2026-03-10 Board of Education Regular Meeting

001All right, thank you for your patience. We had a meeting upstairs and hence the delay. So, let's get started today. Um, the public regular meeting of the board of education for March 10th, 2026 is called to order. All items being considered this evening are posted on the PPS website on the board and meetings tab. This meeting is being streamed live on PPS TV services website and channel 28 and will be replayed through the next two weeks. Uh, good evening and welcome. Thank you for all for being here. taking your time out of your day to care about public education. Uh first off, some housekeeping rules. Uh we let's see housekeeping rules. Uh we if you are displaying signs or banners, we just asking you to keep them below chin level so people behind you can

002see. For safety reasons, please keep all the aisles and walkways clear. And in general, uh let's be respectful for each other. Our first item of business tonight is a vote is to vote on the resolution to recognize classified and non-represented employee appreciation week. I'll hand this off to Superintendent Armstrong. >> Absolutely. Thank you, Chair Wong. As we know, classified and non-represented employees often work behind the scenes, but are essential to our student success. They support nearly every aspect of the district from transportation and nutrition services to custodial services, office support, technology facilities, and specialized operational roles. We have our chief human resource officer with us tonight to read a statement. So, I'm going to ask for her to come forward. Thank you. >> Do I do I need to push it? Oh, no. It's on.

003Hi. Um, thank you so much for having me. Um, Chair Wang and a board. Um, if you know me, I am Dr. Angela Freeman. I'm the chief human resource officer. I've only been here since July. Um, but if you know me, you know that I'm a person who tries to find the good in all situations, the good in people. Having gratitude and being happy for others when they succeed has literally kept me from going to unpleasant places um at really hard times in my life. Lately, I'm finding that it's harder to focus on much to be grateful for. Even just a bit of light in these seemingly times uh of darkness and clouds. But when Roseanne let me know that it was customary for the CHRO to say some words of gratitude prior to the

004adoption of the uh classified appreciation week, I was excited for the opportunity to lift the good that I get to experience in Portland public schools every day by working alongside our classified and nonrepresented partners. When I first began in the district back in July, I made a point to reach out to all of the presidents of each bargaining unit for coffee. hoping to start building a trust and even more getting to know them as better human beings, better as human beings. The reception that I received from each of them was open and honest and I learned that our classified staff is truly the backbone of our organization and they come to work each day ready to do what needs to be done to ensure that our students, our staff and our community have everything that

005they need to serve students. oftentimes their work is being done without fan fanfare, bells and whistles. But yet some of the strongest relationships that our students will have are with their the staff member that greets them in the morning as they get on the bus or that classified staff member that helps them when they get hurt at recess or that classified staff member that notices when that student is having a bad day. These are the staff who work when there are no student. There are the staff that work when there are no students in the building to make sure that the lights are working and the water is running properly when students arrive the next day. I'm just here to say that our student our district has the hardest working staff who take pride in

006their work and are committed to ensuring that our students and families are taken care of. So, I want to take this opportunity to say thank you. I see um several of my folks out there. I see Elizabeth. I see I don't know if Kelly and I've got Bruce and Henry and a lot of the folks that um that are leading these great people and I just want to say thank you. We wouldn't be here without you today. >> Right. Thank you, Dr. Freeman. Uh, do I have a motion and a second to adopt resolution 7257 resolution to recognize classified and non-representative employee appreciation week March 2 to 6, 2026? >> So moved. >> Director Slit moves >> second. >> Director Chase Miller second. >> Sullivan to pass and Chase Miller >> and pass and Sullivan.

007Uh, any board discussion or comments? I just feel like I know we don't want to talk too much on items like this because we have so much on our agenda tonight. So, I'm going to attempt to speak for all of us if that's okay. But for all of us who've had kids in our schools, we know how important classified staff are at each and every building. And we also know how important they are in this building and at all of our other facilities that um that we our kids haven't been to. So, I just kind of wanted to make sure we took a second to have that moment um rather than be silent and vote. So, thanks. >> Thank you. Well said. Any others? >> Um all right. Uh Miss Basher, has any public comment?

008>> No. The board will now vote on resolution 7257, resolution to recognize classified and non-represent employees appreciation week March 2 to 6, 2026. All in favor, please indicate by saying yes. >> Yes. Opposed abstensions. Student representative. >> Yes. >> Thank you. Uh resolution 7257 is approved by a vote of 7 to zero with student representative RTO uh unofficially voting yes. Thank you to all our classified staff. >> Yeah. Yeah. And non-represented employees. >> All right. Uh, next up we have the superintendence report. So, I'll hand this over to Dr. Armstrong. >> Thank you. It is always a pleasure to bring my month's update. And so, um, as mentioned, we're classified and nonrep, uh, week and just excited to, um, have the official recognition, but also I thank all the teams going out across the field

009that really recognized and supported individuals. Another week that we had was last week was school social work week. And so really lifting up the work that our social workers do in our schools. and I'm sure that they were loved up um by the team as well. And as we know um March makes women's history month and so just really want to lift up and acknowledge all the the work that women has done across the nation and moving us on. Let's see. Thank you for that. All right, so just some updates. Just a a quick bond update. So, the Jefferson High School modernization is on track for spring 2026 to start construction with instruction happening in classrooms fall 2029. So, staff, community, students will be celebrating the groundbreaking on May 29th. And so, just look forward

010to seeing you all in community there. Cleveland modernization is on schedule for a July start to construction. Same with an opening to of instruction on fall 2029. So, I want to encourage you all to check out KPTV's report on one of the ways the Cleveland modernization team is working to preserve the high school's history. And so, we're super excited about that. Also continuing on, we have roof replacement that is happening in some four sites across Portland public schools. And so it protects from well, there's just overall protection, insulation, mechanical, and seismic improvements. And so this photo is from late February when contractors interested in the project were on site at Vesto to learn more about the project before bids were submitted. You're able to see that athletic improvements. So we have the bond funded athletics

011facility work going strong. Permanent lighting installation at Grant Bowl is planned to start this spring and be fully complete in May. So we're excited about that. This photo is of resurfacing work on the track, tennis court, and turf field at Marshall campus, which is already underway. Cleveland High School students will use these fields during their school's modernization. Then work on the reconstruction of Jackson Middle School's track and field is also planned for this summer and will be ready for IDB Well students to use, will be ready for their use um during the modernization. So, super excited about some of those milestones. I won't go on too long because I sent a progress report out recently about math proficiency and our progress over the last three years. We've been really encouraged by the news on how

012math proficiency is growing across our elementary and middle school grade bands and how our progress is closing some of those stubborn gaps of achievement that has existed uh between student groups. And so we're super um encouraged to see that movement. We know that 100% of students achieving is our ultimate goal. And we also want to take time to celebrate some milestones. So, I'll just take a moment for you to be able to see some of those graphs of you see more arrows going up for an increase um than a decrease. And I also just want to call out that the jump that we had for our students exceeds prepandemic levels. And so, we are an outlier in Oregon. many many districts are still working to get back to prepandemic levels. So, it's exciting that we

013have at least hit that milestone and there's nowhere else to go but up. And so, we're going to continue to move in that direction. Also, you know, I love to introduce legacies, legacies who we honor and have made a difference by attending our schools here in Portland. So the legacy that I'd like to lift up is Avil Gortley. Ael Gortley. Ao was one of 20 black students at the girls polytenic high school in Portland, a sister school to Benson that eventually became Da Vinci Arts Middle School. She became the first black woman elected to the Oregon State Senate in 1997. She served multiple terms in both the Oregon House of Representatives and the Oregon Senate, advocating for education, civil rights, and social justice. She's known for championing policies that increases equity and opportunity for underrepresented

014communities in Oregon. Now, she's recently passed away, and we know that she leaves a lasting legacy here in Portland and beyond. We also like to celebrate those who are in our building doing amazing work. So I want to show you this video of one of our outstanding principles hearing her lift up her work as we celebrate her the volume. I am Dr. Chenise Brown Warren the proud principal of Markham Elementary School and the role I play in this community is leading change excellence and driving success. When I walk into the school every single day, the responsibility I feel is ensuring students feel seen, heard, validated, and they have access to grade level center line curriculum. Personally, this work matters to me because as a black woman, education was the key to my success and making

015it out of the hood. Without being in the books and studying, I wouldn't be sitting here as doctor. I wouldn't be sitting here at the seat of change. Um, and most recently I have a three-year-old Trayvon. And so I think about what his life is going to be because I have the seat at the table that I have. What has leadership and legacy building taught me? It taught me that I am truly my ancestors wildest dream. And it has taught me that what I do where I'm planted matters. And it's not about looking for the next opportunity, but it's about growing deep roots so that when it is time for me to leave, I'm leaving a lasting impression that can be picked up by the next leader. How do I balance high expectations while protecting

016the joy? I don't separate the two. I firmly believe that students want to be challenged and they want the bar to be raised. And when they get there, they have the joy of knowing something that I thought I couldn't do, I finally did it. And so it's the same thing I had in the classroom when I was a teacher. It's that light bulb moment. And so now as a principal, seeing those light bulbs go off in multiple different classrooms. Man, that's the joy. What does strong instructional leadership look like in classrooms? Not just plans and meetings. It looks like me. It looks like a leader who knows what the plans should be, who is active in the meetings. And I take what I expect and I go into the classroom and I roll up my

017sleeves and I model it. I sit next to students and help them to achieve it and I coach side by side with educators. And now that I have the resources with title one, I allocate my title one resources to ensure the gaps that I'm seeing in the meetings and in the plannings and in the classrooms are filled in with those title one funds. Where have I seen culture directly influence student outcomes? I have seen that here at Markham. We have built a culture of community and a culture of high expectations. And I have seen students rise to that occasion. In 2023, um, January, we were hit by an ice storm that impacted our building and we were spread across four different campuses to end that year. And in that year, I saw my students showing

018up and still growing academically. And I tell people all the time, you can take us from our building, but you can't take our systems and excellence. And then to start the 24 25 school year, we were at the local middle school. And at the end of the year, we saw an increase of 11% in ELA and a 5% increase in math and a 10% increase in our attendance because again, it doesn't matter where you put us, we have that culture of high expectations, community, and success. What people may misunderstand about sustaining excellence over time is that quick pivots have to happen. Success in one season does not mean success in every season. And so you always have to go back and check your ego at the door as a leader and say, "Hey, this worked

019last time, but it's not working anymore. And what can I do to ensure I'm still achieving the main goal, but I might have to make that look differently." So those quick pivots and letting go of your ego is so important as a leader. I I love that. So So So excellence. Looks like Dr. Trice Brown Warrens. Thank you for being here. We see her in the back who's waving. Yes, her son. Yes. Thank you. >> So, so that launch is a new monthly storytelling uh series that we will be bringing each month. It highlights the building leaders, the levers of change who are shaping Portland public schools. It's rooted in our racial equity centered principal pipeline initiative and it'll show how principles translate equity from philosophy into daily instructional practice inside their schools. So, we

020looked forward to bringing this series to you tonight and I look forward to continuing to push out this monthly uh work to showcase the work that's happening in our buildings. And that concludes my presentation for tonight. Thank you. >> Awesome. Thank you, Dr. Archaw. Uh next up, we have student representative RTOR with the student report. >> Thank you. So, I'll talk first about uh what we've been doing in district student council. We've got uh sorry, we've only got a a few meetings left in the year. Um but we're functioning pretty well. We've got everybody out in their uh committees. Um I know our curriculum committee um is particularly interested in what's going on right now in the district curriculum wise. So, um if there's any uh people in the central office from the curriculum team

021listening, uh you might be getting an email from me or them um in a short uh in a short time frame about about that. We might have them tag along to some of those uh social studies curriculum events um which will be very fun. I know our uh government advocacy committee has also been doing work um with our uh district lobbyist. Um and now that the session is over uh I think that they will pro most likely get time to to sit down and meet meet and talk about um what government advocacy looks like from the student side during the next session next year. Um so that's also really awesome. Um there's we've also been talking about uh the student summit. Um there's been some changes because of the changing funding situation. Um but we're

022keeping all our options open. Um we might end up not doing one this year, but we have been looking at at some other possibilities and how we could do it on a significantly tighter budget. Um so that's pretty much um all we've got going on right now, but I'll probably have more for you guys next meeting. Right. Thank you. Right. Next up, we have general public comment. Uh first, we'll start with student comments and then general comments. Uh before we begin, I would like to review some guidelines for our public comments. Uh first, the board thanks you for taking the time to attend this meeting and providing uh your input. Uh public input especially from our students informs and improves our work. and we look forward to hearing your thoughts and reflections. Couple reminders. As

023board members, we are here to listen and not engage in conversation with those who are testifying. Our board office may follow up on board related issues raised during public testimony. We also request that all complaints about individual employees be directed to the superintendent's office as a personnel matter. I will remind PPS staff who are giving public comment that they may not provide testimony about students that could violate confidentiality protections under FURPA. This includes testimony using information that could identify students especially in their school community by use of direct or indirect linkages such as school grade special education or other status. For materials that you would like the board to receive such as handouts, pictures etc. Please do not come up to the dis. please hand them over to uh Miss Bradshaw over there and who

024will distribute them to us. In order for the board to conduct its business, we ask that audience members please refrain from calling out, interrupting speakers or otherwise disrupting the meeting. We appreciate everyone's cooperation and maintaining a respectful environment for all in attendance. So, thank you. Uh if you have additional materials or items that you would like to provide the board or superintendent, we ask that you email them to public comment, all one word, pps.net. net. Please make sure that we when you begin your comment that you clearly state your name and spell your last name. You'll have 3 minutes to speak. Uh you'll hear you'll see the orange light sound or sorry when you have about 30 seconds left and then the red light means your three minutes is done. So please finish up. Uh

025so let's start with our student comments first. Miss Brasha, can you call our students up? Yes, we have Anushia Abdul Rahim and Cameron Shaper. Thank you for being here today. You may begin when you're ready. Hello, my name is Anushia Abdul Rahheem. I am a proud member of Yes to College at Portland Community College and I want to thank the board and the superintendent for supporting successful contracted programs in multiple pathways to graduation like Yester College at PCC. I entered Yes to College in spring term 2025. My guardian was looking for schools that did GED programs and PCC's program was one of the only ones I was ellegible for. Yes to college is very important to me and helped me a lot in getting me back on my feet after missing high school for over

0267 years. I was so relieved to be able to attend in-person classes. It was a huge weight off my shoulders. My goal was to earn my GED as fast as possible. What made that goal easier was how I had the choice as a student when and where to choose my classes and when to take my tests, which was foreign to me as someone who has been to public schools with extensive rules and no flexibility. Yes, college provides for individual student needs. So, I was able to choose if I wanted in-person or virtual classes, choose the campus of my choice, so it could be easier to commute home, and choose if I wanted classes in the morning, afternoon, or nighttime. The freedom of choice made my education experience more comfortable and made me feel like I

027actually wanted to go to school. Unlike my previous public school teachers, my Yes to Color success coaches always went out of their way to give me individualized support whenever I had any problems. Whether it was academic or personal, like if I wanted more tutoring because I felt behind in my studies or I had fears and issues as an immigrant, they showed me they cared about me and wanted me to succeed, which was again so foreign from my personal previous experiences. I gained meaningful connections throughout my time here. I was able to socialize after being isolated and depressed for years and make friends for the first time in ages. For example, I took a leadership class in Yes to College provided and my friends and I were able to plan many events. I was able to

028experience events my kids my age normally do, such as going on field trips, volunteering, and experiencing a high school graduation. This program has been life-changing. In a world where schools just want you to have perfect grades, Yes to College made me feel seen, heard, and supported throughout my journey. As a result, I reached my goals quicker than I thought and earned my GED diploma within 5 months. and now I am taking college credit classes at PCC and I currently have a 4.0 GPA with plans to transfer to a 4-year college. In closing, I want to thank the board and the superintendent for allowing us to come in today and share to share our voices and our testimony. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Hello everyone. My name is Cameron Schaefer and I would also like

029to say thank you to both the superintendent and the board for supporting our wonderful contracted programs offering multiple pathways to graduation such as the very program I personally attended to acquire my high school diploma which was also yes to college at PCC. For me, these programs are not merely another option for students but rather an integral part of our larger education system. In high school, I struggled to flourish not from a lack of intelligence but rather a lack of opportunity, an absence of pressure and no true guidance. And though this may seem disparaging to our public school system, I personally think it is little fault of their own that an individual student amongst thousands may struggle with finding the right path. As such, filled with a desire to do something more and faced with the

030impending doom that was paying for the entirety of a college education. When I heard my friend was going into an early college program, I shot for the same opportunity. Since then, I have benefited not only from the amazing one-on-one guidance of my counselor, but also from the schedule flexibility to maintain a job. And with these things, I managed to secure myself a pathway to the career of my dreams and the financial abilities to achieve it. These programs give students who otherwise may have simply skimmed through high school the ability to take hold of their own academics, a fact that in of itself may be one of the most potent benefits of offering a pathway outside of the status quo. Ownership of my own education was one of the biggest things that pushed me to be

031a better student. But to move away from merely my own experience, I'd also like to touch on what I've seen as I've worked through my time here at PCC. Programs like this have a unique position as being able to support otherwise historically underserved communities by offering individual guidance that may have otherwise been denied, flexible scheduling to support whatever financial situation they may have at home, and access to monetary support that may mean being the first person in their family to earn their college degree. These programs are not merely for students who are not being challenged enough, but for those that need a lifeline to get their diploma. Yes, to college is not just about early college. It's about understanding that education must be adaptable to the needs of the student. that no system public or

032otherwise for that matter can perfectly encompass every student and about maintaining the capabilities to pivot and offer new solutions for new problems. By maintaining CBOS, we not only offer the same amazing opportunity I received to more students but help to support our whole education ecosystem. By taking the load off of some of our other institutions and ensuring that no student finds themselves without a pathway to success. is through continually integrating these systems into our communities that I think we can see a future where these are not merely seen as programs for alternative needs but a core strategy of our education system here in Portland. Truly, if it weren't for this program, I would not have learned the skills to write this testimony or gain the confidence to stand in front of a room of people

033I do not know and get up on my soap box. This program in this school changed my life for the better, giving me the tools to maintain a 3.9 college GPA and the resources and connections to make my transfer to PSU next term possible. I know Yes to College and every other CVO we have here can help more students be prepared for the path they choose to walk. To support our alternative schooling options is to ensure that every student has a chance provided by the flexibility, agency, and affordability that these wonderful programs offer. Once again, I would just like to say thank you to the board and the superintendent for allowing us to come here and share our voices and testimony this evening. >> Thank you. >> Yeah, thank you. Thank you both for coming

034today to share your stories and and provide your feedback. Thank you. Amazing. >> Um, Miss Bradshaw, can you call the next We're at general public comment, so can you call the next? >> Yes. >> Four. >> Edward Thomas, Paul Howland, Kevin Bordeaux, Jennifer Anderson Capki. You can go ahead in the order you're called. And um again, just a reminder, 3 minutes, yellow light means 30 seconds, and red light means finish up. Thank you. In the order we were called, uh good evening. My name is Edward. Uh I'm here as a uh Portland resident and parent of students. And in my alter ego, as a bike dork, uh I did a lot of bike dork stuff when my kids were younger. I'm here to ask you to consider a more robust bike and walk policy. We

035can do it. Um there is a policy right now, but it's not robust enough to encourage the things we want to see. Um back in the day when the kids were little, I did a lot of bike trains in Llewellyn Cellwood. We filled up the streets. We had Uniper lead us. We did a lot of cool stuff. We did so much stuff. Peabot had me working with parents across the district. And now when I see on social media Coach Balto doing the bike bus, I'm going to tell you it's a bike train and I will die on that hill. Um, when people say, "Oh my gosh, why doesn't every school do this?" I know why. And I could tell you why. It's because when parents and community members reach out, principles don't have a reason

036to say yes. They default to no. They invent rules. They say things like I I know I was working with one parent who wanted uh just to have a community and have coffee and collaborate with other parents and what walk as parents and kids just walk to school and she was told no the school couldn't support that she had to form a nonprofit she had to get insurance she had to collect waiverss from the I mean it it was so many rules that it's just and and we need something that gets principles to say yes. I was inspired to come tonight. I saw uh Miss Englesman testified to Portland City Council in support of the city of Portland uh doing its plan to reinvigorate bike riding in the city. And we can do it. We

037have like one of the best cities in America for walking and biking. We have a great infrastructure. But I I'm here to tell you I think our schools have the biggest ability to have a change in the footprint of what we do every morning across town. Uh, our schools regularly become little traffic disasters and many of our schools actually publish a a traffic route for parents in their cars to shuttle their kids from door to door as as a sack of flower to be educated upon. Um, but we don't publish bike routes. Uh um I know we were lucky enough in Llewellen to have a very proactive uh uh principal who was willing to join us on many of our uh um uh bike trains and he was very supportive of all the bike stuff

038that we did. Uh we did a huge number of things but uh too many principles just default to no. Uh when we see things like just getting a bike rack out front, they default to no. Um, so if you could think about it, it'd be nice if we could get a policy that assesses what we're doing, what the impacts are, and how we can encourage ourselves to move forward. Thank you kindly. I'm guessing that's probably my time. Thank you. Go ahead. Hi everyone. My name is Paul Hogland. Um, I am checking in on my unresolved email complaint to the superintendent and board regarding unprofessional behavior, unhealthy, hostile working conditions in my department. As a former student and current PPS employee, I am ashamed, appalled, and embarrassed that this has been allowed to occur for years

039in a school district in a progressive city such as Portland. In our current political climate, there is no tolerance for such behavior. We have supervisors that are attempting to fake it until they make it, but are still faking it. After multiple instances of corrective action, supervisors have had the opportunity to improve, but have failed to do so. The damage is too far done, and all trust has eroded. How would students, staff, parents, and guardians, the press, and the public react if they were informed of the misconduct that has been allowed to occur unchecked for years? It's time for the district to stand by its racial equity and social justice lens. The district has opened itself up to a lawsuit long enough. When is enough enough? What will be swept under the rug next? Are subordinates

040supposed to just forget and pretend like nothing happened? What who do we go to when no one will protect us? Who and what is the policy protecting? How can we trust human resources if they deflect and claim that our legitimate complaints are unfounded and attempt to hinder organized efforts by telling staff that there is no soliciting in the workplace? This is systemic, not department specific. If they don't like you or if you speak up, they will whittle you down until you give up just to force you out. I'm tired of being made to feel like I'm the problem child. How does the district plan to resolve these issues to restore safe and healthy working conditions so that staff may focus on supporting our students and staff to the fullest extent without distraction? >> Thank you.

