City of Portland, if you are going to fund the schools, change the schools!
OK, the leaders of City of Portland are in discussion with Portland Public Schools and the Portland Association of Teachers about saving 110 PPS teaching positions. Mayor Adams has indicated the city may be willing to contribute $5 million to PPS (and a total of $7.3 million to all the school districts in Portland). I’m for a deal saving the 110 teacher positions (total cost of $10.4 million), but I would have the following conditions:
First, PPS should expand both its Mandarin and Japanese immersion programs by two classes each (50-60 additional kindergarten students). PPS has not wanted to do this, but it is a high strategic priority for the city’s international trade future.
Second, PPS should allocate $240,000 for a pilot high school study abroad program. Again, this is a high strategic priority for the city’s international trade future. I made the proposal in December, 2011 (here):
The $240,000 would pay $8,000 each towards the fees of study abroad organizations (and other expenses) for thirty students to spend the 2013-14 high school year abroad. Five students would be selected to study in each of six targeted countries. Four of those countries would be the BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China. These are the countries now, and for the foreseeable future, dominating global economic growth. Two additional countries, Japan and Mexico, would be selected both because of their economic importance but also because Portland Public Schools currently has immersion programs in both of their languages: Spanish and Japanese.
This program has not gone forward, in part, because the teachers’ unions do not support it (it shifts funds from classroom teachers to study abroad organizations).
Third, PPS schools should move more aggressively in offering online courses for high schools students, especially courses which can be taken independently from the bricks-and-mortar schoosl and their teachers. This will open up learning opportunities and has the potential to save money, making PPS more efficient with tax dollars.
Fourth, PAT should agree to forego the $4.5 million in pay raises (here), especially foregoing the new step increase at the top of the salary schedule. The step increase at the top of the salary schedule was not in the public interest. Additional teaching experience at this level does not bring additional value to the students, and for some, perhaps many, of the long-time teachers, the raise will further increase PPS’ long term pension liabilities.
The Oregonian article “Portland City Hall, teachers union seeking deal to save teachers jobs” by Betsy Hammond has news of the discussions (here):
Leaders at Portland City Hall, the Portland teachers union and Portland Public Schools are making progress on a potential deal to save many of the 110 teaching positions that are on the chopping block for next school year, officials confirmed this morning.
The deal is not done, however, and officials cautioned it could fall apart, particularly if they go public with tentative details before they're nailed down.
"The city, the union and the district are in conversations, and those are constructive conversations. But we don't have any final agreement yet," said school district spokesman Matt Shelby.
A major element of the plan would be for the Portland City Council to award millions of its money to the school district. The school district and the teachers union also would have to contribute to the package…..
City of Portland, if you are going to fund the schools, change the schools!
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