recognizing November 8th through 12th as National School Psychology Week, emphasizing the critical role of school psychologists in student mental health, social-emotional support, and reducing racially and linguistically disproportionate special education referrals. A discussion on the consent agenda included concerns raised about the lack of certified businesses among $11.2 million in contracts and a question regarding funding allocation for Equity field trips under Resolution 6611.