041Good evening PPS school board. My name is Kevin Budro. My daughter is a kindergartener at Beverly Clearary School. When she began the year, we thought it would be a hopeful and joyous start to her educational journey. But that quickly changed in September when violent incidents began to occur regularly. In September, my daughter was struck in the back of the head unprovoked while coloring at her desk. In the days following, she witnessed her classmates get punched in the face, kicked in the chest, and knocked to the ground. Since the beginning of the school year, I am aware of six children who have been struck in the head. Head trauma at this frequency is alarming and unacceptable. 12 out of 20 students have been attacked, injured, or experienced a form of vis physical violence. One family has

042already decided to remove their child from Beverly Clearary School due to safety concerns. Let me be clear. I am not blaming children for these incidents. I am blaming the lack of supports provided. PPS has a zero tolerance policy for violence at school. Why does this not apply to kindergarteners? Room clears are a regular occurrence in the kindergarten classroom at Beverly Clearary. I am aware of 13 room clears due to safety concerns this year. That's equivalent to a room clear every other week on average. Not once was my family notified by the school of these room clears. When our children have to evacuate the classroom for safety reasons, valuable instruction time is taken from them. Why wouldn't PPS want families to know about this? Not only are our children experiencing physical violence, but parents are being

043kept in the dark. We as parents are not able to guide our kids through the emotional trauma of these experiences because we're not being notified when they occur. Neighboring PPS schools have a roomcleare notification system that informs parents the same day when these incidents occur. I am asking PPS to implement that same system at Beverly Clearary and across the district. I want to acknowledge that district leadership has reached out to families about these concerns. We will continue to hold PPS accountable to delivering on any promises made regarding this issue. My call to action tonight is simple. PPS must notify families when room clears occur and follow through on its zero tolerance policy for violence in schools. Our children deserve that. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> My name is Jennifer Anderson Capki. K A P

044K. Thank you for saying it right. That's rarity these days. Uh I am a Portland native uh Sam Barlo High School. So not PPS, but my father actually is a retired PPS um teacher. May you rest in peace. Um my daughter also goes to Beverly Clearary and she is one that's been punched in the face and kicked in the back. Um the safety in the building is not not great. Um and unfortunately that's happening across the the district and different PTA representatives that I've spoken with and collected data on. Uh I'm actually a trained educator. I minored in special ed and then I became an attorney and I only work in financial services. but it's still at the heart of me and it's at the heart of my dad obviously as well. So, um it's

045important for me to note that we've done great work on the building safety for our kids, but we need to focus and refocus maybe potentially on the physical, mental, and emotional well-being. I attended our PTA meeting last night. I've helped to co-establish a safety committee, but it doesn't end there and it doesn't start there. And it can't just be the parents accountability. The the year, as Kevin mentioned, started out pretty rough. Um, my kindergartner who was excited to start who has a November birthday had to wait a whole another year to start school um doesn't want to go to school anymore. She we live we moved a block away from the from the school moved into my dad's house. We specifically moved to go to Beverly Clearary and Grant. Um I'm now considering private school.

046Um which is unfortunate because I also have another child that goes to that school. Uh safety is about identifying the greatest potential and the actual threat to the children and averting these dangers. And unfortunately, I don't feel like that that is happening currently at PPS or specifically at my children's school. My children and others uh in the school district are not being kept um from dangers um including from those of their peers. Children have been assaulted by classmates including head injuries as both Kevin and I have mentioned uh which we feel are not being reported accurately or consistently. Classroom teachers are also being physically assaulted. Children are being exposed to situations in which no children, a sixth grader, a second grader, fourth grader should have to be exposed to. These experiences, in my opinion, are

047being downplayed. Excuses are continuing to be made and accountability consistently redirected. Normalization of this behavior is impacting how they uh interact with them, their peers, uh their parents, um and others, and will continue to be so as they become adults. This behavior cannot be normalized or they will become victims potentially of domestic violence. Children are not receiving the services that they are required to receive by law. Not only was my father a PPS teacher, but my my one of my brothers was a special needs individual and he did not receive the needs um the requirements that he was provided in those IEP um plans. Fellow parents and I have escalated this through PPS administration which they do continue to try to address but unfortunately it is not being done consistently, accurately or in a timely

048manner. The behavioral reporting is the second part of my focus as well. Policies and procedures do exist for PPS. Um are we being trained on them? Is the district being trained on them? Are the principles being changed on trained on them or the teachers? through my brief research last night, there are massive amounts of resources when it can I Yeah, sorry. U so my ask is accountability. Um holding the teachers accountable, holding the principal accountable, holding the administration accountable, prioritizing the safety of our students, requesting external accountability when it comes to those reporting. Reporting has decreased over the years, but how do we know that's accountable? When teachers and parents and students are not reporting because they are not getting action or results. All students should be safe and secure in their classroom and be

049able to be um able to learn, not 20 minutes a day, every classroom um clear of being removed from the classroom. So, thank you >> again. Thank you all for um taking the time out of your day to share your uh feedback and your public comment. It's very important for us to hear. So, thank you. Thank you. >> Uh I also want to just this semi-announcement but um from feedback from the rest of the board and thanks uh we will I want to bring up opportunities to increase the amount of public comment opportunities and also make it more equitable in terms of access as well. But that conversation I'll be bringing up in the in the future topics section of our agenda. So thank you all for being here today. >> Yeah, thank you. I

050just I also wanted to say that I wanted to make sure that uh my team had an opportunity to catch the uh Beverly Clearary family just to make sure that we are responding to some of the things that are coming up for you. So, I think they're going to catch you at the door. Thank you. >> All right. Next up, we have our quarterly bond accountability committee report. Uh, the Portland Public Schools Board of Education has appointed a citizen bond accountability committee whose charge is to monitor the planning and progress of the bond programs relative to voter approved uh, work scope schedule and budget objectives. Providing tonight's report is the chair of the bond accountability committee, Greg Dlorettto. And I'll hand it off to you. Take it away. >> Great. Well, thank you, Chair Wong,

051members of the board. Superintendent Armstrong. As noted, my name is Greg Dlero and I'm the new chair of the BAC. So, since I'm new, let me introduce myself to the board. I've been a member of the BAC since uh February of 2020. I went to Kellogg Grade School in the last century, back when it was a K through8 school. And I'm a graduate of Franklin High School. And back when I was in the Portland public schools, we had an enrollment of about 80,000 students in those days. Um, those two schools formed a solid foundation for a very successful career. I spent my career in local government the last 14 years as a CEO for Oregon's second largest water utility. Today, in addition to my work uh with the BAC, I serve on two other regional

052advisory boards. I spend my time talking about investing in our nation's infrastructure, being invited around the country and the world to give speeches, to testify before Congress. Uh I appear on TV shows on ABC News, NBC Nightly News, and newspapers like the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, and schools are one of those infrastructures. In May, I will be moderating a webinar sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers on School Funding with a panel of national school infrastructure experts. So, in uh our first BAC meeting this year was held on January 26th at Jefferson High School. Our focus at this meeting was updates on the three high schools to be uh reconstructed. Now, we meet in person or try to anyway every other meeting and try to find a school where BAC

053members can see what is needed or the status of construction or in one case or two to celebrate the completion of a school. We currently have seven members on the BAC with two openings which I believe you are in the process of filling for us which is great. Now, the BAC received public comment from four citizens. one concerning the naming of the Gryce Adair Center, two comments around the proposed seismic uh improvement school selection, and a fourth concerning the restructuring of the office of school management, which I was recently learned has been renamed to the real estate infrastructure school enhancements or RISE. In our previous report to the board, we noted that a change in management was occurring and that reports were being developed and accounts were being reconciled. The good news is that Prescidio

054has nearly completed maybe have completed now the uh reconciling the accounts from the 2012 2017 and 2020 bond measure. Based on these reports, the BAC believes the programs to have been properly funded. The BAC received a report regarding the bond sale scheduled for February 10th. So, I'm assuming that that has occurred. Of note was that Moody's the credit rating agency had downgraded the district's credit rating from double A2 to double A3. A couple of reasons for that are outside of the district's control. One of those is the local economy. And the second is school enrollment. The third area causing the drop was the district's low operational fund balance at only 5% of total balances, which is considerably less than the 14% in 2022 and 2023. Now, this was a concern to me. As I mentioned,

055I'm on a couple other local advisory boards and and I'm chair of one of them, and we enjoy a AAA bond rating. So, I was concerned. And my old agency is a double A+ going to AAA. But here's where the beauty of having a diverse group of members on the BAC comes in because one of our members is the chief financial officer for capital projects at a large Portland public agency, and he's a former analyst for Moody's rating services. and he explained that the ratings are still strong despite Moody's downgrade. And that's a good thing from the cost of debt perspective since it means the district's borrowing rates are very good, although they will be somewhat between a 0.1% and a.5% higher than an agency with a AAA rating. And he points out that a

0565% balance is low and from a risk perspective, declining enrollment is also not a great thing to see in a school district. And on top of those things, the local economy of Portland and Oregon more broadly is challenged to say the least. The strong credit ratings are only minimally impacted by those poor car uh credit characteristics because the source of bond holder repayment is so strong and has little to do with these things. Across the country, municipal bonds carry a wide range of securities that back the repayment to the bond holders. And for Oregon school district, that security is among the strongest in the country. When voters approve the sale of bonds, a new property tax revenue is dedicated and it must be collected without regard for what the tax rate is required to generate

057those revenues. So if assessed value plummets, the rate will simply be increased. Probably not that simply, but it will be increased sufficiently to generate the revenue required to pay the debt service on the bonds. Not only that, but even if the district's enrollment dropped to zero, which is not going to happen, and even if you shut all your doors, which is not going to happen, taxpayers would continue to pay the taxes necessary to repay those bond holders all the way through the maturity. And that's really the strength for the district's bond rating. We're going to have further discussions on finance at a future BAC meeting so that we can stay in tune with what's happening. On the question of whether the bond budget is sufficient to complete the scope of work as outlined in the

058voter approval bonds based on the information presented to the BAC, there are sufficient funds to complete the uh scope. Uh these are numbers from our meeting, so they may have improved or changed. A total of $4.6 billion in bonds have been approved by the voters over the four issues. To date, 2 billion have been spent. Outstanding incumbrances are 170 million and 2.4 billion in bond funds remain. The majority of which is the 2025 bond. Cleveland High School is budgeted at 449 million, Jefferson High School at 466 million and Wells High School at 432 million. Major risk to these budgets could come from permit delays and the availability of mass timber. However, your staff is working to mitigate any potential delays to these projects. Based on the schedules presented, the three high schools show being delivered

059on schedule. Jefferson schedule of course has been revised since the 2020 bond issue. As mentioned by the superintendent for Cleveland, construction should start this June with move in in the fall of 29. Jefferson groundbreaking we heard is scheduled for May 29th with move in in the fall of 29. and Wills High School construction is slated to begin this December with a move in in the fall of 29. The BAC also received a presentation from staff regarding potential amendments to our charter and we are in the process of setting a special meeting for this topic. We've actually picked April the 6th where that meeting will be just set aside to talk about uh some of the changes that uh we've heard you folks may want as well as things we may want to do. Now, we

060commend PPS with what they have accomplished as the number of projects is numerous and they're complex. Presidio has revised their reports to the BAC to reflect our comments from our previous meeting and those reports meet the requirements the BAC needs to report to the board of education and we thank the board for the opportunity to serve. >> Thank you. do questions or try to deal >> we'll go around do questions. >> Um first I just I I may say I have a housekeeping question. I just want to check with um Miss Brashaw. We didn't have any union partners signed up for comment, right? >> We did not. >> Okay. I just >> So we're good. Okay. >> Oh yeah, I saw that. >> Um thank you. Now we may move along. We're going to do

061this in order like we practice on Sunday. So, we'll start with uh Director Sullivan and we'll move down this way and then we'll change the order as we go. >> Well, I just want to thank you for making that understandable and very clear and it's very much appreciated. Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Ditto. Thank you so much. See you soon. >> Yes. >> Uh I think this was also very understandable. Thank you. I have some questions um or comments as well. Uh, I am grateful for the um where you laid out how much is outstanding in each bond because a few months ago we did hear that we haven't closed out a bond which was alarming to a lot of us. Um, but I'm you know I did some math which I'm not great

062at. Um, but I I was grateful to see that the 2012 bond for example it looks like there's only007% outstanding. >> Right. >> Yeah. and um 2017 06% outstanding and42 for the 2020. So these are so negligible and so small that that made me feel better than this idea that we hadn't been able to close something out made me feel better. Um I did wonder uh no funds have been spent from the 2025. Is that expected 10 months post bond P? That is that I don't know. So I'm asking out of curio. Is that expected? >> There is some there is there there have there has been some spend on the 2025 bond but no because the design for the major renovations are in the 2020 bond. That is why you're seeing that delay to

063the kickoff of the 2025 bond spend. >> Thank you. >> Yep. >> Um let's see my other questions. I don't have too many. Um, oh, I was curious. Um, for Cleveland, I noticed that for Jefferson and Wells, the required career learning activities are starting or well underway. What is a career learning activity and why have none been done at Cleveland yet? What does that mean? >> Yeah, you can answer what it is. They we were told that they're going to get started on the Cleveland one. What is it? >> Talk about what they are actually. The career learning activities is when the students are able to participate in um taking a look at the design that is being designed and kind of the overall construction of the process. Um because these are all in design

064and we're just doing the uh community outreach and design um committee meetings, community meetings. Uh I don't think that they've held one for Cleveland High School yet, but I can get back to the board and update where we are in that process. >> Perfect. Thank you. Um you gave me the update on the February Um, I think that's it. Thank you very much for a great presentation. >> You're welcome. >> I just wanted to thank you. Um, I think when you first came on, I was getting involved with the BAC. Really appreciate your expertise and your just longevity here because it's obvious you could spend your time so many other places, worldwide forums, all the news networks, etc. But also for calling out the um the trade-off in our fund balance, dropping that to 5%

065and that does come with trade-offs. um it leaves us a little bit more vulnerable obviously with our uh credit rating and um so yeah, just I appreciate you calling that out and thank you again for your service. It's much appreciated. >> You're welcome. >> Um yes, I also very appreciate I had the exact same comment and question about the um the change from 14% to 5% in terms of a front um bottoming out our fund balance. Um, is there I don't know if you're willing to or want to speak a little bit more to about what that means in terms of like our financial impact and in the long run in terms of our current or even our past bond. >> Well, with with the exception of how I mentioned it'll affect your interest rates.

066In fact, it gets paid back. But the fact is, you know, it's kind of your savings account, right? We all have one and at times we want we have to buy something. There's something we want. And right now, you're having, I think, challenges in funding education. So, like all of us, you're going to draw down your savings account. It's going to turn around. You're going to work it out. It'll turn around. And so, at this point, as uh I mentioned in my comments, you still are in a strong financial position. You know, you you're in a double A3 is still or double A2 is still not, you know, bad. And the bonds are going to be paid back and so you're strong in a strong financial position and you've you've had to use your savings

067account and that's what happens. >> Great. Thank you. No questions for me. Just want to reiterate I'm grateful for your service. Thank you. >> Welcome. >> Um so appreciate having uh having you here. Thank you for taking over the role as leader of this committee. Um I have a couple questions. I read through the memo um which is very detailed. Um you said that the risk to budgets could come from permit delays and availability of mass timber. And I just have a note to myself to ask you do you believe that the risk mitigation is sufficient? >> I think soak can talked to that but they have was an agreement with the Portland permitting bureau to try to get these things done in what was it 16 months. I mean there was they agreed to

068do that now you know things happen. >> We're part of the major uh projects group with the city of Portland and so because of that we have a designated um deliverable time of those permits and that is how we're negating that risk from going in and out of permits. And we've actually been progressing all three modernizations very well through not only um city permitting but also land use. So um that process is ongoing and all of the hearings that we've had have been very positive. We've had very good um conversations with our staff leaison with the city of Portland. So we're very positive there. from a mitigation perspective on mass timber. Those are all early release packages which um we actually kind of talked about that from an early release package last um in February

069for all three of our modernizations. So we're progressing that design ahead of time so that we can get the that material procured and actually um early so that we have a longer lead to get it in place. Um and we're also doing some of some of the layown area on site. it will be there on a um ready to go up. So, it'll be ahead of time from when it's going into place. So, there's quite a few different avenues that we're taking to kind of mitigate our mass temper um risk. >> Great. Um for uh it was called out that there was not a timeline um provided for the center for student excellence yet. When do we expect that to be provided? >> Right. So that right now we're in procurement for um architectural and

070engineering which we we will have an update for you coming up in the bond update that we're doing after this. Um however um those um qualification or um uh proposals were just submitted this past c this past month. We should be coming to the board with those not to exceed contracts in the April board meeting. From there, we will select an architect engineering firm that will then begin programming and um for the overall um Chrysadair Center and um we're looking at probably a 10 to 12 month kind of programming and design period for that project. >> And then my last question is um regarding the draft uh the revised charter. Um I understand that the meeting was originally scheduled for February. Um and I'm happy to hear that's coming up in April. I was just

071curious what the reason was for the delay. >> We just had trouble getting people to, you know, we're we're volunteers and so uh we just had trouble getting in. So, we finally managed to get a date where everybody can make it and uh we're sticking to it. >> Appreciate it. And then um who's the staff liazison now? I know that that had bounced around a little bit. It has. >> Joanna Evenson is our staff liaison um with our support obviously um but she is our staff leazison. Great. Moving forward. >> Thank you. I've just got a quick comment to make and I'll get into this more when we get into our finance focus, but you'd mentioned declining enrollment and so I was curious and I went and I looked up the uh the po the

072total population of Portland. I mean it's a pretty straight linear relationship since 1950. Um but if you look at you know enrollment obviously our enrollment in recent years um has been pretty consistently declining. Um, now I think that, you know, there are obviously a lot of externalities that go into that that are not within our control, namely, you know, housing prices and birth rate. But, um, the argument that I made in Salem is that, you know, our our, uh, reputation as a district and our reputation as a state definitely plays a role. And you know, when young couples who are wanting to have kids are looking at where do I want to buy a house, where do I want to start my family, you know, being ranked 44th in the nation statewide is uh or

073our state being ranked 44th. Of course, PPS tends to do significantly better than the state average, but it does not make us look great. And so, again, uh this is not the first time or the last time you're going to hear me talk about five and 50 uh tonight. um because I love to. But uh again uh I would just like to tie this back to our broader budget situation um and my continued hope that the state um will look at some more systemic reform uh for our school funding model um so that hopefully we can uh try and reverse some of our uh enrollment trends. That's all I have for now. >> Thank you. Do we have any one with any more comments or questions? >> Well, the questions raised a question for me.

074Um, I'm not really I don't really understand what an early release package is. And is it only for the timber? >> It it is not actually. There's quite a few early release packages that we do um during during the design phase. And what that means is that we're getting those um trade partners on board so that they can begin their shop drawings to finalize design before we go into construction. So by being able to get those um those teammates on board early, we're able to work through any design issues so that we can go straight into fabrication once we're ready for construction to start. >> And does it mean they get the materials? They've ordered them earlier. >> Well, they've got they've got to kind of complete their design and shop drawing. So they've got

075a complete kind of what they do is they actually take the architectural engineering design and then they they build it out in accordance with their material and then that is actually what's considered the fabrication drawings that then go into fabrication for the material itself. So but they can by doing that they're able to understand the amount of material they were they will need. So they're able to identify where they will be able to source that from so that we will have that information ahead of time than just right when we need to order it. Great. >> Thank you. Um, thank you student represent RTO for bringing up the funding issue. Um, but on top of that, I also want to just make sure that we thank our Portland voters for approving these bonds. Without it,

076we wouldn't have these brand new buildings or these problems about interest rates and stuff like that or credit ratings. So, thank you for um this wonderful presentation and and sharing your your thoughts. um looking forward more to working with you in the future and if there's any ways we can improve that, please reach out to any of us, me included. Um so thank you both with that. Is there any last Just checking. All right. All right. Thank you. All right. Next up, we have um the seismic update. I'll hand this over to Superintendent Armstrong. >> Thank you. So, ensuring safety is an important responsibility that we carry as a district. In living in Portland means we must plan for the reality of seismic risk. Last year, the board adopted resolution 7109, which gave direction to

077use current seismic assessment data to identify and prioritize the schools that pose the greatest risk and provide a clear, transparent approach for how those decisions would be made. Tonight, the team will walk you through the methodology used to come to the initial list of schools. and I will not invite the team because they're already here. Uh so I'll just have uh Dr. Franco introduce the team and kick it off. Thank you. >> Thank you Dr. Armstrong and um thank you directors. We are happy to be here. My name is John Franco. I am the senior chief of operations and at the dis with me with me tonight we have Sarah Norman the executive director of uh rise and then we also have Jennifer Edgars uh who is with home structures uh go ahead Jennifer oh

078>> it's actually >> oh perfect >> do I point to you >> I think you point over there >> I got it perfect so the purpose of this presentation today is to talk about what we have accomplished this far. We want to revisit and remind all of you about what we used as our framework for prioritization. We want to outline future scope of work planned by campus and then outline some additional next steps. So, I do want to remind um the board and all of us here today that resolution establishes the criteria and intent for prioritizing seismic retrofits. It contemplates that all high-risisk schools will not be addressed within a single bond cycle. Specifically, it directs Portland public schools to use current seismic assessment data to identify and prioritize schools that pose the greatest risk

079of injury or death in a significant earthquake and to clearly communicate the criteria used to determine the sequence of retrofits. We do acknowledge absolutely without a doubt um that the discussion of a significant earthquake can cause concern and anxiety. We affirm at all times that we are focused on ensuring the safety of all of our kids and staff in our buildings and we are working to devise a plan to prioritize the work across our many buildings to do that. I think it's also important that um um that from an information perspective that the resolution also indicates that the 100 million is to be set aside from budget savings from the modernizations. uh that we will be used to address seismic in 8 to 10 schools. >> Care can is there any way you can give

080Jennifer presentation um access? >> Is she logged into Zoom? She She is logged in. Yes, ma'am. >> Yeah, we'll need her to zoom in on some things. It would be great if she could have it. >> Just a second. >> Can I Can I jump in here real quick, Rosanne? Sorry to put you on the spot. There are several of us that are having trouble loading the seismic presentation. Is there any chance you might be able to email it? Thank you. >> It's weird. I just about it. Funny. I know it's just an odd >> question. >> While we're getting that emailed around and she's rejoining and I just have a quick question. Will you during this and if you haven't planned to, will you try to talk about the not just 100 million but

081the other dollars that are hanging around that could go towards seismic not necessarily requiring the next bond package. Does that make sense? >> Yes, that totally makes sense. And yes, we can we can talk through that um as we progress through the presentation. Can you go to uh slide four? Okay. So, this this slide is intended to give some greater context uh concerning uh seismic work uh either be complete either completed in process uh or or planning in kind of that planning phase. So this here is so and I just want to highlight this piece because I know that's been conversations is that currently 34 title one schools and I'm talking about specifically title. We have some maps to kind of progress through this. So currently 34 title one schools in the district of the

