What does it mean to “rightsize” Oregon’s largest school district?

For officials in Portland Public Schools, it means closing as many as 12 of its 81 schools. But for many of the families and attendees at Wednesday evening’s community engagement session, it means keeping all schools open and doing more to bring in students not currently attending public schools.

Wednesday was the third time district officials have hosted one of these sessions. In the packed cafeteria of Ida B. Wells High School in Southwest Portland, families, community members and staff from schools across the district showed up to speak their minds on the topic of school closures.

At the front of the room, four board members plus student representative Ian Ritorto sat and listened. Board chair Eddie Wang outlined what the district is aiming to do with its “rightsizing” initiative.

“Our goal here is to make sure that all of our schools here in PPS are properly resourced,” Wang said. “Some examples: Every elementary school has a full-time librarian, a full-time special education teacher. Every middle school has all the robust programming … you can go anywhere in the city and have the same offering of all the math classes, all the arts, all the music.”

Oregon public schools are funded based on enrollment, making it easier to provide more services and program offerings to larger schools.

On a flyer shared at the meeting, PPS said factors included “right use of space,” “right boundaries,” and the “right pathways,” allowing “as many students as possible to continue together from one school level to the next.”

The meeting ran over its scheduled 90-minute time as questions and comments flowed from every corner of the room. District officials did laps around the room picking up Post-It notes with audience questions. They had a pencil box full of the small, colorful notes by the end of the night.

“We’re at an early stage about listening, then we’ll frame it up into a decision-making process, then we’ll look at some modeling, and then bring out a recommendation in the fall to the community,” said Margaret Calvert, an assistant superintendent in school planning and modernization at PPS.

Audience members spoke of their educational experiences in the district, both at neighborhood schools, where attendance is based on where a student lives, and at focus option schools, which require going through the enrollment transfer process to attend.

The meeting drew a contingent of students from Winterhaven K-8, an option school that focuses on math, technology and science.

Wyeth Meisenburg is a sixth grader in his first year at Winterhaven. He came to PPS after four years in a private school setting.

“I was worried the academics would be too much for me because my last school wasn’t big on the academics thing, but I was able to catch up pretty quick,” Meisenburg said.

Meisenburg’s favorite part of school is the friends he’s made.

“I think I’ve settled in pretty good, and I don’t want to leave that setting.”

Rhys Hallett is Wyeth’s mom.

“We were apprehensive, and we’ve been really pleased, and we just want to preserve that,” Hallett shared. They have a younger child they’d like to see attend Winterhaven too.

Families also spoke up in support of their neighborhood schools. Sarah Medeiros was sitting at a table next to Wyeth and his family.

“I don’t think that shuttering a school that kids are walking to in their neighborhoods is ever going to be a net positive,” she said.

Medeiros has kids at Woodlawn Elementary in Northeast Portland.

“I love that we go to the park and my kids know their classmates,” Medeiros said.

Community members shared their love for their school. One parent said their neurodivergent student was thriving at a focus option school. Another talked about how their school feels like a reflection of their neighborhood community.

But adoration from the school communities is unlikely to change PPS’ intentions.

As they move forward with this process, PPS officials said they’re looking at how other large school districts including Seattle, San Antonio and Cleveland have handled consolidating schools under the pressure of declining enrollment.

Portland district officials have met with folks who experienced the Southeast Guiding Coalition process to change boundaries in 2022. They’re meeting with student groups and groups of administrative assistants. Officials are also looking at the Oregon PTA’s school closure guidance.

But what if Portland didn’t close any schools at all?

Like districts across the state and the country, Portland’s enrollment has been declining for years now. When asked about reasons why, district officials pointed to a declining birth rate and folks moving out of Portland. But those are just two reasons. Several audience members asked PPS to reach out to families who live in Portland but are choosing other educational options.

District officials said that’s something the communications team is looking into.

PPS has two more community engagement sessions Saturday and Monday. The superintendent plans to present a list of schools for the board to consider closing in November.

Ashley Schofield has a fourth grader at Bridlemile Elementary School in Southwest Portland. She’s also one of the leaders of the education advocacy group Community and Parents for Public Schools.

“I think we’ve known this is coming,” Schofield said. “It’s not what we want, but it is what it is because of all the trickle-down politics of it.”

Schofield wants to let legislators know what’s going on in Portland by inviting them to hear from students, parents, families and community members. CPPS is hosting a public school funding forum May 7 with the co-chairs of the legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee, Sen. Kate Lieber (D-Portland) and Rep. Tawna Sanchez (D-Portland).

Schofield said when she met with one legislative leader, she was told the problem wasn’t insufficient funding, it was that Portland wasn’t spending it well.

“It’s relationship building. It’s not about blaming them,” Schofield said. “I think it’s about bringing them to the space, to the users of the system, and letting them know it’s not working, and you are part of the puzzle to help us.”

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/23/portland-public-schools-closing-schools/