Let's get PPS to adopt Oregon PTA's Guidance on School Closures
Portland Public Schools Board
As various school districts across Oregon, including Portland Public Schools, consider consolidating schools in response to shifting enrollment and budget pressures, Oregon PTA is stepping in to support families with guidance around closure discussions.
- to help families understand why a district might consider school closures
- to summarize research around the impact of school closures
- to provide guidance to families and districts about factors and processes to be considered for potential school closures.
Sponsored by
To:
Portland Public Schools Board
From:
[Your Name]
Dear Members of the PPS School Board,
I am a member of the Cesar Chavez School community, and I strongly support adopting the Oregon PTA guidance on school closures as official Portland Public Schools policy.
Recently, the Oregon PTA released family-centered guidance to help districts and communities navigate school consolidation discussions responsibly and collaboratively. As districts across Oregon face enrollment shifts and budget pressures, this guidance reflects the PTA’s mission of “engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.” It is designed to:
- Help families understand why a district might consider school closures
- Summarize research on the impact of closures on students and communities
- Provide clear guidance to families and districts about factors and processes that should be considered before making closure decisions
The full guidance, including links to additional resources, is available at: https://www.oregonpta.org/advocacy/our-positions/school-closure-guidance
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Why do I support these guidelines?
As conversations about potential school consolidations arise within PPS, it is crucial that these discussions are grounded in equity, transparency, and authentic community engagement. Families deserve decision-making processes that reflect their lived experiences — not ones that overlook or exclude them.
Furthermore, the factors driving school closures are not new. Under-enrollment, deferred maintenance, and inequitable resource allocation are the result of decades of systemic neglect. These long-standing challenges should not be treated as sudden crises or used to justify rushed decisions that further harm historically marginalized communities.
School closures carry deep and lasting consequences. They disrupt student learning, fracture support networks, and erode trust between families and the district. Such decisions must be made with caution, thoughtful engagement, and a long-term vision centered on student stability, well-being, and community resilience.
I urge the Board to adopt the Oregon PTA guidance not just as a procedural document, but as a values-based commitment — one that ensures PPS upholds the principles of equity, transparency, and meaningful community partnership in every step of the process.