08234 schools with the 2012 2017 and 2020 bonds we will have touched 21 of them for partial or complete roof level seismic retrofits. Of the 13 title one schools not yet touched for seismic work, four of them have a risk level of nine or higher. So I just want to give initial context and I'm going to go through with some maps at with the following slides. I think it's also important to note um because we know that there's been conversations around how's equity play a part and I've mentioned this in FIO and in previous presentations. I we're very cognizant about our schools that we're hitting across the board and if they fall in line with title designation andor CSI or TSI status and I thought I think it's also important to note that title designation

083does also change based on student population. Right? And so and it just so happens we're going to be engaging you in a conversation this next presentation regarding right sizing. Um and so we know that title designations will ultimately change based on changes in demographics of students. We also know that CSI TSI designation is going to change because we are very com we are confident in our work with student achievement increasing student achievement. We know that CSI TSI designation um we want we hope to get as many schools off that list um as possible. So this is just um just kind of gives you an idea and you could see here on this next slide and thanks for changing. You're keeping me on pace which is great. So this slide shows is a map of all

084of our seismic work that we have completed. We or in the process of or andor undergoing planning to address in the future across the district since 2012. Oh sorry this is title. Can we go to the previous slide? So this is the this is the slide of all the work completed in process or that we have plans to complete across the district in reference to to seismic. So basically 75 of the 90 campuses have been or will have some seismic work completed uh moving forward. So either done like I said or in process or in the future and that includes our 8 to 10 that we are going to um uh talk about again today. If you go to the next slide what you see here is very specific to our title 1A schools over

085the last five years. Okay. So any title schools that were in title with the last five years including current work being planned with a 2025 bond. Okay. So that is roughly 31 schools. Our focus is on um targeted risk parts and high level retrofits. We can also see if you look at this map the distribution around Portland and this includes current roofs with expanded seismic scope. So we presented we want to show you just just to give you some clarity in terms of um how it looks across the district in reference to seismic work uh that has been done or in process uh moving forward in the future. Uh next slide. Thank you Jennifer. So, here is just a reminder and and and I think as director Wong said, we are so appreciative of uh

086the PPS community, you know, for um for passing the bond and then also to the board um for allotting a sign a significant chunk of money uh to directly address seismic. So, we went through several iterations before settling on this recommended formula. Um this is a very difficult process as I've mentioned before because we have a finite am amount of money and we do have to prioritize moving forward. The hund00 million uh as I mentioned before for seismic is set to come about through savings from the modernizations. The list of schools targeted for seismic improvement will be funded through the 2025 bond. It's also important to note that we also work and this goes back to director split's question. So we'll also work with the board to develop a capital plan for improvements with unspent

087funds from the previous bonds and we will come to the board in the future with analysis and recommendations which will include seismic but it will also include other things like HVAC. I mean we know those you know hot weather will will be with us um at some point here in Oregon but um we know that that's going to be a conversation that we're going to have to have. So, um I hope that kind of goes to a little bit with what director Split was asking and that we will come forth with um our recommendations regarding how to use some of those unspent um our funds or savings uh from the modernizations. So, this formula is based on 90% risk assessment based on the home seismic safety assessment. 5% is based on deferred maintenance which does

088include um identifying CSI TSI TSI designation as part of the facility condition index which is the FCI. So I know that that was a a question that came up um regarding you know how are we looking at how is equity you know being a part in regards to the formula. I just want to be clear it is a part of uh what we generally do for deferred maintenance and looking at schools is that we look at schools that are CSI TSI designation and like I said and that you know the challenge is is that CSI TSI designations do change just what just like we expect title um uh title designations to change as well. Uh so it's kind of a moving uh a moving uh target so to speak and then 5% is based on

089enrollment and given we'll be engaging in a right sizing conversation we did not prioritize schools with enrollment of less than 300 students and I think and and I want to caveat this is that just because we did not do that doesn't mean the schools are not a priority they absolutely are. It also doesn't mean that the schools that we did not prioritize and I want to be clear about this are schools that we're going to rightsize. That that's not what it means. It means we needed we needed a starting point. We know that we were going to run parallel tracks with the right sizing conversation. And so that's why we had to start somewhere when you're talking about prioritization. Uh next slide. So you can see here, this is just a reminder of with um

090our approach. It's a hybrid approach. So we have two schools um outlined for full retrofits uh at that at this point. That's Beverly Clearary and that's Rose City Park. And they they were the top two schools that rose based on the the formula uh of the three indicators. And then we've also identified if you um move to the next slide and then we've also in included the targeted retrofits which includes the schools listed there under the target retrofits category and that and those schools are very specific to high-risk parts and that's what I mean by the hybrid approach. Some are full retrofits, the two and these schools um listed under targeted retrofits are really targeting the highest risk parts. And as you can see also on this slide um we the work to be completed

091this summer is Chavez, Marshall, Vestal and Woodmir. and and we place the T there so you can kind of see the title designation and you can also see how they're going to be funded via which uh bond. Um and targeted retrofits is is highest risk scores for building parts andor reducing localized collapse hazards from from unreinforced masonry walls. And Jennifer is going to walk us through wi with a little bit more granular detail in terms of um the schools in particular uh all of them that we've outlined and um why we think it's important to to address them. >> Perfect. Um thank you for having me. Um I realize now why you couldn't find me because last I used my Zoom account was for my son Jack for a meeting. Um, so I would just

092wanted to walk you through school by school and explain a little bit about why these schools were selected. Um, I'll try to not get too technical, open to any questions. Um, but I'll just talk campus by campus you through the construction. Um, so I'm going to escape out of here just so I can zoom in a little bit. So this is Fernwood Beverly Clearary. Um, um, this is the full campus approach. The existing construction for this campus is an unreinforced masonry building supporting heavy concrete floors. Um, so I look at existing building drawings all the time, but for those that don't, when you see a diagonal hash, um, that typically means unreinforced masonry. And then this type of hatch is for concrete. So these are unreinforced masonry walls supporting heavy concrete floors with hollow clay

093tile infill that was used for formwork. Um, so this is a cross-section of the floor. So these are really heavy floors supported on unreinforced masonry walls. Um, and I think we're all aware of the high seismic risk of unreinforced masonry buildings. Um, it is very standard across the West Coast. Many cities have mandates for um, seismically retrofitting unreinforced masonry building. Um, so it's a very high-risk um, building. The additions have holocore core concrete planks with a topping slab that need better connection into the masonry walls. Um this um project will go into construction summer of 2027 and will extend through um summer of 2028. Um it's funded by the 2025 bond. Uh, Rose City Park is another full campus approach. Very similar construction to Fernwood Beverly Clearary. Um, heavy unreinforced masonry walls supporting heavy concrete

094floors. Um, this one is similar to Fernwood Beverly Clearary where it's two and a half stories of unreinforced masonry. That half story on the bottom is um a partial basement. This one will go into construction summer 2028 through summer of 2029. um and is also funded by a 2025 bond. Ainssworth um we are focusing on buildings B and G. Um both of these are unreinforced masonry. Um and we're really good candidates for the SRGP application because we can seismically separate them from the main building. Um building B is an unreinforced masonry um gymnasium, so high occupancy area. Uh, building G is a singlestory classroom. This is a cross-section of building G. It's an unreinforced masonry wall built on top of the original um concrete retaining wall supporting um the roof structure. This one will go

095into construction summer 2027 and summer 2028. So, it'll be a two separate summer construction. Um, 2025 bond funded. uh beach um is another building on the list. This building has um two areas of egress stairs that are supported by unreinforced masonry. Um our typical unreinforced masonry are red bricks where we typically see jointed together. Um these are even higher risk than that. There are two layers of hollow clay tile which they are basically masonry with holes in them um in a layer of brick veneer. They are supporting egress stairs um at beach and we would really like to address um these walls so that we don't have um a hazard at our egress stairs and they are gravity load supporting. This building will go into construction both summer 2027 and summer 2028 and 2025 bond

096funded. Capitol Hill is selected because um of a few different reasons. Um building A is a um woodframe building, but it sits on top of a masonry foundation. This is hollow clay tile cross-section. So you can see how it's not solid. um it has um holes. Um so we would like to address this. It's a high-risisk hazard being on an unreinforced masonry foundation. Um building E is supported by an unreinforced masonry wall. Here's our wall right here. Um building D has a small amount of loadbearing urm in the entryway. So we would like to address this. Um, building F is also on the same campus with a high-risisk score. Um, so we would like to address that as well. It's a concrete frame with unreinforced masonry infill. These will go into construction summer 2027 and

097summer 2028. Um, with 2025 bond funding. Kelly, um, there are two building parts on Kelly that are high-risisk. Both of these are unreinforced masonry, gymnasium, um, and adjacent locker room. The idea here is to address all unreinforced masonry on campus. Um, and it's a high occupancy area and addressing these two building parts will significantly reduce the campus score as well. The gymnasium is timber framed um with unreinforced masonry walls around the perimeter. So, we'll be addressing those. They're gravity loadbearing and address um seismic. This will go into construction summer 2027 and 2025 bond funded Richmond. Uh we will be addressing the unreinforced masonry in building A. Building A has two woodframe stories on top of a single story that's unreinforced masonry. So it's a high collapse hazard. Um and um there's a small amount of

098loadbearing urm under the stage. So, while we're on campus, we'll be addressing that, too. Um, one reason that the building a score is not high is that it is weighted by two floors of woodframed um, risk level and one story of unreinforced masonry. And these types of unique um, scores show up in our small project opportunity um, notes in our report. This one will uh be in construction summer 2027 and summer 2028 and funded by 2025 bond. Vernon um has a gymnasium. It's an overall concrete building, but the gymnasium has um one wall that's unreinforced masonry and that wall turns the corner. It is gravity loadbearing supporting a heavy concrete roof in a high occupancy area. So we will be addressing this wall supporting in plane and out of plane um providing secondary gravity loadbearing.

099This will be in construction um this summer 2026 and this one's funded by the 2020 bond. similar winter haven gymnasium, high occupancy area, two um loadbearing unreinforced masonry walls with a return um also supporting a heavy concrete roof. Otherwise, that building is 1920s uh concrete construction um summer 2026 construction and 2020 bond. Okay. Okay. And then there was some questions about the roofing projects that are currently in design and the added seismic work that was added post report um post our homes report to those projects. So I just wanted to go through those as well. So this is a Chavez roof seismic and bracing. Um the seismic scope that was added to this was um noted in our report. Um and there are some falling hazards near the egress. So, we are um bracing those

100falling hazards back to the existing building um at all egress locations. So, this will also be going to construction this summer. 2017 bond funded. Um Marshall, we have uh roof seismic. Typically, anytime we're doing a re-roof, we're addressing seismic at the roof level. I'm not focusing on all that work right now. I'm just focusing on the added seismic. Um, at Marshall there are some corridors that are supported there. It's concrete frame building. Some of the corridors are supported by a a by a ledge that's pretty narrow in terms of if your building's moving around in an earthquake, it could be a slip off the ledge falling hazard. So, we're providing secondary gravity support there to catch that slab. uh vestal is um roof seismic and there are a number of loadbearing urm walls um in

101this building and those are being addressed as well as expanded scope during this roofing project. So you can see these are similar to beach that we were looking at with two layers of hollow clay tile and the masonry veneer um wood mirror roof seismic um woodframe building with concrete gem. There are some unreinforced masonry pilasters at um egresses and we are addressing those as well at five at all five entries. And I just wanted to say thank you so much Jennifer. I know that's a lot of technical information to get through very very quickly, but I wanted to say as mentioned earlier, you're seeing the spinown of the 2017 and the 2020 bond. And the reason you're seeing that is because of these opportunities to actually to look at a campus holistically and see what

102we can take care of while we're on that campus. And so adding scope and making sure that we're taking care of our seismic issues along with our re-roofing. And so that's why you're seeing that the those bond programs have that spin down. So, just wanted to take a second to kind of um highlight that. Um our next steps um we will be bringing um our design contracts for um the board to approve um at the April 14th board meeting. Um the uh 2027 construction projects will go out for bid in early December. So that's when we'll start procure that's when design should be completed for these projects. And so we'll be going out to bid for our contractors. And then while we're doing all this work, nothing stops, right? The program keeps going. So while

103the program keeps going, we're we're in the process of identifying additional additional campuses for future seismic work along with identifying any savings that we can recognize within any of the four bond programs in order to incorporate more seismic options for the board to to choose to execute. >> So with that, I'll kick it back to Dr. Armstrong. excited that you all were able to present on the progress and just appreciate how work is is moving. So, thank you. I turn it over to the board for questions, comments, or um anything to clarify. >> Great. Let's start around with uh director split and move this way. >> I do have a couple of questions um that I wrote down and I might think of some more. Um, so one thing that I've wanted to ask about

104for a while and did talk to you a little bit about um, pretty recently was um, trying to understand like what the scoring basically means. Um, and so you mentioned we have four title one schools with a score of nine or higher that haven't had seismic updates, for example. Um, my curiosity is like what is safe enough that we don't have to do the retrofit? Is it 8.5? Is it 4.5? Like I'm just curious like what's a new building? I just don't understand the sort of RTOR scale, if you will. I guess speak uh like what's the comparator, you know? >> Um, okay. Yeah, I can help with that question. I think the added context provides a little more clarity to your question. So um we have an appendix B in our report and I

105won't dive into too much technical information but for um to provide some reference um there are four different zones of our of years for our baseline score um to give you some perspective the modern zone is from the year 2005 to 2025 and these zones are based on significant code changes in the state of Oregon that significantly altered the the practice, construction methods, detailing, all of that kind of stuff. Um, the modern range goes from a 1.0 for a woodframe building up to a two I'm going to call it a 2.3. I don't have the exact number on me. Um, for um, a steel light frame building. Um, unreinforced masonry doesn't show up anymore in this RTOR scale um, because we don't build like that anymore. But hopefully that provides a little bit of clarity.

106Um, so that's figure two in appendix B if you're curious on those jumps. Um, and for comparison, a woodframe building in our modern zone is a 1.0 baseline. And our process was to take these baseline scores that came from Hazis and FEMA documentation scientific backing um and then to tailor those based on your specific building, whether that score needs to go up based on an extra high-risk element that we found in the building or that score can be tailored down based on work that's already been completed. Um, so for comparison, a woodframe building in the modern zone is a 1.0 baseline score. And in our precode, which is pre-1974 zone, which is our oldest zone, it that baseline is a 3.8. Um, so hopefully that gives you a little bit of comparison. Um, concrete construction

107has a more significant jump because we've made a lot more advances over this time period. in how we detail concrete construction and steel construction and like I mentioned unreinforced masonry. We don't build with that anymore. >> Okay. Um then from there, very related question. I'm a little bit curious like I like we talked about like what's the score where maybe we don't have to worry about it. It sounds like it's going to be pretty low um on that scale. And then what is considered across the finish line for these schools? Because for example, um I still remember seeing I know that my my kids go to an unreinforced brickmasonry building in Southwest Portland that has that had a roof redo and didn't even get evaluated in the report. So apparently we have decided that school

108is done. But Beverly Clearary is on the list of having improvements but is literally the top of the list for unsafe. So, I'm just curious, how did Hayhurst cross the finish line with a new roof, whereas Beverly Clearary didn't? I guess I'm just sort of curious how schools >> get the passing grades so that they're no longer on our to-do list because when I look at that list of schools that have had work, they're schools that still clearly need work, right? So, I'm just sort of curious how that >> how we distinguish >> the list. Hayhurst also went through a full seismic upgrade. It was funded by an SRGP. It was one of the sRGP applications, one of the prior PPS SRGP projects. It has had a full and that's why it's not doesn't have

109a sheet because it's done. >> Okay. And let's say Beverly Clearary got the roof done but still didn't get the full seismic retrofit. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Got done in one summer without students being absent from the building, which is fascinating. So, I didn't I thought it was a smaller project. Um those are my two questions I had um in preparing for today but um I might come back on round two. Thanks. >> Thank you for this presentation and also thank you for um for like uh having a conversation with me beforehand so I could understand it instead of just learning it all today. I found some of the information fascinating particularly that the um title one schools were over the last five years were prioritized. I really found that great to know about. Um,

110so I am curious about, well, I'll start out by saying one of the concerns that I voiced in that meeting and I just want to voice today publicly is that while I understand why you chose 300 threshold and anything underneath didn't get evaluated today or in this process, um, and I also greatly appreciate you saying that it doesn't mean it's on the right size, you know, the chopping block for all of those things. Those are great to know about. However, in the right sizing conversation, I am worried that there may be a school that is currently sub 300 that in the right sizing conversation ends up being 550 because we collect schools and put them together and that that school then has 550 students in it and has never been evaluated because we didn't evaluate

111it. Now um so I guess I would like to know at what point in this parallel right sizing seismic conversation do we then say this school is staying open it needs to jump over here into this lane perhaps take priority I mean do we have room for that do we have the flexibility for that um because we have pretty um looks like locked in plans and so I just like an answer to that if you So uh short answer is yes that there is flexibility. So at our next presentation uh to talk about right sizing we are going to obviously engage you in conversations about principles and those types of things but then also talk about a preemptive timeline. And so the idea is that we will um look to have a comprehensive package for

112right sizing for you to vote on. you'll know it beforehand, like we're earmarking November, right, for really in-depth conversations with the board on what we expect you to vote on in December. And if you heard earlier in the presentation, the design, right, we're going to ask you to vote on design contracts, but in terms of actual construction, construction will not happen until there's a vote in December. And so, in other words, it actually works out really well in terms of the parallel tracks in regards to timeline. So if it does come out through the right sizing process to your point, Director Englesman, that there are schools that potentially bubble up and we need to maybe take schools off the list for whatever, then we then the board has the the flexibility. We have the flexibility

113to make that adjustment. >> Not just the board like you were. >> Yes. And and the good news and the good news is the way that we procured our architectural and design services for the seismic projects, we are we have the ability through that procurement to if a campus were to change, we are able to do that from a design perspective and not have to go through another procurement. We can actually just reassign it. And because we are only And because we are only um looking at design at this point for approval, even if even if we did not change, we'd have the design ready on the shelf ready to go in December so that it doesn't delay the uh the program at all. >> Okay. Thank you. Um couple more. I um asked this

114and I don't expect you to have an answer yet, but perhaps you do. It is summer 2027 through summer 2028 for Beverly Clearary and then 2028 to 29 for Road City Park. Obviously, that involves the school year. Um, you didn't have an answer obviously when I asked on the spot. You may still not because it's a year away, but where are we going to send these kids that is close enough that they can still get to school? And >> Yep. I do not have an answer for you for Swingpace. Um Um, and I knew this question was going to come up, but I want to let you know that we are reviewing that. We're currently, we have 10 months to build that plan. Um, we're working alongside and coordinating with the right sizing effort so

115that we can identify campuses in each in each area. And so we'll have more to come on that as that as that plan develops. >> Great. Thank you. >> And I will say too, just to piggy back on that, I mean, we want to get standardized and sustainable, right? Given um obviously the conversation that we're having about right sizing. So what I mean by that is, you know, we have Cleveland, for example, going to Marshall, right? We potentially will will we have it on the docket to have Beverly Clearary um uh move or swing and then Rose City. So, we want to I guess what I'm getting at is that we want consistent swing space, >> right? So that there's a level of consistency. People know this is our swing space. This is where you're

116going to go. And that will just help with planning uh moving forward. >> Okay. Uh I think that's it. Thank you. >> Okay. I think you might have answered some of my questions, but my my real question is I I hadn't heard why we're determining actual school buildings before having the right sizing conversation. If if I just had a wand and could say we're going to be talking as a community about right sizing our schools. This is a communitywide conversation. Some of the schools that have uh under 300 enrollment um we'll be looking at those. They'll either consolidate or whatever. And so it just seems like the order of operations has been off to me the the entire this entire conversation. It's not sitting well. it hasn't sat well with me how we've kind of

117landed on what we've landed on. I'm um to that end I've also been concerned about you know the deferred maintenance score and that was wrapped into it was incorporated in equity adjustment that recognized CSIT TSI st status and I've tried to listen to understand tonight on how we are considering who's impacted you know by poverty level free and reduced lunch kids of color etc more vulnerable communities Um, and the last thing then, um, if I I hope I have a note about this. Yeah, it's just about timing. Um, I think I've heard parallel tracks. I don't I I don't understand how that's going to work. Um, I'd like to hear a little bit more about how we're considering equity. Um, and and I also want to clarify when you're talking about design contracts, that's the

118architectural firm, architect, engineer. >> Yes, ma'am. >> So, that could go that's a flexible contract where we have a pool of architects. >> We have a pool of architects that are designated for seismic work and then we assign them and then we assign them projects. >> Okay. So, it's not an architect for this school. >> It's an architect. if we needed to change it, we have a pool of architects and engineers that we would be able to say, "Okay, instead of doing this school, we're going to reassign you to this school." >> Okay, that makes sense to me. >> Okay. Um but the other thing is the right sizing, the equity formula, um how we're employing, how we're considering that also, you know, what we know about climate change, frontline communities, I'm concerned. So, thank

119you. you. And if you can't answer now, I would take a response later. >> Okay. Thank you. I'd be happy to talk to it, but I don't as best I can. I think I think with um I mean you have some very good questions and I think with the parallel tracks piece because we are on uh expedited timeline with with the right sizing conversation and it just so happens that with the the not spending money until we get approval in December and knowing that a comprehensive package will be um delivered to you for you to vote on in December. That's what I mean about the timing and the flexibility and the parallel tracks. So, think of it just like with what we did with Jefferson. We had so many inputs with the board where you

120knew what was happening. The same thing I'm envisioning with not only the right sizing but then also with the seismic. So, if there's an adjustment and we're starting to see things that are happening based on the right sizing conversation because I mean you're going to know what the and have conversations about what schools potentially could be on that right sizing list. you're going to know well before December, right? And that will give us an inkling now of okay, so if schools start bubbling up, say we have schools on the list for seismic now that are potentially going to be rightsized, that gives us that flexibility to be able to make that adjustment. So there's a timing piece there uh moving forward and I will say too like so I I think it's important we all

121note so the formula for the three indicators is for full retrofits. the remaining schools are targeted based on highest risk assessment. And so the deferred maintenance including the CSI, TSI, that's a standardized piece that we do for for projects moving forward. And we also want to get to the point too where utilizing this formula for all of our projects, not just seismic, but then also for HVAC or other types of things. We want to get to that standardized piece where it's consistent moving forward. Um, but you know, the whole idea of of the FCI and incorporating CSI designation is to to show that it's a reflection on our end. Are we hitting all the schools across the board and are we incorporating which is what we do here from an equity perspective schools that are

122either and we've shown on the map either title or CSIT TSI designation and if we're not then that's a reflection on us regardless of what the formula says we want to make sure that we are hitting uh schools across the board. I have um one final comment and that's that and I don't ever um advocate for more in community engagement, but in this case um and sometimes when you have an outcome and everybody's upset, that's okay because everyone's equally upset. But I think for this conversation, it might be important enough um for our community members. I don't know if that's putting together an advisory community advisory body, but we really do need to hear from a broader spectrum of parents than we have. Um, I'm just I'm seeing people nodding in the back and I

123just think it would strengthen our outcomes and we'd have more buyin if we have more voices in the room and I'm not I'm not an advocate of that for every situation. For this one, I am. >> Thank you for that. Um, you know, for me, equity is always in the centerpiece and I always focus on it, but unfortunately I think I'm going to have to disagree. Um, I have a really good friend that works in environmental safety. He's an environmental safety engineer. And when I asked him these questions, his first response was, "No, this thing is way too complicated. It's an engineering problem." Um, and and go, you know, having these discussions like can sometimes um obiscate the the real issues at hand. And and that's what I'm concerned about. I don't I don't mind

124actually having you know community feedback and things like that but at the end of the day it is an engineering problem and one of the one of the things I personally want to do want to stress is that there is an urgency to this last two years ago two years ago I think we did an exercise in trying to cost save cost for our high school builds which caused like a year delay in their planning and construction and every year delay ended up being like $12 million increase in cost and so we only have a hundred million dollars in this allocated. Hundred million dollars is going to go a lot farther this year than it's going to go next year or the year after, especially now with oil prices going up crazy and things like

125that. So, if if we're looking at trying to maximize the safety for the most number of schools, I think urgency is a big key here and is is actually very important. And I I um at the same time, we we yeah, building that flexibility. I'm glad that you actually pointed out that flexibility because that that's also important. Um, so you know, obviously I don't envy the complicated issues here. I I even would even um had a little reaction to like the the the rating score because I I know that hides a lot of actual complicated engineering issues that go under, you know, a seismic um review. I don't know what the word is. And so, uh, this is again, this is one of these things where I think there's a lot of, um, overlying needs.

