Oregon Public Broadcasting

Portland school board members got their first official look at what their superintendent wants to do to revamp high schools in Oregon’s largest district. Rob Manning reports.

Superintendent Carole Smith’s resolution emphasized Portland Public Schools’ achievement problems and the urgency to improve high schools.

The 18-months of High School Design work have focused primarily on creating larger high schools, which could offer more support and course offerings.

But to afford it, Smith would eliminate between one and three neighborhood high schools. The district had planned to announce last year, which schools would close, but that’s now expected in April.  The district also intends to limit student transfers to magnet high schools – which haven’t been created yet – rather than to other neighborhood high schools.  But Smith’s new resolution offers three exceptions: if federal law requires a neighborhood transfer, if the student is continuing a specific program, or if the student’s move would improve socio-economic diversity. That last exception suggests that kids from low-income families might get to transfer where teenagers from wealthier families would not.