126And not only to say that, uh, not only with the right sizing conversation, but with our long-term long range facilities plan, for example, when we do go for another bond, there are going to be the next schools that we're trying to target for modernization are our middle schools. and and you know having to overlay these needs along with that map and these things. It's it's a very complicated task. I think it it'd be it'd be very unwise to not take all those in consideration. And um I while I value community feedback, I don't want to make sure that we don't we very clear and transparent about what the reasons are for community feedback. You know, for example, I'm always 100% for community feedback for impact mitigation in terms of like helping us see things that

127we didn't notice before or uh coming up with ideas that we didn't come up with before. And that's great. Um at the same time, I'm going to cut myself short because I I think I said enough, but it is very complicated. I think urgency is very important and thank you for the work that you're doing. >> Thank you. >> I have just a couple questions. Um the first is um can you speak a little more to how equity shows up in in the deferred maintenance category? Um like I hear that it's represented there, but what is that what does that mean? What does that look like? >> Yeah. So that um basic it's it's a C it's noting the CSIT TSI designation. That's what it is. >> Okay, got it. Thank you. Um, you might

128not be able to answer this because I think it'll be different for every site, but um, I'm thinking about, uh, Caesar Chavez, for example, we're doing the roof work and the, uh, egress work. Uh, what does that change their overall score to? And relatedly, for the other schools that are having the targeted retrofits, like what what kind of impact does that make on their overall score? >> Um, I can answer that. Um, so it depends on if it's a full building part for Kelly, for example. There are two full building parts top to bottom that we're able to address. So that would have a bigger significant a larger impact on the score for that building part. Um, when we're doing uh roof work or um bracing or even one loadbearing urm wall, it's a really

129important project. Um but and and it has some impact to the score but not a significant impact to the score. Um there and and that's one reason in our report that we were keeping track of these small project opportunities so that we can tick off some of these um or alert PPS of some of these um high-risk but lowcost opportunities. Um but hopefully that answers your your question in terms of impact to the score. Um in our in our appendix B we talk about to the impact of roof level work versus more um significant adding shear walls work and how that impacts a score as well. um it depends on how localized that work is in in that building part considered >> and also too and you can correct me if I'm wrong but anything

130that we are doing from a risk part perspective and targeting them lowers our overarching district risk score as well. >> Um follow-up question. If you're having if you're a school that's having targeted work done now, um does that like next time we have funding to add more or as we're being flexible, does that bump you to the bottom of the list or if you still have a high level of need like like okay, we just did your roof, but we're going to come back around um now that we have more money and do I don't know, brace the walls or whatever. >> Do you want to take that? >> Yeah, I can take that. Um, so the schools that we're doing targeted work, campuses that we're doing targeted work at right now, we're doing all

131the targeted work at that campus that makes sense to do before going to a full campus approach. So if that score might be adjusted slightly, but um, but that formula still exists for a campus bycampus approach. So, I wouldn't expect it to be a you already had your turn. You're now you're at the end of the list. It's still based on the risk score um in this formula for the campus bycampus approach because there are some campuses that don't have targeted elements that need to be fixed. It's more of a once you're there, you should do the full campus. Um so, I hope that answers your question. >> Yes. Thank you. Okay. Um, Jennifer, every time I spiral and you start talking, I feel like so much better after you explain something to me. >>

132So, thank you for all of the detail in your in your presentation. Um, I wanted to echo some of the concerns. I always envision right sizing and deferred maintenance that convers those conversations happening together followed by the seismic prioritization plan. Um but as I hear you discuss the planning and I heard chair Wong describe this as an engineering problem. I do agree with that. So my questions are going to lean into that a little bit. I might jump all over the place a little bit here. Um, for the 2026 roof projects with added seismic, can you be more specific? What is the added seismic? I think I know the answer to this question. I just want to make sure. >> Um, so it varies per campus. Um, for example, at um, Chavez, we're bracing all

133the entryways. Um, at Vestal, I'm going off of my memory here without my slides. At at Vestal, we're bracing the loadbearing unreinforced masonry walls. Um at Woodmere, we're bracing the unreinforced masonry um um areas at entry. So th those items that we went through, those are all the added seismic at the roof projects in addition to baseline seismic. >> So as part of the reason that this the you know I I I understand Beverly Clearary and Rose City Park that they qualify for the the grants. So I understand that. So for these other schools, were they already slated for roof replacements and that did influenced the selection of those schools? Correct. >> Correct. So those were already So we already had those slated for re-roofs. They were already ready up for re-roofs and so we

134were able to put added seismic scope to those campuses because we were already taking them offline for this summer. So we were trying to take care of those campuses while we were on the campuses. >> Makes perfect sense. Um, so the funding for the added seismic is coming from the 2017 bond and the 2020 bonds for most of most if not all of those additional schools. >> Correct. >> Are we counting that against the 100 million we've allocated? >> The 100 million that is allocated is out of the 2025 bond. Right. >> So the work that we are doing this summer for re- roofing and seismic is all coming out of the 20 20 2017 bond. So I always say 2027. I apologize. 2017 bond and the 2020 bond. >> Okay. So by doing this

135in what I feel is a very smart way, we're actually we're getting more bang for our buck. >> We're trying to um so we still have a lot of the 100 million left um because we're working against the 2017 and 2020 bonds. I think that's great. Um, when I heard Director Chase Miller's comments, it it it brings me back to this idea that we really do need this seismic prioritization plan. We it's in the resolution. We've talked about it, but it doesn't really exist. So, I just want to say that I'm going to bring that up um for the April facilities agenda, like kicking that process off and actually having a document that we can use um and refer to. Couple random questions. Um, and again, I think I know the answer to this one

136now after this conversation. Um, regarding Marshall, it's a newer school, newer, you know, by PPS standards, right? Yeah. >> And it's a swing site. And I was asking why it's being prioritized. I suspect it's probably because of the roof. >> It is because of the roof, but it's also Marshall will be utilized as a viable swing space for the foreseeable future for the district. And so, just like and so just like Dr. Franco said, we have got to find swing space so that we can get into these campuses and have swing space all over the district. so they can get into these campuses and get these these projects done in an expedited manner instead of having to do them only over summers. And so one of but the reason Marshall is prioritized is because it

137was already on the list for a re-roofing project. So let's take care of the things that we can take care of while we're in the building. >> Okay. >> And I'll just reiterate Marshall the elements that we're taking care of are a pretty small budget item compared to the roof. Yeah. And it's being able to address some pretty high-risisk elements in egress hallways. Um so it's one of those things where there let's take care of this too. >> And then for um Beverly Clearary and Rose City Park that those are going to require swing sites because they're are huge projects. Has there has a site been identified? And if not, when will we know? >> No, just like I I uh said to director Englesman, we we will be developing that overall swing swing plan

138over the next 10 months and we'll be working alongside with right sizing to understand what campuses would could be available in those areas for swing space. lot lot more to come regarding swing space. >> So just a pause and insert that then in 2027 2028 we will have uh five major construction projects underway in the city. >> Okay. I just I want to put that out because I also know that that brings a tremendous amount of risk. Uh it's a big lift. I'm excited about it and um just noting that and then whatever may come up as a result of the uh growing great schools conversation and where we may look to um you know add potentially a new school or something like that. So that that's that's I mean yeah >> we're moving >>

139I think that's just one comment I think that um kind of back to where I started was that in terms of sequencing had envisioned right sizing and deferred maintenance together but it sounds to me like we're really doing two two different things we are addressing additional size with the roofing projects and we're going to come back to this conversation very quickly once we start talking about um right sizing which begins tonight so thank All right. So, I just have uh a few things here. Um number one, and I apologize if this was in the presentation. I didn't uh see it if you guys said this earlier, but um as in, you know, with the perspective of somewhat of an informed member of the public, uh I am unaware what CSI and TSI mean. Can I

140get can I get a quick definition on that? Yeah, it's uh comprehensive school improvement and targeted school improvement and so it's uh we get uh designations uh from the state based on uh student achievement. >> Oh, that's yeah, that's wonderful. That's great. I've heard those words before. So, uh thank you for that. Um, the next thing that I was going to say is that, um, when we're looking at long-term prices, and this is going to be my two cents, you know, political analysis here, um, but it it does seem somewhat likely to me that, uh, that the current tariffs uh may not survive 2027. Um, because it it is seeming likely uh that um that the next Congress may choose to take away the president's tariff authority, which could lower prices on steel and timber.

141Um, of course that is not guaranteed. Um, but just when we're talking about, you know, time frame, um, and, you know, whether it's more beneficial to build, you know, to try and expedite that, uh, uh, that construction, you know, that could be a factor. Again, two cents political analysis here from a student. Um, uh, so that was that was my only com. It also seems very unlikely that the straight of form moves will remain closed for longer than a month because that would cause an international crisis the likes of with the likes of which will be felt for uh the century. So um so that's my only comment. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Well, a lot of good questions. Um I hear the word or the initials SRGP. Is that when we got money from

142the state? >> Yeah. So that stands for seismic rehabilitation grant program and that's the state of Oregon grant program that helps funds um schools for ret. >> It has to be >> seismically separated, seismically independent. Yeah. >> So you like for Kelly for example, that gym is too integral to apply for a grant just for that. So you would have to upgrade the entire building. Um >> so that's why Ainsworth worked. >> That's why Ainsworth is a great candidate. Unreinforced masonry buildings are high risk. So their score higher in their evaluation process for grant funding. Could did we use that on any other building or was >> we applied for a grant for both Ainsworth campus and Fernwood Beverly Clearary and the grants are open um once a year. Hopefully they continue. So call your

143legislators to support the program. Um but it's a once a year application process. >> So City Park could come >> So Rose City Park could come next year and another school could come the year following. So PPS has traditionally applied for this grant every year and has been able to fund a lot of the um um schools, elementary schools um seismic retrofits that have been um occurring during summers and sometimes two or three summer construction so that you haven't been able to haven't had to swing schools. >> So we could get another one of those. >> Yes. and then spend the money we were going to spend on Yeah. >> say Beverly Clearary on something else. >> Okay. And then I understood there were like seven schools that were available for a retrofit. >> I

144mean a total retrofit. And I'm just wondering how did you choose Beverly Clearary and Rose City Park out of those seven? Oh. Um there are there are a number of schools that would be good candidates for um complete comprehensive campuswide upgrade and those two schools rose to the top based on the formula the 90% 5% 5% formula. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> I think that's all. Um oh then a lot of this shouldn't say smaller but smaller pieces of building work. um were in the 2020 and 2017 bonds already, right? Because a lot of them had seismic as part of their bond. >> I don't know that that work was identified in the TW. Yes. To answer the question first, yes, seismic is identified in all bond programs. So 2012, 2017, 2020, and 2025. I

145do not know in particular the work that we're doing in the small project groups if that work was identified during the 2017 and 2020 bond because those were actually identified with our recent report that we got received from homes engineering. So we've actually added those on that we are able to fund through those bond programs >> because there was some money >> because there was money within those bond programs and seismic is a bond uh compensible um alley. >> Okay. Thank you. We're trying something new where we're going around and I was surprised last time so I didn't make any comments and I do have a couple comments but I'll keep it snappy and I don't require any answers to help with that. Um, one thing I want to put out there is, um, we

146have now what we're doing as a district is essentially we have a bond that we go out and renew for the same. What we've done in in the recent past is gone out for a bond that keeps people's amount that they're putting into it as part of their property taxes the same and then we've just been renewing it so that it isn't an increase. And I'm personally committed to the long haul of continuing to do that every time we can until we get to a place where our schools are safe um and pleasant places to be and learn and work. If I'm not on the school board, count me in for whatever committee um that will be doing whatever to work on passing it. I'm not going anywhere and I'm committed to seeing that through

147in whatever capacity as a Portlander. Um, and so I just wanted to put that out there because one thing that's really clear is we know that there's more work to be done that can't be done within the constraints of the current amount of money that we have available. And we have one of the oldest building stocks in the country as well as a big urban school district. And so we just have to face the reality that it's going to be a long-term project to turn over our buildings and have them be where we want them to be. Um, the reason that I asked a really confusing question earlier is because hey, Hurst appears in two lists on this slide. Um, and so what it reminds me of is that when we do the prioritization report,

148I think it would be so helpful for families, for the board, um, members of the public to be able to see that basically we're done here. This is good. We've decided this is safe. And then for that partial and roof level seismic improvements, I used Harris as the example because it stuck out to me, but it's of course also on the already done list, but it just happened to also be on the partial list. So I think it just kind of speaks to the need to like make it really clear like Abernathy partial and roof level seismic improvements, but still need some work. So, like making sure that it's so we can kind of know where we are a little bit better as far as like this here's where the work's been done versus like

149here's work that still needs to be done. I also just want to put on the record um I represent the whole district as a board member, but I do happen to live in Southwest Portland where Jackson Middle School has one of the highest ratings on this list and is not one of the selected projects. I did ask questions about that behind the scenes and I just want to put it on the record that that's because Jackson is an example of a school that needs to be completely redone if not be a new campus like a new building in the future. And so that project needs to happen in the future. Circle back to what I said at first about being committed to the long haul. Talking to you Jackson Middle School families and future families.

150Um that I will be thinking about that. um for as we have the resources to do um modernizations of buildings going forward. I also want to put out there that um publicly that I feel like we should prioritize schools where families have to send their kids because they're the neighborhood school for that community. We have on this list a school that's a lottery school where parents choose to send their kids there and they could choose to send their kids to safer buildings in their own neighborhoods if they wanted to, for example. And so I just feel like putting um a lottery school on that priority list, as I've already said to you all, and you already know, just seems um just kind of unfair um to people who um can't choose or don't have that

151luxury to drive across town and send their kids to a lottery school um and instead are in a neighborhood school that has just as high of a risk score, but didn't make that list. I also understand it's because it's a smaller project and some like I understand there were other things, but I will just continue to um have issues with us spending money on lottery schools um before neighborhood schools and I don't need any response unless you really feel strongly. Thank you. >> Thank you. Great. >> Thank you. Um we appreciate the time you took this. A lot of work went into this and thank you for answering all the questions. I know they're not easy but uh this is a long process and very complicated. So, thank you. >> Thank you. >> With that,

152I'd like to um propose a 5minute break. I try to aim for a break around 8:00 every time. So, >> give you 5 minutes. We'll be back here at 8:20. >> Welcome back. >> Uh next we have big one. Uh we'll move to the presentation for our right sizing planning efforts otherwise known as growing great schools. I'll hand this over to superintendent Armstrong. >> Thank you chair. So during this presentation I want to be clear I will be asking the board for direction. We have great schools that we need to grow. So growing great schools is an effort to rightsize our system so that our schools better match current and future enrollment. This work is about ensuring that every student attends a school that is vibrant, wellresourced, and able to provide the program, staffing, and

153opportunities that students deserve. So, tonight's presentation is the first step in what will be a series of conversations with the board over the coming months. We'll walk through the data. We'll propose a timeline and some lessons learned from other balancing efforts. Ultimately, this work will lead to recommendations that the board will consider late fall. Those will be significant decisions and our goal is to ensure the process leading up to them is transparent, deliberate, and centered on what is best for students. So, I've said to you many times before, the clearer we are in board's direction, in our policy, in upcoming resolutions, the better able we are to deliver on the board's expectation. So, with that, I'm going to turn it over to Senior Chief Franco and Sen uh and go ahead and introduce yourself. Go

154ahead. Just take it away. >> Thank you, Dr. Armstrong. Uh good evening again. Uh John Franco, senior chief of operations and up at the dis with me is our assistant superintendent of of school planning and modernization. So before we get to the learning targets and success criteria, uh just to reiterate, we're we're here tonight to provide an overview of the growing great schools project. Specifically this evening, we will provide an update to our progress on the three phases of the project and connect it to the general district timelines. We'll also share specifics of the right sizing process and how it connects to the growing great schools process overall. And and and secondly, uh to piggyback on Dr. Armstrong, I do want to acknowledge that this conversation about right sizing is going to be difficult. We

155are talking about communities who are completely vested in their schools. We do not take this lightly. We will proceed with the care and with the transparency that our families deserve. I also want to state that right sizing um this growing great schools piece is not about money. That this is about providing all of our students wellresourced schools with consistent comprehensive programming. And here I go with the slides again. Cara, do I point to you or are you running this for me? >> You point to me. Okay. Okay. So, here you have today uh directors here are learning targets and success criteria. So, our first learning target is I'm I'm locating where we are in the three phases of the growing great schools project. And so, our success criteria after this presentation, our hope is that

156you can identify the next steps in the proposed timeline and how it connects to annual processes uh such such as budget and staffing. Our next learning target is I'm learning about the right sizing process and how it connects to the broader school planning strategy. And our um expectation is after this presentation that you'll be able to connect the upcoming right sizing academic programming and school planning across the district. So, in September, we brought to you a three-phase approach to strengthening our system in order to create learning spaces across our city where students and educators thrive. We outlined uh our three-phased multi-year approach which describes how we welcome students into our system, address specific concerns, and then outline the ongoing mechanism to review academic programming, enrollment, and physical spaces in order to provide well-resourced, sustainable learning

157environments. Like districts across our state and the nation, we are working to support students learning while also acknowledging that we have aging infrastructure, declining enrollment, and revenue that is not keeping pace with our costs. Our three-phase approach bookend system. If you take a look here, we have wide vantage points with a specific central focus for review and decision making. This year, Chief Gross, for example, outlined the legacies are made in PPS enrollment campaign. You can see there on on the left, which included both a global and localized campaign to bring students into our system. That was phase one. Through the fall, we looked at addressing the enrollment adjustments needed to return Jefferson to a neighborhood school while also sustaining robust academic programming at Grant, McDaniel, and Roosevelt. And today we will provide an update on

158a district-wide process for reviewing and making recommendations portfolio of schools and programs across our system to meet our student learning needs. And so I'm going to go ahead and turn it over to our assistant superintendent Margaret Calbertt who will share the overall proposed process. And we look forward to hearing as Dr. Armstrong uh reiterate at the beginning your direction. So, good evening, uh, director, Superintendent Armstrong, Student Representative Rorto. Um, it's my pleasure to be back with you again this evening. Um, part of what we'll do, uh, tonight is to provide an overview of the general process as well as a brief overview of our current context. We'll be sharing additional information with you later this week at the teaching, learning, and enrollment committee and look forward to your feedback. Before we dig into the details,

159I want to reiterate and acknowledge what Dr. Franco and Dr. Armstrong have also stated. Uh that we were talking about how our schools can serve all of our students well. When we talk about changes, these impacts uh affect students, families, and educators. And we want to help not only describe the current state, but also keep the vision of what we want all students to experience throughout their time here in Portland public schools. Growing great schools is a six-phase process uh for reviewing learning conditions across our system, outlining opportunities to develop options, soliciting feedback, arriving at proposals, and then planning for implementation. It is similar to the process we followed with uh Jefferson is rising and the sun setting of dual assignment. Dr. Adams and his uh team have shared with you the overall enrollment projections

160um for the last 10 years, the historical piece, and then also what we're looking moving forward. Uh earlier this evening, you had conversations about uh declining birth rates that we see in Portland, as well as uh concerns about affordable housing for families and what does that look like? So, I appreciate uh uh student representative RTO uh bringing those up. What we do see is that regardless of the size of uh and of the students and the number of students who are enrolled in our district, the goal always is to serve all of them well. Uh what does change over time is uh some localized uh demographics where we're seeing um students uh where we're seeing shifts across the city. Um some of that is reflective of housing costs as we mentioned. Um we also know

161that it's does not affect all grade levels at the same time. So we see um changes happening and impacting at the elementaryaries that have not yet um found their way to high schools. So we are going to be looking across the system and talking about not only uh what's happening currently but then what we're anticipating as we move forward. Two topics that surfaced during our sunsetting of dual assignment conversation with Jefferson and uh the three adjoining high schools was the importance of describing what core the core academic programming we expect to see across our schools. So, while we'll look at some of the numbers and some ranges and some variability that we see, what was loud and clear was not only um how we view school size, but what actually happens within the building walls.

162Um part of what we're looking at here is uh we also had a conversation about what happens at every grade band and what is the variability in school size um and student population uh and how much of of that variability should we expect and how much can we design for and and what does that look like? So what we saw in um when we were looking at Jefferson is rising, if you recall, is that we we were looking to have a target range between the smallest and largest high school of about 350 students that would then drive equitable programming within the schools. What you see in front of you is a range of um enrollments that we have by grade band. So we have 45 K5 schools. um they ranged in size from 560 to

163160 students. um the median enrollment uh which I wanted to make sure that we shared was because it's an actual school enrollment where average sometimes you lose that there's a place that is average right so we wanted to use median to share that um similarly we have 11 K8 schools the median enrollment there is 446 in a range between largest and smallest of excuse me of about 403 students middle schools there's slightly less variability and there's um we've seen over time that we've made the conversions from middle uh excuse me from K8s to middle schools and we have also set some targets for what we were expecting middle schools to look like um in terms of uh attendance and then we also included uh three alternative schools and programs here just as a point of

164reference um for this discussion chair could I ask a clarifying question on that >> yes >> you all know sometimes I get a little like uptight about math >> can you talk talk to me about why you want us to know about the range. >> So part of what surfaced in the conversations and when we look at um how we are going to describe what we did with Jefferson is rising is talk about um how do you get to equitable academic programming and what does that look like? So what we set as a target range was somewhere to not have more than a 350 student difference from the largest to smallest school so that you could have fairly similar academic programming across the system. The range is important for the same reason at different grade

165levels. So at elementary it would show up as do you have one home room, two home rooms or three home rooms at a grade level. And if we're saying we want to plan for I'm not saying this is a number, but like if we were to say two home rooms at every grade level, then you're going to want there to be that to be fairly similar across the district. So, it's one of the things that we we talked about and has surfaced as something that um people became um uh you know, they gave us some feedback from Jefferson is rising. I'm sharing it as a potential area of a criteria that we want to really uh focus on and as a measure of what does it look like to have um an opportunity for equitable

166academic programming. >> Thank you. >> You bet. >> So I want to clarify that. Sure. Sure. >> So does that mean you think to have a good academic program at K8 446 you need that? What this says is that right now um the the middle this that we have 11 schools. So if we arrange the size of the schools from 610 to 207 the one that resides in the middle right now has an enrollment of 446. I'm not making a statement about making >> is it is it desirable? I'm not making that. I'm just saying it's a description of what we have our current state if that makes sense. >> Great. I actually love that you I love seeing a median and I love seeing a range and I love talking about variability. Um, and

167so I understand I I have a question about that though. It might be what Patty just asked, but >> so if we have 11 K8 schools >> Mhm. >> and there's a 403 variability and the median's 446, does that what does that tell us besides the range of Yes. middle schools? Does it tell us? It doesn't tell us about what the optimal >> correct >> that range doesn't identify an optimal number. Okay, that's what I was curious about. >> I'm just we're just describing current state. >> It's describing current state >> and part of what I mean. So I I appreciate the that um one of so the math teacher in me appreciates anything about variability because this anyway this is >> helping people understand a median or a mean a central tendency is what

168we talk about a lot and we don't talk about what the spread is and so part of what we have are saying in um our system is that there's quite a range of experiences and sizes of schools that are within a grade band. So a median would say half of the schools are above it, you know, and half are below it. And so it gives you a sense of where we are size-wise. The ranged will tell you the highest and lowest parts. And then you can kind of anyway there's all sorts of really fun v visualizations that um at some point I will probably bring forward but not >> so the range is telling us that um not the median because the median means half the half of the numbers above are getting it tells

169us something about the services and the programming that's available. >> Yes, that's correct. That's correct. And so for example for for um if we just look at the top line there with K5 when we see that our largest school is 560 but it's 400 students more than our smallest school what does that tell us about what is possible within the school. So with high with the high schools it was you know that was quite a bit of the conversation that we had around um the the you know four high schools or the high school system. So we just try to mirror that with other grade levels. Again, we're not making statements or drawing conclusions about what these numbers say. We're just saying this is the description of what we have currently. >> It it also

170tells us something about staffing. >> I mean programming and also staffing model. Yes. >> That's right. >> Correct. >> Thank you. >> Y so what we have is a um what we there is a timeline. There was this six this sixphase process that we described. So what we wanted to do is take our process and pull it out into a line and go from a circle to a timeline and share where we are and sort of what the timeline would be. What you've heard a couple of times tonight is that the goal is to have a proposal and some some frameworks p and pieces put together for you by December. Um that came up a couple times already. So we are we that is uh we're going to share a timeline and a proposal of

171how to get there with you tonight and we're looking for feedback. Okay. So in this process we'd start with exploration. We've been in the midst of doing this already. So I just want to make sure that we have we've been looking already. Um, one of the big pieces that's in here is that we're reviewing outcomes from the Southeast Guiding Coalition. And we said that we would go back to the most recent um, enrollment balancing process that we had done, look for lessons learned, look at the impacts on students, um, educators and the community. Um, and use that as a way to help frame and um, in in terms of continuous learning, what can we learn from past practices that will inform what we're about to do? And I will say too, I don't think that

172that piece historically here that we've done very well in terms of like this is not something that is new to PPS, right? We went through SEGC, we had DRA several years ago. It's really the learning that we can gleam from those processes because like I like I mentioned, it's it's not something new that we have done, right? This has been an ongoing piece that PPS has um done in some fashion. uh historically >> there are two other quick quick pieces in here about um sort of our exploration that we've been in the midst of in the fall. So we're looking at current data like looking at our current state and this is a lot around facilities as well as um school size and various other pieces and we also want to deepen our understanding of

173practices and lessons learned from adjoining areas. So we've also looked at similar districts uh San Antonio, Denver, and Seattle as an example. Um as as well during this time, we're here in the mi in winter of 2526. Uh so we're in the midst of the plan to initiate the plan initiate phase and we'll use information from meetings this week to inform our processes and and shore up sort of what next steps are. So what we need to do is uh develop a timeline and plans that we can share what that looks like similar to what we did with Jefferson is Rising. So there are some predictable places that you will expect information from us and then also engagement with the community. Uh we'll form an advisory committee and finish our current state analysis. We'll move

174into um an engage and develop process and this will be later this spring and and through the summer. This is where we will develop the framework, the criteria, how we'll make decisions. We'll start developing um scenarios and think about what does that look like um and and lay out some of the initial engagements um through so this is really probably through around you know August going into the start of the school year. Um it provides us an opportunity to do some of that um uh building out and framing up. uh then we'll go into the study and recommend phase where we'll continue um stakeholder engagement. It'll be right now when we get into the details of this we would see this focused in September. We then use the feedback. We'll review the feedback and then

175uh work towards a super superintendent's recommendation with that proposal getting to you um late in the fall, which could be late November. uh and then for uh review and some recommendations and a board vote and a little bit it would be a little bit sooner than we did with Jefferson is rising but the goal would be to have something ready for uh there to be action before winter break and again as uh Dr. Franco said that puts us in line for the implement phase of this which is to connect staffing and budget for the um following school year uh into processes into timelines that we currently use with the district. Um that would lead us into the fall of 2027 and then a launch. So as we start the school year. Um so that's the

176general outline. What you've this is a slightly different graphic. This next one may look a little more familiar. So essentially in the next, you know, from January to March, we're reviewing and analyzing um student staff outcomes. Uh we're compiling the student uh the excuse me, the current state. We're here to engage in some conversation with you about direction so that we can get to uh criteria and framework so that we can outline and outline the phases and scope of the work. Um ultimately then the the pieces around um stakeholder engagement and feedback would be slightly earlier than it was this year and we'd end up at a vote in December. So there are a couple of lessons pieces that just we just want to highlight. Um there have been three student assignment processes in the

177last 12 years. Um one was >> I'm wondering I'm sorry. I'm wondering if do we want to go through lessons learned first before I ask them the questions >> we can >> or do you want to do lessons learned after each question? >> Uh this is just a quick frame up and uh we can question this is the last slide before the question. So we've done three uh recent processes in the past 12 years. One was a district-wide boundary review process with from 2014 to 2017 that is commonly referred to as DRA. Um I actually sat on that as a principle for two of those years. Then we did the Southeast Guiding Coalition from the fall of 2020 to fall of 2022 and then the most recent was Jefferson is Rising this fall and then

178getting um through to the winter. And all three there was a focus on making sure that equity was considered both in terms of process and outcomes for students. And you saw that in the key performance indicators in particular for Jefferson is rising with a focus on and consistent focus on access to comparable and robust academic programs regardless of where students live. So we see that language in all the spaces and it's very consistent when we look at processes. And finally, we want to make sure that we're using facilities effectively to create vibrant learning um environments, which includes, as you're talking about seismic, like how do you make these choices about facilities and student enrollment in order to bring these two together? Um along with a very very um key pieces around common core academic programming

179and what what do we want to see in every space at grade levels? As Dr. Franco said what we want to do is uh we have not always consistently reviewed the effectiveness of past decisions. So we're taking time to do that now and we'll be um we look forward to sharing what we're learning with that. And then again to really think about how do we describe what is a well-resourced school that is sustainable across the system that is something we can um hearken back to um over time. So with that said we're to the three questions. Um so I appreciate that. So, I planned um to bring you all a list in late fall that may contain five to 10 schools listed for closure. And in order for us to get to a place, I

180think it's going to be really important that I understand your parameters and um what your expectations are because I will continue to repeat that the clearer you are with me uh the better I can deliver on on the outcome. So there's three questions and I I for the sake of time I don't know if I should just ask give some context to the questions and then when it's time for you to do your multiple rounds you just answer that way because otherwise it can take a long time. So and then we'll have some just added uh information for each one. So I'll I'll ask them and then um we'll get through the rest of the slides and then you you'll be cued. But the first one is around the timeline and the process you want

181to follow for a resolution. Um because what we imagine is that you will um complete a resolution directing me to um dive into this work and begin the process of identifying schools for closure. I mean, we could say right sizing, we could say optimal um uh use of resources, growing great schools, and at at the end, I want to call it what it is, which will be um a recommendation to close a a a subset of schools. So, that resolution could be before you engage in um feedback from community or after. It could have your guiding principles be in the front end or it could come later. But that's the first question. The second one um will be what process do you want to follow for public engagement around your guiding principles? So is that

182something where you all were thinking it would be a survey? Do you think you guys would want to go out to your zones? Um we're of course always happy to host and engage um alongside you or on your behalf, but it's really going to get to a place where you need to know that you know as a majority you all have set a set of guiding principles that you all believe in because we're going to build the framework off of that. And then the last one is the general scope of the work. So that means are we looking across all Portland public schools at the closure or is your interest in looking at it in phases? So those are the three things we need direction on to continue the process. So I'm going to turn

183it back over. Any points of clarification for any of those three questions? I I do have questions. So just starting with the last one phased or all at once each one of the each whatever we decide will have repercussions right whether it's a phase pro I I feel like I could answer some questions a little bit better if I had was informed by DRA I I heard about it and I had a colleague that was on DRA >> so we're going to go through that next but if you think of like the Jefferson was a phase not the entire like Portland or even Southeast Guiden Coalition was a subsection of the district and so it's like is that something that you all are wondering but >> I know that Margaret sorry our assistant soup is

184going to um go through a couple more slides so >> we we like it when you call her doctor >> I know it's so hard I have to stop myself because it's I just yeah >> yes Margaret's just >> okay so you want to so the question will be on each of the slides but there's just some more context text that will help you and then um we'll love to we'll waiting to hear from you actually. So >> yep. So here so part of it I I appreciate the question director the pass because it's like what have we done? So what are some examples? So we we pulled together some recent examples of how we uh this was done in the past. So with um uh most there are two most recent uh processes. I

185can bring up the what we did with DRA as well, but the I just looked at the most two most recent. Um so, uh for Southeast Guiding, it started out as a southeast enrollment and program balancing and ended up in Southeast Guiding Coalition. So, um it started as a look at the entire district and then um and it was driven at some level by the opening of Kellogg Middle School, a modernized Kellogg. And so once there these two pieces came together, there was a district-wide look. We should look at Southeast was the agreement from the district-wide look and then we were opening a middle school. Then it said, okay, how do we create a an attendance area for a newly opened middle school that is, you know, a modernized one of the modernized buildings. And

186so that became the first area of focus and that was that became phase one was well, how what do we do to do that? there was a decision to pause on the rest of it until we got that part taken care of. It was also in the midst of um COVID closure. So there it made sense to also do that. Then there was a decision to do phase two. So the part was to configure um K8 to K5 to create a middle school attendance was phase one. And then phase two had three sort of uh areas of focus. one was to really look at um establishing the attendance area and special programming at Harrison Park and uh there was a DLI move. So there were a number of things that happened with that uh as

187well as locating the students that were at Harrison Park into a K5 space and and then there were some conversations about that and Bridger Creative Science. Um and then there was a last piece which was around making sure that we increased enrollment at Lane and and how do you have a similar size middle schools in Southeast was one of the outcomes that we were looking at there. So these resolutions came in two parts. There was a kind of a launch. There was an adjustment in the middle and then we got to an end. The second part with Jefferson, it actually the resolution came from the comprehensive modernization comprehensive plan in 2022 that directed the superintendent to resolve the enrollment issues by 2027. So there was and then we started in 2025 was very well defined

188what it is that we were trying to do and we were able to move through that and in a um a faster process than we could see with um Southeast County Coalition the board policy as we said and looking at factors like how are we going to make decisions you guys wrestled with this with Jefferson is rising there are six factors are outlined in policy that we are asked to consider there's no um uh prioritization of these and there's an acknowledgment that these factors may be in conflict with each other and so that some of what is also was surfaced in uh Jefferson is rising is it proximity is it um student body demographics what are the things that are going to rise to the surface that will help shape the decision so that's also

189present in policy so the um what process you want to follow for um engagement this is a a draft of what it could look like. So what we did with Jefferson is rising is we did some touch points with the board overall. We used teaching, learning and enrollment to kind of keep updates and keep some information rolling. Um there were listening sessions uh that you did. How did you want to engage with the public? So in this particular um outline, we have listening sessions um outlined in April. um and uh a board vote maybe on scope in May followed by ongoing work and updates that would be through TLE touch points with the whole board and then back out to board listening session work session and a vote in December. So it's a fairly similar

190pace and sort of rhythm as Jefferson is rising but we moved it up a month. So instead of um getting to January, this would be in line with um like engagements in September instead of October. We just moved everything up a month. The last question about what is the scope of the work. There are a couple things. I'm again I'm just going to compare these two with uh sunsetting uh enrollment and program balancing and um excuse me southeast enrollment program and balancing and sunsetting Jefferson assign uh dual assignment. So what's similar is that both of these were regional in nature. So they were southeast was there was a there was places that were agreed to by the board that we were not going to go beyond. Same thing happened with sunsetting and Jefferson dual assignment.

191Both looked at um focus options and neighborhood schools in the same decision process. Uh both made adjustments to boundaries. Um the difference between um the two is that southeast uh enrollment process was designed to be a phase process. It was supposed to start in southeast, go to northeast and end up in southwest. We went to southeast and um so that's part of what happened. The length of the process it became phase one was fairly quick, phase two took a little bit longer and southeast there is street by street decisions about boundaries. um that was different than what happened with Jefferson which was a um entire catchment was when we looked at boundary changes it was at the high school level and the elementary and middle school um boundaries were not impacted. So um the other

192difference was in Southeast we were making changes to grade level configurations. We've been on a path to returning um uh to middle schools and away from K8s over a number of years. This has been an ongoing process. Um and it's happened with the reopening of Tubman, Oley Green, um Roseway Heights, Kellogg. So these are this is again this is has surfaced as are we what is our strategy around K8s and is that part of the grade level configuration. So those are some of examples of the two we can go back there's been four three or four that have been major. I would say that from DRA through Southeast um guiding coalition and sunsetting uh Jefferson dual assignment, we're applying many of the policies and the and the practices that came from the learnings and the

193work that happened with the committee with the district uh wide boundary review. So with that, we look forward to your guidance and we're here to answer questions. >> Yeah, if we want to put that Oh, thank you. Got it up there. Yeah. So this is exciting. I've been waiting for this moment as I've been driving my team crazy on what not to do and what to do. So, um really excited for the clarity so that we can get busy. >> Thank you. Just clarify, you want us to answer these three questions through our round. >> Well, that's the hope. >> Okay. So, possible. I mean, I know >> start with Director Engles. >> Can I ask a clarifying question before we start on our assignment? >> Absolutely. Um, some of us, maybe all of us,

194if we all feel like coming, are having this agenda item on Thursday, and I'm curious, >> yeah, >> maybe what the plan is for that. >> Sure. Sure. >> Because I feel like I don't want to get in the way of this, but I I feel like I need to know what's happening Thursday to help me know what is happening right now. >> The only the only thing about I mean, I'll I'll definitely uh talk Thursday. And not to be cryptic, we have a teaching, learning and enrollment committee meeting on Thursday where this is also on the agenda. >> Yes. And the first thought was to have that as that place for discussion, but we're also up against a timeline. So having the whole board understanding direction from the whole board is going to be

195critical. Otherwise, we're not back before you until um the work session on the 31st. But also, I want to move at the speed of your comfort. So, if now feels like a a better time for a general question and answer and then a discussion during TLE and then back to a board work session to be able to respond to these three, that's helpful. I think what I imagined was that we would be getting into the conversation of the resolution and um that that engagement process that we're going to need to launch soon, but I'm happy to adjust I think that sounds perfect. I just want to make sure that I heard you. Um, we're going to have a conversation tonight. It'll be a bit of a brain dump by seven of us and maybe the

196three of us on Thursday kind of synthesize that into a couple of places where we want to start moving forward. Does that sound about right? >> I mean, I'm I'm open to it. I just I know that in the committees it's typically direction is for the full board, but I guess if the board gives I mean, I don't whatever. Well, we would dive into those two pieces based on the conversation tonight. >> Oh, yes. That's Yes, that's >> we I'm just saying we would take this conversation. What we learned tonight will help inform Thursday. >> Yes. So So where would the the clarity or the direction come in? Would that be March 31st or is that are you all prepared to give that tonight? >> Tonight. >> Okay. I'm confused about what happened Thursday then.

197But that's okay. I don't need to. I'll just we'll just decide it all tonight. Fine. and then we'll do something different Thursday. So, >> so part of part of what will happen there there's going to be a series of of um we're going to need a series of inputs. So, this is a this is a broad framing discussion this evening that will allow us to think through uh pace of engagement uh the general scope and general timeline. Um on Thursday, what we'll look at is we'll we're we will bring uh some additional information forward. So we'll look at some data in a slightly different way and then provide um some follow-up questions about how do we get from um the general timelines, the scope into are there specific things are is there more information that

198you need us to get? Are there specific guidelines or frameworks that you want us to consider? um and that we'll we'll have that discussion on Thursday. So they'll this it'll it'll it hopefully will flow from the framing tonight and the guidance tonight. We'll inform Thursday. We'll be agile if we can be and um and then work it all the way through um the the end of the month to so that you guys have a sense and you feel that there is a frame that you um can um feel that you have enough information. Really, that's my biggest concern is that you have enough information to say, "Yep, this is the this is the direction that we would like to see this process go." >> And this is a big conversation. It's a bold step. We

199know that many uh have tried it and then by the end of the process they abandon it and my goal is for that not to happen. And so if a general Q&A makes sense and then we get to March 31st where we're clear on resolution timeline, I you know just wanted to flag timeline because you know if there is interest in doing one big move um we we really need to start getting that order together pretty quickly. >> I don't want to slow things down. I was just trying to figure out how they were going to work together. But thank you. I think I feel I feel able to have this conversation now. Thanks. >> So, I just looked at the agenda for teaching and learning and I don't attend that committee meeting it, but

200it looks like it's the same presentation. It's a lot of the same pieces. So, this is the questions tonight are around process um and timeline and where you want to public where you want the public engagement and then and general scope. on Thursday, we'll talk a little bit more about criteria and what does that look like and then and and what are those guiding principles that we're gonna that you would like to see. So, for example, if I may, um one of the things that came up in um the Southeast Guiding Coalition, there was a statement about uh wanting to look at robust middle grades programming and there was also a statement that uh there was a feeling that K8s and middle schools were not to measure it. And so there was that that was

201like we want you to look at that was part of what came from that that process. So I think that there are some things that as we go through like what are the pieces that are resonating with you there's questions around uh locations of programs and various other things. So there's a lot of different ways to kind of look at this and I think the one piece that I want to go back to is and Dr. Armstrong has said this is if we look are we looking at some decisions across the district in all parts of the city or are we going to look at a specific regional piece the the and there's some tradeoffs on and going in either direction. So I think that part of it is to hear like what are the

202pieces? Does this one is there a timeline? Does this time how does this timeline sound to you and then we need to get to some specific resolutions about what it what it is uh that we want to look at. So I think if that's helpful it is helpful. It sounds like tonight we could have a kind of a highlevel discussion that's entire board because I think it's if I could speak for people which I don't like to do. I also don't like when people speak for me, but um I mean we all kind of want to get this done and we're all interested in the topic and perhaps some of the more detail could happen at the teaching and learning. >> Yeah. >> Um but right now you just need to know like >> what's

203your direction? >> What's the direction? >> And so >> I think it's nine o'clock. Let's let's get started. >> Okay, >> perfect. >> All right. Thank you. Um Director Englesman, thank you. >> Thank you. Um, I'm going to go out of order because, uh, this conversation, um, is one of the points that I wanted to bring up. Um, I would prefer than having it on TLE to just always have it with the full board. I know that I now plan on attending all of these TLEs virtually because I want that information, particularly if we're discussing criteria and guiding principles. That's important for me to know rather than having someone tell me what was discussed because I'm going to have the same questions. Um, I at the end of the Jefferson process in September, I had

204asked a couple of places behind the scenes, hey, does can we not do Jefferson on TLE? Can we do it on the full board? I ended up going to as many of them as I could because I wanted the information. And at the end, I wish that we had just had the full board the whole time so that anytime there's a criteria or guiding principle, all of us get it right there from the source rather than having to ask two or three times or behind the scenes. Um, so I'll start out by saying that while I while I I understand why TLE might seem like a great place, this is a giant communitywide perhaps all PPS conversation. Um, people know Tuesdays are the dates of the board meetings. Um, it could perhaps be harder for

205people to figure out when TLE is or when it's going to happen or where it's going to happen. And so for me, I would prefer to not add four meetings that aren't my committees and just have all of us always briefed on all of the information. Um so that's my first thing out of order. Um I guess um let's see. Okay. So my question on what we're having I'm confused by this. We're having like lots of question right now. I can ask any of my questions, right? Rather than just answering. Is that fine? It's >> okay. So I >> questions and then give your answers. >> Okay. It might help me formulate my answers. So um growing great schools three phases. Phase one enrollment campaign. To me that does not feel like a phase that

206has an ending given that we are in enrollment decline. >> Correct. >> Okay. I'm glad to hear that. >> Ongoing. >> Perfect. Um I have had the pleasure of talking to two principles recently. one a high school principal and one um an elementary school principal, both of whom are going out into the community and are actively engaging parents who are deciding, do I want to go to this community school or do I want to go elsewhere and they're like talking about how great our community schools are. So I found that so impressive. they know who they are if they're listening like so I you know kudos to them and I hope that more principles are engaging with the community as communities are deciding do I go to this neighborhood school that is perhaps declining enrollment

207but offers a tremendous opportunity >> that Portlanders believe in community community- based learning um I um let's see what else oh I um on the enrollment media and range. Um, >> thank you for I asked for the list of schools because I was curious what the range is and who which has which and which has most >> and I got that list. Um, I have requested on that list I should say there was a couple of places where merger has already happened. um bridger creative science for example >> and so one of my follow-up questions and I will put that today is that I would like to see the merger numbers because from conversations with a parent at >> Bridger >> they started out really big and then perhaps because people had to commute further

208classes were bigger than they expected it wasn't their neighborhood school anymore those numbers have gone down so that in a particular grade level Bridger has one less classroom than they had when they started three years ago. Um, and so to convince me that right sizing and blending schools is in our best interest with enrollment decline, I want to make sure that we are not compounding our problems by >> um uh by right sizing and and put putting schools together because bridger creative science if we started out I'm going to make a hypothetical number at 500 students because we took two schools and put them together but we have now lost 100 students then have we saved ourselves any money and we've lost these community schools. So, that is a piece of information that I would

209like to see and that's probably part of this probably the general scope of work for review. Maybe I don't know where it falls under. Um, and the reason that I the reason that I really want to know that it's we're right to rightsize is because a lot of these small schools in my experience and certainly in my neighborhood, which is not my zone, but it is my neighborhood. The schools are small, but they offer to that um Mr. who I also know from public defense his comment. Um they offer bike buses and walking buses and art and music and theater and PE and they offer principles who know all the students names and they offer kids who can walk from their homes to their schools. And so I think that those schools and perhaps those

210families in that school might say we are getting everything we need >> and perhaps our we can look at test scores and to prove that these kids are are learning in these schools and that they're perhaps not missing out. And so, you know, all of this about these neighborhood schools, which I to director Split's comment, I just keep saying, let's focus on these neighborhood schools because wonderful things happen in our neighborhood schools. >> May May I insert just really quickly because I think through the process of this conversation, we I think we understand that you all are going to have some value statements that come up and some of these may land more in the guiding principles conversation that'll be later this month. Um, so I just wanted to say that. So if you see

211me kind of jumping in, it's I'm I'm just going to say that that's a guiding principle or a value that we're going to have later in the month. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. But I will say that a guiding principle and value is also going to be an enrollment number because um if we are to the bridger example, if we are losing sight perhaps or not focusing on or perhaps mis mis um choosing our guiding principle, we might be also losing. I don't know. It's I think it's all connected, >> right? And and what I realiz is maybe I I perhaps didn't set you all up for a lot of success in this one. So let me just let me get a little more more give an example of I think one of the things

212that would be really helpful. Um so and and still we want the questions to the overall presentation but what would be really helpful is um the timeline and process you know questions like you know you say well I would love to do a resolution early and what that would look like for um a process you want to follow with engagement you want surveys and you want to get out to community and for the latter part the general scope I want to look at this in phases or I want us to do the whole district this year um I think is But we're we're helping and and maybe we can I know it's late so maybe we can just get down to one or two of them if that's helpful for you all. I want to

213be responsive and I also am saying like I want clarity and maybe those two things aren't going together right now. So please forgive me. >> No, that's it's you're it's perfect because I'm actually on this this page now with all my notes. Um and I think my my the need for information which is merger and you know all this other stuff is all going to come out it sounds like. >> So so part of what we're doing is we're looking at the decisions from Southeast Guiding Coalition. Right. So Bridger is part of that decision. So we have longitudinal information that we're looking at about what was the impact on students, what has enrollment been, what is the impact on staff. We have people doing qualitative and quantitative analysis that we will bring back to you.

214Um it is we don't have it with us tonight but that is definitely is what we're looking at because it's those are the questions right. So what we want is there to be vibrant learning environments for students and we want to know >> what is what are we want them to be sustainable and not at the uh susceptible to fluctuations of enrollment that then lead to other decisions being made. Right. So I think that that yes, those are all the pieces and I think the Southeast Guiding Coalition decisions actually have boundaries, movement of program, there's um uh there's a consolidation or bringing two school groups together. So it has almost everything that would be considered and um that moving forward. So it's it's >> so to that to that point, if we if we hear

215from you, well, I I want to do the whole thing um this year. let's get going. Then that will be that will inform the work that uh we'll do saying okay well let's look at all what those parts are just to make sure we're clear. So there's going to be a couple of times where we come back we're like here's what this is showing this is the cost. Are we sure that this is what we want but at least hearing from you tonight will give us an idea of where you all are. >> Okay. I think I can answer in a in a few just a few bits. Um I for me I think all at the same time makes the most sense particularly because I think of Burnside being the the line between northeast

216and southeast but that people cross Burnside to get to schools who live in southeast northeast and I think that if we were to just do pockets um that we might end up disrupting more when we do the next pocket which could have been all put together. So for me, I think just doing it all at once, it gives more um transparency, more um people know it's coming rather than are we going to be next or is who are they going to do? Which which pocket are they going to do next? Um I will also say that and I asked I don't know at some maybe one of the times that you were generous to sit down with me and answer my questions. Um I asked when are we going to get this information? I have

217to say that that hearing the information um I think I heard someone say late November and then the decision should be made right before winter break. That to me feels very short for a final decision to come to the board especially given the holidays right then. Um and some of the timing issues that happen this November, November 2025. I would hope that um the re final recommendation to the board could come sooner than that and so we have some time to ask a lot of feedback or excuse me followup questions without trying to navigate holidays which >> October >> maybe I think October would make a whole lot of sense. Someone in a meeting I thought had told me it would be late summer but certainly not later than October just because we're going to

218need time I think to um let's see what else. Uh and then the um public engagement um I mean ideally what one thing I heard in the Jefferson and we got emails after we had solidified everything was people saying I didn't know this was happening. Um and so I would like to see some active involvement engagement into every single school so that people know it's happening. Um, I don't know how that would be through the principles, newsletters, going out there and putting flag like somehow, not that we're ever going to capture everybody and us too, but not that we're ever going to capture everybody. People will always miss something because they're busy because they just don't see it. But, um, for me, it's important if we're going to be doing this that we don't hear

219people saying, "I didn't even know it was happening." Um, and I don't know how that would happen, but it's important to me that we are just really in getting getting everybody. Um I I don't know if I've answered if I've answered >> that was perfect modeling actually. That was that was great. Thank you so much. Thank you for allowing me to get us to that point. Thank you. >> I am would be excited about doing the entire system at once and that's because um if you study systems you know that you you do something in one part of the system and there impacts ripple effects out in other parts of the system. I also think um this is a process that the entire PPS family should bear uh the brunt of and and be part

220of and be engaged in. Um so that um in terms of developing a resolution um I would be happy to work with someone to draft and it it could be ad hoc. doesn't have to be in a a committee necessarily um or h or happy to edit or contribute to that something a document that we could all agree to. I can say my values are um I hope aligned with the outcomes of this and that's that while I love the small schools and you know you never hear anybody from a small school because they want to keep it that way. Um my preference would be to is if we're talking about right sizing to make sure that every PPS student has access and um to high quality programming, robust academic um supports and that outcomes

221aren't predictable by where you live, your zip code, your poverty level. Um that would be a outcome I would absolutely be thrilled to support. Um I'm we have a couple of Dutch people, Dutch community, Dutch things here. We're we're bicycle riders and um not every school has bikes. Even some kids don't have bikes or don't live in communities where it's safe to bike. So um anyway, I my my my overarching um heart-c centered value is around providing equitable access for every child in Portland public schools um regardless of their zip code. Um and and I also want to I know we have experts in the house um who study um school right sizing um boundaries for living and so I would love to be pointed to some data. I feel like I could make a

222a good decision understanding how, you know, San Antonio, um, what was it? Denver and Seattle, what they did, especially Seattle because they're kind of in the Northwest and we have similar demographics and similar like uh, you know, political uh, orientations, etc. >> Um, >> I love those. And we're getting into those guiding principles that we'll definitely bring to you, >> right? So, yes. Yes. for bikes and healthy access to schools in their neighborhood, less driving would be great. Um, but mostly that all of our kids have equitable access and they don't currently. So, and we know that. Um, and then the general scope of work for the review. Um, I I want to just review some data. I want to I want to know more about how communities are impacted in terms of community engagement.

223Um, April and May is also kind of fundraising season, so it's harder. you have fewer nights to do things. But we've been and if you've been on the board a long time, it seems like every April and May there's even either a levy or there's a campaign or there's there's something where we're going out to PTAs in our zone. Um, and I think together with the district, we can come up with a a nice plan to make sure that everybody is engaged. I also know we have an expert that knows how to reach unengageable people or people that are harder to engage. So I would be just look for more data. >> Um Dr. Franco, you said that this process in boundary and districtricting and right sizing is not new. What is would be new

224is if we have a board that's willing to make hard decisions. >> True. In February 2021 when the decision was made to narrow the scope of the SGC, it was a very preient I forget. I think it was Rita Moore and and and Scott Bailey said that if we're not willing to make some people unhappy, we're going to be right back here in a couple years. And here we are. So, uh, I also 100% agree that it needs to be a full PPS look at the the boundaries and the schools because you can't just shift one area around and and hope for equity. That doesn't work that way. Um, so it needs to be the I for me it needs to be the entire school district. Um, I think that's all I have to say

225about that. Um, community uh in terms of community engagement, I I really love the Jefferson process. I think we should just rinse and repeat. Um in terms of uh when we get the feedback, I think it's important to have it two times. The first time is just identify goals, you know, because as as you know, most community, they know their school, but they don't know the whole district. So, it's important to identify goals the district and and needs to produce, you know, the the recommendations. And then the second time for feedback is is reaching out to community to to give feedback on the the maps for like especially for impact mitigation. You know, just like we learned in SGC, the most actually some of the most useful um feedback came from like, oh yeah, this

226little group of houses live in this culde-sac and it would be crossing two busy streets to get to school instead of just going to that one. And so, you know, that kind of stuff was it was really important. Um I I think in terms of the timeline for the process, I think the timeline that you just laid out was perfect. Um that I want this to be not two years. I would like to have get us to a proposal in I think it was a seven months that brings us into December, right? Uh no, we have more uh nine months. >> Nine months into December. So I think that's a good timeline. I think the longer you drag it, the more uncertainty there is. It's just not fair for families and people to go through.

227So timeliness is important. Uh in order to do it equitably, it needs to be a whole district. And I hope that we have the courage to make hard decisions so that and the other reason timeliness is important is because the longer we wait, the longer that a K through five doesn't have a full-time librarian, >> right? Doesn't have a full-time art teacher. the longer we wait, the the longer that a middle schooler is not going to have compacted math or band. And and this is something that's the reality today. Um even just in my neighborhood. So timeliness is very important to me. So sooner the better. Thank you. >> Okay. I think um my notes are all kind of mashed up, so I'm going to just answer these willy-nilly. Um I agree that we should

228do them all at once. Um, let's pull the band-aid off. Let's go. Ready to do this. I think public engagement should happen early and often. I also really liked the Jefferson process. Um, and it felt like once we got to the end of the Jefferson process, we've talked a lot about the night that we took that vote, we didn't have public comment because the community had had so many opportunities to engage. Um, so I would like to ensure that that happens. And I also really want to make sure that we are intentional about meet meeting the um communities that don't show up for schoolboard meetings necessarily that aren't going to come to the the evening events at the school. Um so be really intentional about um our families who are immigrants, our families who are

229historically underserved, um families of uh kids who receive special education services, uh that sort of thing. Um, I really liked the KPIs that we used in Jefferson and I would like to see something similar applied to this process. I thought that it really helped us um create created some guard rails and helped us kind of uh refine our scope and not go chasing waterfalls and too far a field um when when uh evaluating things. Um, I would like us to look at the K8s. Um, and this is probably going to be unpopular, but also the focus option schools. Um, I'm not saying to do anything one way or the other, but I think everything should really be on the table in terms of how we're evaluating the big picture and how we're resourcing communities. Um,

230I don't think that our kids should have to go to a special school or a school out of their neighborhood to have um, amazing uh, creative arts experiences. Um so so that's just something to uh to think about. Um I like the idea of using teaching learning enrollment committee um to advance this work. Uh we're we're not trying to drag it out. I hope we're trying to um move swiftly and intentionally. And I think that uh TLE creates um uh another vehicle for community engagement and gives families and educators and students um a place to come and speak and weigh in. Um there isn't anything that can be decided there or that won't happen um without the full board being involved in it. Um, but I think it can save us some time and help

231us to be a little bit more nimble in the process. Um, what director Wong just said about the longer we wait, um, I often say like our kids have one chance at their childhood and that's right now. So the longer this takes, the longer kids are going to go without. Um, and I think that um, next year is going to be so hard. And I think that if we can go to community and say um yeah, this year is going to be really challenging, but next year we have the opportunity to um really transform the experience that your child is having at school. Um I think we owe that to our community and I think that is um you know when we're thinking about retaining families and u maintaining our enrollment uh we don't we

232don't have time to to mess around. We got to get going. Great. Thank you. >> Kind of like going at the end. I gota like time to write everything down while you guys come up with ideas. I was I was going to joke and say that I thought we should do uh each quadrant like one at a time, but I thought that might give everybody a heart attack. So, I'm not going to make that joke. So, I um I agree absolutely that we need to rip off the band-aid and get this all done. I've lived in Northeast Portland now for 15 years and North Portland for the other five and man, we've been talking about it ever since I lived here. >> So, let's do it. Um, some important things for me um are consolidating

233at scale um because it would allow more significant upgrades to a smaller number of schools so that we have as many students as possible in the best learning environments we can provide. I would rather see focused upgrades to a smaller number of buildings because there will be upgrades made as we convert I hope to middle schools across the entire district. That's another tenant that's really important to me. Um I don't like that we have K through8s and middle schools. We need to pick a lane. I think we picked it. I think it's middle schools and we just haven't finished the job. Um and that we should consider airing on the larger side. Um because if we do it this way, I think we have the opportunity to have children in grades six through 12 because

234we've done all the high school modernizations in, you know, fairly modern learning environments if we're really targeted and overlay the facilities piece um as much as we can. Um, on that note, we have that $120 million for Tubman sitting in the bank. And I think it would be a significant waste of an opportunity to not incorporate that into this planning process because one of the things that keeps people in their neighborhood schools is the conditions of the facilities. People get excited about new schools. Our enrollment goes up whenever we open a new high school. So, I just want to keep that in mind. Um, would love that to be part of the conversation. Um, transportation efficiencies. We talked about transportation offline. Um I think about I don't like to talk about my experience because it's

235totally different. But if we had a strategy around K through fives and middle schools, do we want our K through fives? Do we want to focus on busing for those locations and we try to have a middle school structure that's walkable or is it in in reverse? Like when I grew up, I could walk to my my K through five, but I took a bunch of us took, you know, hundreds of us took the bus to the middle school. Um so maybe um thinking about the transportation strategy um as we work through this so that we could um decrease our costs >> and these are great as well and these are guiding principles that you all are going to have an opportunity >> talk through and vote on it. Right. Right. We love the enthusiasm

236though. >> Um community engagement. Um I as much as I would love to think we can rinse and repeat Jefferson, I worry because that if we're going to go the full district, um that is a huge uh a huge task to cover in a really short period of time. So maybe we want to have a conversation about how do we um divide and conquer? Do we take the lead in our zones? We have some overlap. Like I know that you know I end up in Michelle's zone all the time and in yours I was just at Roosevelt today. So there's you know north and northeast has a lot of overlap and I'm just mo most familiar with that. So, we might want to talk um as a team about how maybe to divide and conquer

237so as many people in the community have access to us as possible during this process. So, just throwing that out there. Um budgets for conversions. Um do we I assume that would be coming out of bond funds, not the general fund. I know that when we did Tubman and uh Rose City Park, >> we can bring information on that, but um it's not a it's not part of a bond program. >> Okay. >> Unless of course it is upgrades. >> Yeah. Yeah. I know that that happened with um Tubman and Rose City Park that some of those upgrades did come out because they could be classified as >> but I do think that'll be part of the conversation at the end of the month under guiding principles in terms of like where there's opportunities for

238new construction and things like that. So you all are down the right lane just a little early with it like where's money coming from? Um, I think Director Englesman had a really good point about the no November December timing when I look at it on here. That might be more of a November January just being practical. Um, with if we're going to do the whole district, which it sounds like we probably are. Um, let's see. In terms of how to engage the community, we can talk more about that in TLE. I'm not sure if it's something like a big you know, survey at the beginning or do we establish our guiding principles? When I'm in the community, I like to have something to react to. And I do think that's one of the things that

239went right with Jefferson is we gave the community something to react to and that initiated the conversation. So maybe think about um what you're talking about like when do we engage the community. Um I would love to have something broad to go to them with to start the conversation. Um and I agree entirely about including um focus options in the review as well. So, >> focus options being part of the conversation. So, that is my two cents this round. >> Thank you. >> Great. I've got a uh a few things to say. I agree with pretty much everything I've heard. You know, doing everything in one fell swoop district-wide I think is great. I think that when you extend that process, then you open yourself up to uh to some stalls, you know, because then

240one thing happens and someone's like, "Well, why did that happen before this happened?" you know, um, and so just doing it all at once, I think see makes a lot of sense here. Um, in in terms of, uh, timeline, I again agree. I think that, you know, the timeline looks pretty good. Again, I prefer things a little bit sooner rather than later. Um, just because, you know, we are, um, looking at a pretty rough budgetary situation. Um, and we don't know what's going to look like next year, but it's probably not going to magically get better. Um so it you know looking at like that um again sooner rather than later on that um as for community engagement I have a few things to say here. Um number one uh during the conversation about MLC

241one thing that I mentioned um was that I felt like during that conversation you had not cleared my personal like burden of proof. Um I think that that you absolutely could have. Um, but I think that's something to take to take into account here when we go into these community engagements, you know, is thinking about, you know, this is our opportunity to prove, you know, why this is the right decision. you and why we're and why this is correct and getting you and hopefully getting people, you know, who were maybe against this decision, you know, or um or were angry about this to to kind of see, you know, why it is we might make that decision because I think that um school closure um I think creates the most public outrage proportion proportion uh

242proportionate to the amount of actual net harm on students. Um I think people are like a school is closing what? Um and then get really mad about that. But in, you know, in many cases it can be a good thing, you know, um, for many students. Um, and so I think that viewing these community engagements as, you know, as your chance to to prove why, you know, why you're right, um, I think, um, is is really good. Um, I think that, you know, it's also really important in these conversations to take feedback into account. Um, but to not let it, you know, shake our our view of, you know, of the entire district. Um because again we are you know we're looking at you know making uh our schools equitable you know not just for

243the students you know between these between two schools that might be in the conversation of consolidating you know but between you know everyone um in the district. So I think that's um really important. But yeah, the the main thing is uh and I and I agree about about community engagement in terms of you know giving the community something to react to you know saying here's this you know here's this headline this thing you know come talk to us about it. Um I think that the uh the listening session um when we did Jeff Rising I liked the board listening session. And I think that gave people a good opportunity to, you know, you know, for for all of us also to hear um in some of those bigger instances. Um but other than that, I

244think that pretty much covers it. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Can't think I have that much more to say that hasn't been said. Um Okay. So, um are we doing east and west side? >> That's the question. Do you want to? >> Do you want to? >> If if we need to. Yeah, I guess that's what I'm asking. I can't think of a lot of empty schools on the west side, but that's what my question. That's what we're looking at. Both sides. Okay. And so that means people could be in their new schools in the fall of 28. I mean, not Yeah. 28, right? >> Yeah. That's something that we would discuss later on like you know definitely decide by January but like you know >> what start fall 27 28 especially if there's a

245new construction and things like that. >> Yeah. And we definitely have to um decide soon. I mean with seismic I mean we got to know which schools we're going to deal with. Um as far as engagement I think Jefferson worked really well. I like the idea of having something to look at that's kind of partially decided, making some choices. I like uh looks like you're looking at other districts that have done this and what they've done, how they've made choices. I think that's really smart. Somebody brought up transportation and I hadn't thought about that. That's something to really look at. So, with all the things that were brought up here, obviously, everybody's for it. Everybody has another I has a good idea. I think every single one that came up. So, um yeah, I think

246I answered them in order. >> Qu. >> Well done. Thank you. >> Sorry, Director. So, before you go, I just have a quick question because we're we're running late at 9:40. Would it be okay to move the bond update to the next meeting? >> She hasn't had a chance yet. >> He's going to let me talk. I just want to let Sarah Norman go home if if uh we can let her go home. >> She's like, it happens every time. >> She can go home until I go home. >> It does happen like every time. I feel like we move it. >> Okay, we'll keep it. How about I didn't have my glasses on for the body language, but it seems like you want to go ahead. >> Also, the bond update. I I think

247Dr. Armstrong covered a few things as well in that piece as well that we will echo. I'm just saying that as well. >> Or maybe skip. You're right. >> Okay, we'll keep it. We'll move maybe I'll add maybe um let's move the conference report to the next meeting then. >> Sorry. Thank you for letting me interrupt. >> Oh, of course. Yeah, of course. Um okay, so let's see how I can do here. Um oh, I wrote them down out of order. Let's see. Shoot. Okay. Timeline and process. Okay. So as far as resolution development, I suggest we have a resolution regarding scope and direction in April and that we have another resolution in June that's factors or guiding principles as you may call them and then we would have of course a final resolution based

248on what the decision is at the end. my suggestion on um sort of getting the work done. I know that the that it's a place of convenience saying this because I'm on the teaching, learning, and enrollment committee. That said, I'm going to be a big fan of seeing us use our committees effectively, and I'm going to continue to push for it because we are here at nearly 10 p.m. on a school night for a student representative, and we still have a bunch of tired, I mean, poor Michelle people who haven't presented yet. And it's because we crammed too much into these meetings. We can all go and be ad hoc committee members on any committee as far as I can tell. And so I think either we call them special meetings or we just have

249it be in TLE, but we need to have more meeting time that's not at 10 o'clock p.m. when none of us are at his at our best. And while I know more meetings might be problematic, I think I'd rather have more meet fewer meetings that are more reasonable in amount of time. Um, and so I would support using the committees across the board and not having repetitive presentations, understanding that we'll need to do good engagement work to bring people to TLE and know that that's where they that will be the venue for some of the vetting as we discussed um related to engagement. Um, I think that we should develop um a set of guiding principles. I wrote factors. So just please when I say factors I'm talking about the same thing. Um that starting

250like nowish we're doing that work. First we develop factors as a board then we go out and vet factors across district and school staff and also consider how to integrate student voice and then from there do a listening session um where we catch families and maybe we also consider doing surveys or some other methodology. the superintendent and I already talked about maybe doing some targeted outreach to certain schools where we just don't normally hear from them to try to get input on the factors, especially at the smaller schools um or schools that sort of whether we admit it or not we know are ones that might kind of come up um at the end of the year and so we want to make sure we hear from them. As far as the scope, I absolutely

251support it being districtwide. I absolutely support us saying that each part of the city should expect to feel some impact. Um, and I know the west side is a little different because we don't have any of the like smaller enrolled schools, but we still need to figure out if there's things that we should do on the west side like take a look at focus options. So, um, but no matter what, we should be looking at those schools. Um, there's also a small middle school in south in south in on the west side. So, there's conversations to be had. So, I don't want to leave any zone anybody out and expect an impact everywhere. I absolutely think we should be having the K8 conversation, especially because K8s can become larger K5s and combine schools that might

252enable um communities to stay together instead of being divided. Um and then also I absolutely support the focus option conversation it in and including them and and considering some of them for closure as well. And by the way, I know that that's controversial because those are the most vocal parents and sometimes the most affluent parents and those are the people we'll hear from the most and they'll talk about pulling their kids out of our schools and so what like we're going to hear it no matter what whatever school it is. So I just want to open it up to us all to not worry about any everything's going to be controversial, I guess, is what I want to put out there. everything that we're going to be doing and we're going to hear we're gonna

253have our heartstrings pulled at every possible point. Which brings me to my last point. Um I think that when we announce the schools, um this goes back to engagement. when we announce the schools, whether that's in October or November, I think that we should have a a plan to go to each of those schools before a public announcement and talk to them about it and come in with a transition plan. For example, hey, let me think of a school that doesn't exist. I'm probably going to make a mistake and accidentally name a school. Um, >> Susan School. Um, you are on the list. Our plan is to merge you with Judy school so that all your kids are going to stay together and you're just going to go to school with Judy or we're going

254to split you in half and some of you are going to go to Judy and some of you are going to go to Diane. We are now naming my aunts in case anyone is wondering. So, um so anyway, to have a plan in mind and go to them before there's a public announcement. Um I think that would be really a great way to go about it. Um, and then plan to have listening sessions at each of those schools. Or if it's like the com the idea I just talked about where Judy, Diane, and Susan are affected, have a plan for Judy, Diana, and Susan to all come together to one event. Something like that. So on engagement, I think there's an engagement to figure out the factors and then an engagement to deal with the

255schools that are on the list. Um, and then also I wonder about announcing it and making a decision and doing what I just said but not protracting it because if it's we found out in October and now we had to do all this stuff and now it's Christmas and or you know whatever holiday you celebrate and you're like still hanging waiting for a decision like three months is a long time like we want that time to make the decision but also I think we need to keep in mind that like we are going to base it on the factors. The factors are really what we should be focusing on and like what schools are affected in the end. It's not going to feel good no matter what school it is. It's going to feel terrible

256no matter what. And so I think we want to have room to change our minds and make a different decision, but we just don't want to prolong it. So I would just be cautious of like the like October early date is fine, but then let's close it in December, not move it to October and then make it till January before we decide. I would prefer that we be fairly quick about it, but still do deep and meaningful engagement work. I think I covered everything on my list and I don't think I said any general principles. >> You did amazing. Thank you. And so just to summarize, I think as we close out for this item, I think it's clear that you all want us to bring you back information on what it would mean to

257look at the entire system. It's clear robust engagement getting into all school communities. we would never make an announcement um outside of going to that school first. So we have shared values in that and um it sounds like a robust Jefferson is rising like um type of experience where families can engage and interact and have listening sessions. So I think that's clear and I think that will help us as we prepare future presentations and get a little bit more deeper into um the ideas around the resolution that you presented director split and that um some folks seem to be interested in. So I feel clear. Is there any clarifying questions? >> No, I I think that's perfect and really appreciate the conversation and you got a head start on the guiding principles because that came

258out a lot. We got a couple. >> Um, so definitely clear on the scope. I think the piece I heard in regards to engagement, there seemed to be obviously echo what Dr. Armstrong said, but just to get a little bit more granular, it felt like engagement on the principles and then another piece of engagement on a plan or whatever options potentially could come about. I'm just trying to get clarity on that. Well, I wonder if that's a later clarity piece because I think at some point we will want to decide do you all want like bundles of schools packaged like Jefferson where we have you know option A list a subset of schools and option B list another um and then deciding on that but I think that might take some time and I think

259we can get into that with the guiding principles and just more engagement. I feel like for this initial conversation, I think we have lots of good detail. >> It was really very good. I appreciate >> and and I appreciate the commitment that we're going to do this. So, appreciate it. >> Thanks. >> Thank you, Tardto. >> Yes. I just had one quick thing. Um, on that point about the um, you know what, how about you go because I just lost my train of thought, but I'm sure I will remember it in five minutes. >> Now you know what it's like to be middle-aged. I just had a thought. I thought I heard two different ways of engagement. I thought I heard I really enjoyed as a community member having something to react to. >> Correct.

260which to me means the guiding maybe our value statement would be developed here and then that would be shared out >> and then I also heard I've also heard you know let's let the community sort of tell us what's important to them I like the first way better I like the way of like developing some our own values our own we are the guiders and um they're not going to be perfect and they're going to be you know redlined and but we at least have something to present to people that are working and raising kids and cooking dinner and doing all the things. >> Yeah. Essentially those guiding principles are going to inform a framework and then we'll be able to do the technical part of taking that framework and say based on this framework

261that was fueled by the guiding principles here are the schools that are coming up right and then what bundle will we present to you will we present multiple bundles or one bundle but I think those are um things that we can dive into a little bit deeper but yes that's I think the plan >> maybe for the purposes of the initial if we do the three resolution model that would be the kind of thing we could put in like as far as the scope and direction would include developing developing those guiding principles and the only thing I just want to say is what I suggested and I I think it's a really good idea but I think like developing as a board and then vetting with like staff because like I think involving the schools

262because school closures don't just affect kids and families they also affect our staff really deeply. Um, so it just matters to me that we like not lose track of that district, school staff and students. Um, so I I just have to say that. Sorry again. >> Oh, appreciate that. >> Thank you. Um, yes. Do you interrupt? >> I remembered. Okay. So this is one thing that I also I think that I um in retrospect of the uh MLC situation I think that um one thing that I would say in terms of you know how this information uh goes out you know of course there are some groups like staff that should know first but once we send that information out you know and then I think that we should be prepared to make an official

263statement very soon thereafter because you know uh if we wait a little bit if we we wait a few days before we send out an official statement now we're playing a of telephone, you know, um and you know, a bunch of people have, you know, have found out um because of someone who found out, because of someone who found out, because of someone who found out. Um and then and then now we're having to come in, you know, and play, you know, and play defense and be like, "No, that's actually sorry, that bit was wrong." You know, here's what we're actually doing. And so, um that's the only thing that I would say there. um just to make sure that everything that once once we're committing to something um that we're that we're committing and

264we're ready to you know to make a statement very soon. So that's the only thing I had to say. >> Great. Thank you. Um I also want to remind the board that um right sizing has been done all across the states. We even have outside help so we can also we don't have to be so stressed about inventing the wheel. um we can let we have also have outside help that can also propose things to us in terms of like how things have been done best practices etc. So I just want to remind the board just be open about that and and have that moving forward. Um I want to thank you too for all this hard work and excited for the more hard work. >> So thank you. >> I appreciate the commitment. Thank

265you very much. >> Thank you. I would just like to say quickly uh that I do have to leave. Um hopefully you guys have a good night. You know, I am I'm very sad that I will be missing the budget stuff, but you guys you guys know me. Five and 50 and it's the state government's fault. So, >> And go to Salem. So, that's I mean, you guys get the gist of it. Um but yes, my poor mother has been waiting for me. So, >> go home. >> All right. Next, >> tell her to come in. We want to move next time. Next time have her come in and wait for you with her arms crossed in the back so we know who she is. >> Um, we have now we have Chief Morrison with

266our finance focus and the also talking about PERS as well. So take it away. >> Thank you chair one. >> Sorry Dr. Dr. Armstrong and then >> well I'm going to save you. I was going to do the whole opening from the press conference, but um I think I'll just do the quote uh which is a literary quote and I it resonates with me which is I awake each day with the desire to savor the world and save the world. So it makes it hard to plan my day is the whole quote. Um, but really when we think about the programs and the people that we want to savor, that we celebrate, that we lift up, and then we think of the things that we have to do to save our district from financial crisis

267is that creates this place where we're sitting today. And so I look forward to Chief Morrison walking through the details of what we're doing to save the district while also savoring all of the programs and offerings that we have across Portland. >> Thank you, Dr. Armstrong. Um what I'm going to share with you tonight, uh for finance focus, we have uh this budget update and then we have I think at the end of that we can determine uh our values around the PERS presentation tonight. I would like to give that at some point. Um but we have been sharing um information kind of the backstory what what we were struggling with as a school community is how how are we here today? And so I think s resurfacing even for folks who have been in

268the district for quite some time the actual financial landscape that brought us to the place we are today. That's what I'd like to share with you tonight. And I apologize for the late ad to the board packet, but it is out on the website now. So, if we can go ahead, >> you have the >> I've got it. >> Yep. >> All right. So, we're going to go all the way back to review our 2425 budget message. And then we're going to look at the next uh year, actually couple of years, and how our fund balance fluctuated and how we had additional resources to support our operations at that time. And we're going to look uh quickly at current state and then some next steps. All right. So, I've linked to the actual meetings that

269information was presented. So, you can go back, you can hear the conversations that happened at the time. You can um go through the slides. Um we had some newly implemented contracts uh in place as we were planning for the budget. We at that time had anticipated $30 million in reductions required. Uh there was a deliberate planned use of fund balance and that was shared openly by interim superintendent Sandy Husk and CFO Mong Lee. And then um just you can see how our operations were formally supported in part by those pandemic funds >> and fund balance is like the reserves. >> Yes, that's the 5% target that we that we target to begin each year with. Um, and in our budget process, we budget it as a contingency, but it's still at that 5% mark. So,

270in 2425, these were the schoolbased and central office reductions that were planned at that time, a total FTE of 204 uh.3 and then we had another $2.6 million in um services and supplies. So meeting that almost 30 $30 million target in reductions. Um at that time our enrollment projections weren't as um long in experience as a decline as they are today. So I think there may have been some optimism about students returning um on the tail end of our pandemic experience. speculation this >> and then just also just to note that during that budget process for this 2425 school year I I just want to call it out that there was the superintendent transition and then interim and then the CFO interim CFO Mong. So there was also some organization transition. Not saying anything related

271to that, but just to note the state of the organization at the time of planning the 2425 budget. >> Yeah, I really am thankful for their work and to be able to look back and to see the information they shared. Um these slides here talk about the projections for our fund balance if we did not make changes. And so um you can see how there was a swell in the fund balance. uh right up through actuals of 22 23 and then as uh 23 24 was adopted we started spending those down. And so again this is all information that was shared um back in the development period for the 2425 school year. and they spent a little bit of time specifically talking about reserves and the use of them and the one-time funds, the reliance

272on one-time funds that, you know, in in PPS we had for multiple years. And so I think it just became part of our our practice to rely on those funds while they were available to provide the best experience for students that we could. So you can see here kind of the shift just like in a household budget as you use down your savings uh you have less flexibility when things come up during the year which um is indicative of our current state. This is a PPS specific example. So just expanding to show um anticipated total revenues um even as far as 25 26 and again that really intentional spend down of fund balance in order to um create that stability in services. And so that brings us to 2526. So this would have been my

273first year as CFO and um Superintendent Armstrong her first year as well. So we were inheriting uh a situation where um things are challenging. Uh we shared with the community that there are contingencies and risks involved with this budget. Um I've shared the slide before so I'm not going to belabor it but there is a link here uh to the board meeting where we proposed and and talked through these things. Then I'm not going to spend a lot of time on our reduction slides. These should look familiar. They were presented before. This slide has come up over and over again as we talk about the use of the fund balance over time. I'll go through the reduction lists quickly. This is a new new slide, new graph. So, uh, we've been using this again in

274our school community discussions with with principles and, uh, other leadership and decision makers kind of tells a story about our fund balance. And this isn't the prop this isn't the budget for fund balance. This is actually what has occurred. And I think those two things can be a little bit different. Um, if your year uh, doesn't go exactly like you thought. So you can see um back in 2017 there there was a pretty minimal fund balance. It was down below 5%. Um and then we started to pick that back up. A lot of this has to do with um our level of state school fund and uh local revenue as well. So we're really looking at what's left after you have all of your income and all of your expenses go out. The fund balance

275is what's remaining. Excuse me. And so you can see in 20 2020 to 2021 2022 that was a period of growth of the fund balance. We had experienced some savings in our operational costs through the pandemic period as there was distance learning as there were staffing shortages as the return to school was hybrid. All of those things we did have some uh savings build up over that period of time. specifically in 2022. The reason the fund balance dipped it down to 10%, but there's this high number there, that's because we um sold a series of pension obligation bonds and that revenue came through uh and was marked here. So that's why there's a little zigzag, but the rest uh is pretty steady flow. And you can see um from fiscal year 223 um to current

276state how we have used our fund balance. And again in what was shared is a very deliberate way. This is a very similar graph with the blue is still our general fund operating fund balance and the amounts for that. Layered on top of that is our ESSER pandemic relief funding. Um there was an expiration date on that funding. We uh we spent all of it accordingly um over $120 million during that time period. And I think putting it here just illustrates how there was this big drop in resources between 2024 and 2025 to support our operations. And so we have had some variances since the budget adoption. Um there's a link there to where we uh initially shared those. Um this slide was um pretty general terms. We've updated it to have uh more targeted

277uh dollars amounts to dollar amounts to categories as that was requested by our labor partners. So you can see around teacher set aside um transportation and maintenance costs coming in higher than were budgeted. And again, I think before they had been kind of uh camouflaged um using those uh either fund balance reserves or um ESER funds and so now we we have to support them fully from our general fund budget. >> Oh yeah, >> that's a good question. Um one thing I'm not seeing here is the PERS increase. Um, is that just because we already expected that giant increase and it's not new? >> Yeah, we did we did expect that in our um we received that news in the fall prior to budget development for 2526. Um, that that doesn't necessarily mean that we

278had enough flexibility in our budget to absorb the impact of that was significant. and it was over $30 million of of an increase that nobody immediately sees the impact of. >> Thank you for your question. >> I have a question also. >> Yes. >> Um >> I keep seeing this and I keep not knowing what we're talking about. Um when we say vacancy savings not materializing at projected levels, what are we talking about? >> Yeah, thank you. That's that's that's a great question. So, uh I think as we um uh came into our last um negotiations and our bargained agreement, I think in working with our labor partners at that time, they had identified that typically historically in PPS, we had realized a certain percentage of vacancy savings and this is based on I think

279collaborative analysis um historically. So when people when there were positions that were vacant for a period of time that would come in as savings and they wanted us to identify that number as we did our budget for transparency purposes and we've done that um as we've um reduced positions over time though we we have lost a lot of flexibility in that and so uh this year we we are not realizing what we projected >> and question so you a vacancy that's ready to be that we would like to fill but we don't because we can't afford it. >> Correct. >> And that then gives us money because we plan to fill it >> in the budget. >> I would just say it's that gap between a regular full-time person in that role. We do have

280some hard to fill positions especially where that would build up. And when you're reflecting on the pandemic period, that was a a time that staffing was exceptionally challenging. um especially as we had had lots of substitutes and um lots of staff. Okay. All right. So, we shared this before. I believe this is the mitigation plan and impact of schools. Um so, it's not new information for you, but these are uh internal controls that we've not necessarily had in place um from the finance perspective. they've been very decentralized around the district and so we've been working with across teams to put in um increased visibility and increase approval in some of these areas. So um just want you to know that that's a work in progress and we will hope to start seeing some impact of

281that very soon. Oh, what are days? >> Instructional learning leadership teams. >> Yes. So many acronyms. For the sake of time, why don't we just do Q&A instead of doing the round? Director Split, >> I'm trying to decide how to make this a question, so I'm just going to talk and you guys can be mad at me if you want for not having be a question, but um I um just was at our school's PTA meeting. I try really hard not to attend but my husband attends and then I like get sucked in and like literally no one was aware that we were having budget issues and that we were talking about potential furlow days etc which has been very much in the news. Um we've talked about it here, I've seen it on the

282news, we've seen it in the paper, but it just goes to show that like people are not tracking the news. Um, and so I just wanted to make sure that I said it out loud that we have communication work to do. Um, which is not on us. We've been doing it, but people aren't seeing it. So, I just wanted to put that out there. >> I don't I don't have any questions. Um, I don't know if this is a question either. Um, and I want to communicate this in the spirit that I intend it. Um there is so much with the finances and the unexpected gap for this year. Um, I have total confidence in your work and your team, but I'm curious um about having another set of eyes on some of the financials

283um so that like you have the assurance that there aren't any more surprises and uh Dr. Armstrong has that assurance and we can go to community and be like, "Yeah, we we know the scope of the situation we're in. We've double-cheed it." um and there aren't going to be any more surprises popping up because we're hearing a lot of like how does this happen and I think we know how this happened. Um but I think just for the the confidence that the community has in the district um being able to like say it with our full chest would be uh really great. >> Thank you for that. And we have been sharing information as requests come in. I know uh director Lefort has a request pending right now. So appreciate your patience. Um and we

284have shared that information with our labor partners. So it's just a lot to go through. We've offered our support as you know if we if they want to review it together so that they can get clarification around our accounting system and um clarification around how we're projecting our our fund balance at the end of the year and this impact. So we we're really trying to make ourselves available and and complying with all the requests that we are getting because it is many. Yeah. >> If I should pass. >> Yeah. I um I appreciate um Director Chase Miller for that um idea. I know we do get a financial audit once a year and I just I wonder what that would look like to have like a midyear another set of eyes. Yeah, I love that

285idea. Just wanted to second that. Okay. Thank you. Um, so just to build off that, I did request um a budget to actuals and um Michelle's provided um kind of a topline. There's a more granular version coming, but um I'm happy to share what I just came through. Uh God, it might have been last night. >> Yeah. >> Happy to forward that. Um but um just initial pass and um having looked at these type of documents before, I emailed Michelle today, it's truly like death by a thousand cuts. You could you could take any category and find $5 million there. But you know, if we're over $12 million on teacher salaries, you could say like, oh, it was the teachers except it's only a one and a half% variance. So there's really you can cut

286it a hundred different ways. and um it's uh it's incredibly challenging. So, I'll I'll forward that to everybody. It's the starting point. >> Great. Thank you. Any more questions? >> Right. Thank you, Chief Morrison. I again appreciate the presentation. Are are we doing PERS tonight or >> we I would like to ask that we postpone again. There is a link to a video to a Khan Academy video that talks about uh divers or defined benefit versus a defined contribution plan. Um and a defined benefit plan is what the PERS pension plan is. So it's it's a great video if you have a chance to watch that before we can present. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. Right. Next up we have the bond update. I'll hand over to Superintendent Armstrong. Great. I'm just going

287to call on the team to come on up and and give their brief quick to the point update. Thank you. >> Good evening. Thank you so much, Dr. Armstrong, directors. Uh, you know, I just want to take a moment that, you know, I know our meetings are long, but it is because we're at a pinnacle point in what we're doing with the district, right? And part of it is to being collaborative and transparent. And so thank you for the opportunity of course to present on the bond program and we know it is just one small piece of what is going on within the district. So without further ado, uh TJ, >> are you running? >> I guess I'm running. Yes. Sorry. >> Good evening. My name is TJ Hopkins, senior program director of the RISE

288bond program. I'd like to start with our program status update. So 2012 2017 these bond programs as mentioned before um this as mentioned before and this evening are relatively closed out. Uh nothing has changed the data has not changed from last month to this month 2020 we've had a couple of projects that have closed out that'll be captured on next month. That's the ADA and sped projects. 2025, we've had a couple projects that moved from pre-planning into the design phase. Those would be the athletic projects and the seismic projects. Okay, moving on to schedule. So, this schedule depicts the same information the board has seen in the in the um comprehensive master plan. It's just a new format. We've got the modernizations um starting with the design phase shown in red and going through the

289project completion close out in purple. Um you'll see demo for IDB Wells obviously that's happening after um the new school is occupied. We've added Gry Aadair at the bottom and as Sarah had mentioned that schedule and timeline will be built out with the procurement as we um present the contracts to the board for approval and then develop the program. I'm going to turn it over to Jessica Day, senior controls and operations manager to provide financial information on on the dashboards. >> Hi, good evening. I'm actually um I'm actually excited that y'all didn't bump us because this is my very first time to be in front of you guys. So um I appreciate the opportunity and I look forward to doing more for uh PPS to be able to be in front of you all. Um

290so we actually did make some changes to the next five slides. Um before we had a little bit less information. We added a visual off to the right. Um gives the same data. So, the model that we used in previous reports, we collected the exact same data. We just added this little visual off to the side. Um, so 12, you'll see as TJ said, pretty much done with 12 and 17 as well. And then in >> by the way, this is because we always get feedback with what is what project is that, what's included in that, what's it. So these visuals are so that you have you have these slides so you're not seeing them for the first time in front of you, but that's why this visual was added so that you could see

291what campuses and programs are in each bond program. I just wanted to clarify that. >> Yeah. Um so for 2020, we actually did add a little bit different of an aspect for 2020. We added the uh Presidio managed aspect. So, we do have a column there that is specifically listed in Presidio's contract. And so, we gave this visual as well to see where we're at, where we're going, and what we have remaining for 2020. And we did the same for 2025. So, that's really pretty much it. Making it quick. Okay, this is a new slide. um a lot of the same information that's been presented in different formats. We've got the at the top of the page at the top of the slide, you'll see the project information with the budget, project team information. On

292the left is the project overview and the general scope. And then in the center of the slide, we have just some some highlights of where the project is at, what's going on. Um, we had groundbreaking for Cleveland scheduled for June 13th. That date is changing. Once it's confirmed, it'll be communicated and sent out and updated. Um, unfortunately, we had presented the materials and and then uh had to capture it after the I also wanted to say that the color of the slide also corresponds with the with where the project is in schedule. So, you'll note that in design it's red. It's kind of pink here but anyway so the color of the slide depicts what phase of uh of the the project is in. >> Thank you for clarifying that. >> No problem. I am

293going to most of you have seen these but this will be clicker is not working. Okay. Oh, it wasn't me. Okay. All right. All right. I was like all right. A lot of you have seen this, but we want to start including the floor plans and visuals of the renderings. As we get into construction, you'll start seeing construction updates, but this will be a typical layout of the of the overview of the monthly project for all the the projects. Okay. Again, we've got Jefferson, same format. Uh, groundbreaking is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on May 29th. There's the floor plans showing levels one through four exterior renderings. I think we've got an interior on the next one. And IdaB Wells groundbreaking is to be determined. Um we know that that's going to happen sometime in the

294fall. So the groundbreaking will be scheduled around that once we have more information. Again, there's levels one through four, exterior rendering, aerial view, and gry. I think uh something to highlight here and we do I I want to highlight this that we did do a procurement pool for architectural and engineering services for uh the 2020 2025 bond and we had 18 architectural engineering firms that replied to that RFP which I think is just phenomenal and those are that is saying people want to do business with PPS. So I I just want to celebrate that in this meeting. Okay, there's an exterior photo of Gryair with the interior and the courtyard view. So, I'm going to turn it over now to Joanna Evansson, senior director. I'm Joanna Evansson, senior director of Rise. Um, just a quick

295consolidated projects update. So, consolidated sounds small, but really it's a lot of things. I know we've talked roofs and seismic tonight. Uh these are the four roofs for this summer and just to kind of reiterate in our roofs, every project we do a roof is not just a roof. There is some seismic there are some roof level seismic included in all of these bond roof projects. In addition to that, we do new roof drains and overflows. Um, we remove old chimneys, take them down, replace the mechanical units on the roof, add fall protection, add improved safety, roof ladder access. So, when we say a roof project, it's usually a whole lot more than that. Just wanted to clarify that. So, um, then for 2020, we are we're closing out the HVAC controls update, which is

296converting our pneumatic controls to DDC controls, so more electronic. Um, we can remotely operate the buildings. We can monitor and have a little more control over the buildings. That way, we're doing that in 27 schools. And then we're also closing out the ADA and SPED upgrade projects. Um, this improved accessibility entering schools from parking lots, bus drop offs, hallways, classrooms, all the essential areas in the school. We completed some kind of work in each of our schools. So, that's a pretty big win. Like, they sound like little projects and they're tiny in themselves compared to the modernizations, but we are getting into all of the schools. Um they're very they're very impactful for our students. Yeah. >> Um and Joanna made a comment, why do we call them consolidated? And the reason they're called consolidated

297is because that was what's in the bond language, but I don't know that it does it real justice because of that. But anyway, because they're they're they seem like small projects, but they have a big impact across the district. >> Yeah. And the second half of the ADA sped is the sped portion included replacement of fluorescent lights with dimmable LEDs and fully functioning restrooms for our intensive skills classrooms. And we completed work across 40 schools and it's just lighting but the students that are in those classrooms and for the teachers teaching them had a really big impact. Um, let's see. 20 2025. >> 2025. Did we skip a slide? >> I don't think so. >> Okay, great. Oh, >> no. I have backwards. Um, so grant full lighting. Woohoo. Um, yes. So, we have a

298good updates on this. We have all of our permits. We have our city permit. Um, we have our tree protection permits and our pebbot permits have all been issued. The power utility is scheduling to begin its work by the end of this month, which will include some directional boring, which goes underground. So, you'll see machines, but you won't see anything above ground at that point. Um, the light poles and the electrical gear are both in fabrication and should be arriving by April. Um, so the remainder of the athletics that we have kind of in the planning phases are Powell Park, Franklin, Lincoln. When we say Lincoln, that's West Silvin Middle School. Uh, Roosevelt Fields. So, all of those, not all of them, combined, there's some form of field upgrade or seating upgrade happening at each

299of those. Those are ongoing. >> These are these are being scheduled out and we actually at the we've been asked to do a deeper dive at the FIOC meeting this this uh coming week on the 17th, St. Patrick's Day. Um so, uh we will have we have slides for all of our athletics and a schedule in that. So, and that that has been submitted. So, uh we'll have a little bit more update on that. the Marshall Athletic Hub. Uh the first phase of that is happening now. It's in progress. Dr. Armstrong showed some photos of that. Uh where we have the track and field portion getting their revitalization in ahead of Cleveland moving in for their swing site. The second phase will happen later, which is a multi-use field. And then the Jackson Athletic Hub

300is in schematic design. Um, we have the track and field again also in its reconstruction. They're going to start that this summer and then the second phase of that again will be some additional multi-use fields. I think that's it. Any questions? >> Any questions? If not, give it back to Dr. >> Arms for and then Chase Miller. I have a couple small questions or comments or whatever since you're here and we're all here together. Um I wanted to just flag on wells that I'm just hearing a lot about the fences. So just want to make sure that you all know that the community doesn't love the idea of the thing being so fenced off. So I just will put that out there and you guys can keep doing you on that front. Um, but I

301can't help but mention it. Um, and represent I represent the whole district, but I live in Southwest Portland and I hear um, just with that space being the way that it is um, and such a c like part of such a like central community hub. Um, and I'm also hearing from, oddly enough, students who are upset about the um, fact that they would have to walk from the bus all the way around the school to get in, which sounds like no big deal, but if you realize how big the space is, it's like right now there's entrances on both sides of the school, so kids coming off the bus from either direction can get in without having to walk all the way around a big fenced area. So, just putting that out there for you

302all while I have a chance to represent the community. Thanks. >> Thank you. They also don't they say that the fence stops some sort of a trail? >> There's breaks it up. Yeah, >> for >> Okay. Um, just a couple. So, I'm I want to make sure I heard this right. Did you say that the Cleveland groundbreaking is going to change? Yes, the we had a conflict in schedules and so we had published a date of June 13th and we're having to reschedule that. We do not have a rescheduled date. We're trying to coordinate calendars. As soon as we do, you guys will be notified. >> Is it like in the same ballpark or is it months? >> We're trying. No, no, no, no. It's in the same ballpark. Sorry. It's just that date does

303not work for us and we had already published it. So, we just wanted to make you aware. Yeah. >> Um and uh Joanna, you know how excited I am. I can't believe it. Um I'm very excited. Can you um this is I can sidebar about this, but I just wanted to bring it up. We um when I first started working on this project, which has been almost I guess it's been a year and a half, almost two years. Um the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods gave our community coalition a grant to of $1,500 to do um an event for the students in the community when these lights get turned on. So, it sounds like it is coming much sooner. I mean, I'm not going to lie, I was like, "This is going to happen this summer."

304Sounds like it's actually going to happen. So, can we connect offline in terms of like getting closer on the dates so that we could do something special for for the kids? >> Yeah. >> Before the school year's out. That'd be pretty exciting to do like a ribbon cutting or shovel in the dirt or something when we turn them on. It's a really big deal for the neighborhood. So, I'm excited. Thank you for all of your hard work on it. And um I love seeing the athletic hugs hubs broken out and giving the attention they deserve. And um I like capital projects instead of consolidated projects. are big. So anyway, thank you. It's a great update. >> Um I kind of feel bad asking this question. Didn't Did we hear earlier that Jackson is eventually going

305to need like a full rebuild? I'm a little curious about >> it's the swing athletic fields. >> Oh, it's the swing. Okay. Okay. >> Yeah. Does that help? >> Yeah. And if and I'm very happy for you that you have been spared a soccer game on the Jackson fields, but anybody who's ever had to go there for a soccer game can tell you that there's a lot of those fields need work before a high school sport can be played on them. So, >> okay. Thank you, Denn. >> Sorry to steal your thunder, but I had to get in my I get like real punch drunk at this time of night and just start talking. >> If I if we can just sit here and look pretty, that's okay. >> Yeah, we're good at that. >>

306Dr. Englesman, >> thank you. Um, so I think I heard you say and I went looking but it's not published yet. That on the St. Patrick's Day meeting, whichever one that is March 17, >> facilities facilities, I couldn't even think of that word. >> There was no word. It was just St. Patrick's Day. >> Um, at the facilities meeting, did I hear you say that there will be published a Powell Park schedule? >> It It's a published um athletic schedule, so it's not just for Powell Park. Correct. >> Okay. But a subset of that will be sort of like a >> Well, POW Park, we're still in negotiation with parks and recreation. So, we will not have a schedule for that until that negotiation is complete. As you know, when you're in negotiation, you can

307only talk about so much because you're in negotiation. But as soon as we're through that negotiation, we will update. >> Okay. I just thought I heard I heard I thought I heard >> the PAL Park schedule was going to be there and I excitedly went looking for it. >> You were excited. Yeah. >> Yeah. Um, two two quick things. one, I meant to ask this in the the bond uh I can't even think of that word anymore. Um there is a line in the bond report or the the bond report, thank you. The BAC report that says Wells High School is slightly behind Cleveland and Jefferson, but at the top of that same page, it says Cleveland and Wells high schools are shown to be delivered on the relative schedule relative. Is Wells behind the

308original schedule or am I >> It is. It's not behind the original schedule. It is just it's just not starting when the other two modernizations are starting. Exactly. faster. >> Uh, last last thing is um more of like a communication thing, even though I'm sure we are communicating it and people may not just be hearing it, but I was talking to a friend, professional friend today whose kids are at Vernon and are excited to go to Jefferson and he was expressing that the Vernon, I don't know if it's Vernon, his community, um, is worried that they're not seeing shovels in the ground because they thought they would right after Jefferson vote happened. And so I assured him that May 29th at 10 am is that he should go and that all the community. So I

309guess I would just say please um reach out to all these families. We know we have them engaged. We know we have contact for them and and let them know because I think they will feel better that they're not seeing shovels in the ground immediately. No, it's great great question and or a great comment and we do have letters going out to all of our feeder schools that will that campaign starts actually this month and so we'll start having all of that regular communication and then referring everybody to the PPS website that is being updated on a regular basis for all of our modernization projects. So, >> and I saw um West Silvin on the list. Is it finally getting going or >> West Silvin? West Silvin, we have to go through land use. So

310West Silvin is on the list, but it is is not something that shovels are going to be in the ground this year, but is on the list and we have it scheduled out and like I said, our athletic schedule will be able to show that. >> Great. My comment is I have a very horrible story about a fence at IDW Wells when it was Wilson, which I won't share here, but it it was bad and we needed a fence because we just finished the field and someone drove across the field to break into the school to put red paint in the school. But that's fences are good sometimes. >> All right. Thank you. Um, thank you for staying till 10:30 p.m. >> Hopefully your circadian rhythms haven't adjusted. It's actually 9:30, so >> exactly. >>

311Thank you all. >> Thank you. >> Yeah, positive spin. >> It's really over 9:30. >> It's only 9:30 in my mind. Um, all right. Uh up next we have the first reading of a public of the public contracting rules policy. Vice Pass, could you introduce us? >> Sure. Um Chair Wong. Um so I'm going to introduce the first reading of the public contracting rules and give some background. In 2010, Portland Public Schools developed and adopted a substantial and comprehensive revision to its public contracting rules. And those rules were updated in 2010, 2012, 2016, 2019, and 2024 to reflect legislative changes to public contracting rules. So, this was to align with what the um Oregon revised RS chapters 279A, B, and C, and revisions to the attorney general's model public contracting rules. In late 2023, staff

312introduced a significant update to the district's 2019 public contracting rules to reflect 2023 legislative changes to the code as well as improve internal alignment, efficiency, and effectiveness. The policy committee forwarded most of the rules updates and revisions to the full board, which approved them in February of 2024. However, the policy committee deferred consideration of a few of the proposed updates and recommended that these updates be brought back for consideration at a later time and that's now which is what we did at the last meeting. And the proposed amendments are rem to one remove duplicative amendment reporting requirement. So, the policy required that staff report to the board contract amendments contract amendments that are 125% or more over the initial contract amount. Since the purchasing and contracting department requires the board approve contract amendments of 1245%

313or more over the initial contract amount, this is duplicative and it doesn't impact our responsibility to improve those amendments. Two, bring offer of judgment rule into alignment with board policy on liability claims. Currently, the board lets the superintendent or her designate make settlement offers in lawsuits if they and the general counsel think it's in the district's best interest. Right now, if the offer is over 25,000, the general counsel must also write a confidential memo to the board explaining the legal reasons. The proposed revision would update the rule so the limit matches board policy 8.60.21P, which allows the superintendent to settle up to $75,000 without extra reporting. On February 23rd, the policy committee reviewed the proposed revisions to the current policy on public contracting rules and recommended moving the policy to the full board for a

314first reading, which is where we are today. Thank you vice chair to pass. Do board members have any questions? Again, this is the first reading. So that means it will be again an opportunity to discuss during the next policy committee meeting and then it will be back um on for a board meeting uh a minimum 21 days later. So sometime April 14th I believe is when we are scheduled to have the second reading. >> That's correct. and it'll be posted on the website so people uh the public will know about it um much like all of our other policies and have an opportunity to comment. >> No questions. Thank you. Because I am not up for a robust discussion at 10:38 p.m. >> It's really 9:38. Uh thank you vice chair to pass. Um as

315just want to check double check you are everyone is okay if we move board committee and conference reports to our next board meeting. >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> All right then that bl brings us to the consent agenda. Uh uh board members if there's any items you would like to pull for a separate uh consideration please indicate that now. I don't want to pull anything, but I have a question. So, I'm prepared to move forward, but I I do have a question. >> Thank you. Uh, Miss Brasher, are there any changes to the consent agenda? >> No. >> All right. Do I have a motion and a second to adopt the consent agenda? >> So, moved. >> Director Sullivan moves. >> I'll second. >> Director Englesman seconds the adoption of the consent agenda. Is

316there any board discussion on the consent agenda? you have a question uh vice chair to pass. >> Thank you. I just had a question um regarding resolution 7261 uh dismissal of a contract educator and I just had a wondering about um if we're tracking data about who who are impacted by these by dismissals. um you know, as a black woman in the workplace, I'm concerned about, you know, where the impacts are landing. And I was just curious if we track that data. Um and if we don't, if we would be willing to sort of track the data about who who we're impacting by gender and race. >> Would you like me to answer? >> Uh yes, we track the data both whenever we do layoffs or whenever we do any kind of um discharge or

317dis discharge at this level. Yes, it's tracked by race, gender, um, depending on the number of people, age, all of the protected categories. >> Thank you. I appreciate that. >> To the extent we have the information, sometimes we don't have it, but the ones that you would normally think of. >> Okay. I appreciate it. Thank you. >> I have a follow-up question. Do we we track it? Do we analyze it? >> Yes, we if it's a small enough pool, you can't do a statistically significant disparate impact analysis. But if it's a big enough pool, we actually do the statistically significant. But yes, we look at it. We compare it to the population of PBS as well. >> Director Sullivan. >> Um yeah. Uh can I I do want to read my um CBRC report mainly

318because we don't meet again till the 31st and I would not like to read about them. >> Okay. So after we vote on the consent agenda, I'll I'll call on you to Okay. Thank you. read the report. All right. If there's no further questions, the board will now vote on resolution 7258 through 7279. All in favor, please indicate by saying yes. >> Yes. All opposed. Abstensions. Thank you. The consent agenda is approved by a vote of 7 to zero with student represent here. All right. Thank you. Uh, next up we have or sorry, next up we have Director Sullivan with the CBRC report. >> Okay. Uh, thank you. It's pretty short. Um, the CBRC Community Budget Review Committee met last Wednesday, March 4th. The committee elected two co-chairs and a vice chair. The co-chairs are

319Karan Cruz and Adriel Pson. Adriel was vice chair last year and Karen has served on the committee in past years, so they bring experience to the committee. Angela Bonia was elected vice chair. Karan recommended that because there is a lot of work to do to finalize the report, it is important to have enough people to share the workload. So it was decided that if someone else on the committee decides they want a leadership role, there is room for another vice chair. Anyone who wants this role can bring it up at the next meeting. It was understood that someone might want the job after having time to think about it. This election took quite a bit of time as following Robert's rules of order virtually turned out to be a bit of a challenge. After the

320election, our CFO, Chief Morrison, shared the budget shortfall for this year. She also introduced a game called Holde, which shows tradeoffs and choices in a resource constrained environment, and I think she's going to share that with us at some point. Members were reminded about where to find the answers to their questions and how to submit questions online. The next meeting of the CBRC will be on March 31st where there'll be a work session with the board. And I did ask you about that. We're doing a lot more than budget, I suppose, on the 31st. >> Yes. And I I believe that uh Chief Morrison sent you a reply, which is >> Yeah, I didn't see it. Okay, I'll >> if there's more questions, we'll talk about it. Okay, we can talk about it. >> Thank

321you. Yeah. Uh, I also want to just uh put a little uh asterisk if you can remind me to have student representative RTO announce the wonderful appointment of the student representatives to the board committees >> which is part of the consent agenda. I forgot to bring that out. All right. Uh where are we? Uh next up we have um future topics, next steps. Um there's just three things I want to bring up and will be really quick. Not really just more of an update. Um one is that uh I'm still currently trying to explore how to um or want to decide to instead of one work session, one board meeting a month, just turn them both into board meetings with a section for work session within it. Um because a lot of the calendar has

322already been developed and a lot of the processes have already been made. This will be more of a phasing in thing. And that leads to my second topic because there was a lot of interest among all of us that wanted to increase the amount of public comment and opportunities as well as uh looking at processes to make it more equitable in terms of access. So um as some of you already have heard, we have our board managers looking into other uh institutions that have done it and how they do it and and we'll come up with uh some proposals for us to bring. However, because as one of the things I want to do is as we look into maybe phasing into two board meetings a month, that also means that we can allow public

323comment for the what is currently our work sessions and hopefully phasing into a uh regular board meeting. Um so that that's the two updates I have and nothing's decided yet. So we will more updates will be brought when they when they come and then I don't know if director for you bring up the >> I was wanted to send a note to board leadership about um I know this would not be convenient but about potentially having a conversation um and revisiting the calendar for next year. I'm really concerned about the heat issue, especially looking at the expenses that we had for um I won't call them air conditioners, the giant machines that blew air around. Um we're starting really early comparatively and I really am concerned that we're going to have some regrets in August

324if we don't reconsider it. >> So, and and I noticed I had not realized it's actually two weeks before Labor Day that it starts. It's because Labor Day is really late. >> I know because Labor Day is so late. >> It's like a day difference on the calendar as far as the start date. It's just that the >> It looks like a couple other districts are waiting until after Labor Day. >> I don't say waiting till after Labor Day, but the week before Labor Day sounds early enough. >> But yeah, that was something I just hadn't realized how early really early it was. I know it's I worry I think we're going to end up with a longer longer have the same problem for a much longer period of time if we start as early

325as we're we've agreed to. >> Um one of the just remember one of the concerns that we brought up is also that if we start later it goes into Junth which would be an additional like $3 million cost. That's also something to consider. And also lastly, one of the I I also want to kind of bring up a little bit of a um danger in terms of precedence. One of the things that PPS usually comes up with our calendar first. And the reason is because we're, you know, the largest district in the state. And so a lot of other districts look at our calendar, you know, in in terms of reference in deciding, making their decision. So, I know that there's still a lot of uh districts that haven't decided and have decided or have

326uh voted on calendar between last time we voted on this and second. Um the other thing is also if we if we're bringing this back up for discussion, there's a lot of impact that I want to make sure that we're clear about what the impacts are because a lot of these notices have gone out, things have already been started scheduling um and things like that. And not only that, but also the precedence of like something that we've already voted on and bringing up and relitigating it again is something that hasn't happened before. So, I just want to I want to bring that those concerns up. >> I I hear you. I I just as we're thinking about it, let's just weigh like which problem do we want to have? I guess that's >> May I

327lesser of two evils. >> I haven't said anything yet. Um, I'm concerned about changing it because we voted on it already. And also, I think I mentioned earlier when you poke into part of the system, it has impacts and ripple effects in other parts of the system. But I'm more concerned about something that we vote on that we agree to 7 to zero probably. And was it not 7 to zero? Oh, because it was six to one. >> Um, but that's the majority. and I'm concerned that we, you know, go back on things that we voted on, which the community counts on us to stick to our word. Um, so it's just a question I have. I I just I don't I don't I'm not in favor of doing it because I think it sets

328a bad precedent for our future work. >> Just go ahead. Um, Dr. Chase Miller and the director solving. I also just think trying to solve for the weather is um not really productive. If we're trending warmer than you know when we look at at June um for for ending school um it might be really warm in June and then maybe we're in a situation where we're looking at like needing to cut days from the end of the school year unexpectedly. um or it is still super super hot in September. I mean, I think the overarching problem is that our schools aren't equipped to manage the heat, but we can't control when the heat beheen like it's, you know, the weather's going to do what the weather's going to do and we can't, you know, we

329can move it and then if it's super hot in September, we're in the same situation. Um, so >> Dr. solvent. >> Yeah, I don't really think we should change it, but I'm looking at myself and think I should have looked more carefully at that calendar. I'm not worried about the heat as much as people are giving up a whole whole week of vacation, but that's my fault for not looking. So, I voted. I mean, nobody nobody has mentioned this, but um I don't know if anybody's read the the Stanford Children Eco Northwest um report about the length of our school year. And so, you know, I think that the overarching thing to director Chase Miller's um point is that we need to start recognizing climate change is real. It's here. Um we never used to

330need an air conditioner in Portland. We now do need air conditioning. So when we start to make a facilities decisions and decisions about other things, we need to recognize that there will be wildfire smoke and there will be heat and it is getting warmer and uh so we make decisions with that frame. But moving making a shorter school year to me is would be off. >> It's not a shorter school year. We would just shift everything >> and and we would move into Junth though which is a paid federal holiday recognizing the end of slavery. Um and that would we would have to pay people for that day. >> Right. I'm just >> Anyways, I do >> what happened this year. We don't have to like Okay, I'm just >> Yeah, we don't have to

331litigate this now. Yeah. Um I want to finish with uh Director Anglesman and then do a quick question for the board and then we'll move on. >> Um I'm just looking at June. Um I I I don't see how we would actually move into Junth. If we're moving a week later, we would be ending. I I don't remember what date we were ending, the 7th, the 8th. I don't have it in front of me, but I would be open to reopening the >> Just to put So, my mic is on while I share this. Um, it looks like the last day of school next year would be slotted for June 8th. >> Okay. >> So, it would move to June 15th. >> Okay. I'm open to reopening the conversation for all the reasons that I

332expressed. Um, and anyway, >> All right. Well, um I think the threshold for putting on the agenda item is if three board members want to have this on the agenda. So, uh say yes if you want this on the agenda for a future meeting. >> Yes. Yeah, >> we have two yeses. So, uh it doesn't quite pass the threshold. So, thank you for bringing that up. I do appreciate the conversation. Um, all right. With that, I think we have everything done. >> So, I I have something maybe for the agenda later. >> Oh, yes. Sorry. Thank you. >> Can I would have come up earlier if I'd read the >> audit committee report, but I'm not going to read that. It's too long. But, um, one thing that came up with the audit committee is

333maybe wanting to know how the board budget is developed. And I'm just think wondering if anybody else wants that that information. >> Is this something that could be Yep. So, how many people want this information? >> We have three or more. So, three plus. Uh, could this be something that could be emailed to us? >> Um, I'll find out. >> Okay. And then just let me know if you if it can be emailed or if it can be an agenda item. Let me know. >> Okay. >> All right. And is that okay for everyone else? Email or agenda item? I if it could be done in an email, it seems more efficient if it's just information out. >> It's more it's more time efficient, but I also think it could be a super quick item

334that doesn't require a ton of discussion. So, just to like >> How about after the email, tell me if you want it on the agenda. >> That sounds fair. >> Still have questions. >> Thank you. >> Okay, >> great. All right. With that, this meeting is adjourned. Thank you, everyone.