Portland Public Schools is trying to close LEP, a beloved and successful charter high school, under suspicious and questionable circumstances. Parents, students, and faculty are outraged. The community should take notice and speak out. The children of Portland are pawns in a cynical and corrupt game ran and rigged by PPS. It is wrong.
By any measure LEP (Leadership and Entrepreneurship Charter High School) is a success. LEP is the exception: LEP works. And Portland Public wants to shut LEP down. Why?
The facts are ugly, and place PPS in a compromising position. PPS has been withholding funds from LEP. PPS is deliberately withholding money paid by taxpayers that is meant to pass through their district and support LEP's impoverished students’ education. Lack of full state funding for poverty students; Withholding School Improvement money; and, Withholding foster care funding; are just a few of the tactics PPS has used to sabotage LEP. Indeed, PPS has gone so far as to deny bus passes and reduced lunch to the students at LEP. All in all the district is withholding well over half a million dollars from LEP.
LEP High serves about 250 students from 20 area public schools. LEP helps students who haven't been successful in other schools. 65% of the students live at the poverty level,; 20% of the students have learning disabilities; all have hopes of attending college.
LEP also attracts students with a keen interest in business and entrepreneurship. Project-based learning, small class sizes, dedicated faculty, and an emphasis on leadership skills makes LEP one of the finest high schools in Oregon, or the country.
At LEP Students are engaged. The faculty is passionate and committed. At LEP both parents and students are involved. LEP is a model of what a good school should be. So why is PPS trying to close LEP?
The district points to financial problems, but sources inside the system note the district is being disingenuous. The district has been withholding state funds from LEP all along. In addition, the district first promised and then refused to help LEP find a location, all the while PPS has buildings which sit empty. The real problem may be that PPS wants LEP to fail. The problem may be PPS has no love for charter schools. Indeed, it may be only byzantine, beaureacratic politics that will shut down a thriving, successful school.
Spread the word by letting people know that this occurs right here in Portland and that now is the time to help accomplish what is right for our youth.
Flood the PPS Board member’s e-mails and voice lines with messages supporting the school’s charter renewal.
Show up at the March 30th board meeting at 7PM (501 N. Dixon St.) when they will officially vote, and bring everyone possible to show wide-spread support for LEP, and quality education.
Write other political leaders to gain help on these issues and put pressure on the school board. Some people might include Mayor Sam Adams, Governor Kulongoski, Senators Wyden and Merkley, and the Portland City Commissioners.
Flood the media with requests to help expose these issues. The more media exposure to these underlying issues the better.
Comments
Thank you for bringing this issue to the fore - I cannot imagine what PPS is thinking. It is an extremely poor idea, and seems to be without reason or merit.
what????? you would have them "circumvent the judidical process" by participating in the system? You would have them "circumvent the judidicial process" by exercising their rights? Are you nuts? Just four days ago you were all against people participating in the process in accordance with the law and trying to the affect the passage of law, etc.
This situation is no different in principle. So, either you are dishonest (my bet) or idiotic (not a bad bet, but I think a low yield odds bet)
The quotes around " circumvent the judidial process" are because I am quoting your column of 12Mar09.
An honest man, even if mistaken, could not encourage citizen involvement in this situation while calling it circumvention of the judidicial process in the other.
I suspect you have no moral compass or ethical rudder.
Angry with you! Damned right! I hate a hypocrite.
My previous comment notwithstanding, on this particular issue, I agree with you. funny how you don't agree with your own alleged principles depending on your personal comfort with whatever the subject may be. Principles are not flexible, ethics are not situational. you have them or you don't.
I do hope the parents and children win this battle. My position is consistent, yours is not. So even though you are correct on this issue, how can anyone trust you? That could just be the affirmation of the law of averages.
All public school districts would be against any private or charter schools and/or home schooling. In their mind this is competition both because those options usually breed more successful students and because each student in those programs is a budget that the PPS did not receive. Funneling money to any such program through a PPS is like asking a pocket-picker to hold watch wallet while you take a swim in the pool... something bad is going to happen!
What can we tell Mayor Adams when the man he has picked to be his educational advisor, is one of the orginal founders of LEP and behind the bookkeeping/paperwork problems of the charter school? So many kids have put their hearts and souls into a school that they will be forced to leave as they should be getting ready for their senior year and college. So many disappointed tears... Thanks, Mayor Adams and Reese Lord. Great example for the future leadership, when things get tough, take your cash, hit the door running and let someone else close the door and deal with the broken hearts.
As someone who is deeply involved with this school, I obviously think of this event as a tragedy.
I want to be clear on a previous comment about Reese Lord. Having worked closely with him these past few years before he went to Mayor Adam's office, I can personally vouch that this financial issue is NOT his doing. It is largely caused by the funding inequities described above. We strive to do more with much less funding. Additionally, when funding streams we counted on were withheld, it put us in a very difficult situation. Our audits (outside auditors) have always stated that we have "no material deficiencies". Zpup, your statements about "taking the cash and running" are completely our of line and untrue. Before spewing rants that have no backing, get your facts straight. If you have proof of this issue, then state it. However you can't because there wasn't anything done wrong on Reese's part. Even his salary was much lower than almost ANY Director in a similar organization. PPS Principals make over 100K AND Reese has an MBA along with his Admin degree. Most other Directors/Principals don't have this. Please get your facts straight before publishing damaging and inaccurate information. If you have an issue with Mayor Adams, fine, but bring it up with him and keep Reese and our school out of it.
LEP serves a large population of 49% minority and 68% low income students. It also has 27% students in the talented and gifted program.
If PPS is not supporting these students and now wants to take away a successful program that serves them. PPS has withheld funds they received for the students at LEP.
LEP is able to provide an amazing program for 40% less money than district schools. Please tell the PPS board to support LEP charter High.
I apolgize to anyone that took my comments in a way that I did not intend. I was not stating literaly any statement about how much money anyone was paid. I don't know enough of the school's interstructure to think about forming an opinion on that; it was so far from what I was trying to express, I'll try again.
Someone was responsible for making sure that PPSD paid LEP their fair share of the pie. Why are kids worried about raising money, when, if you add up what the district owes LEP there shouldn't be a problem? Have I got that part correct? Mr. Lord was co director of LEP and is now on Mayor Adam's staff as his top educational advisor; he KNOWS what a success story LEP is for so many students. He is part of the lifeline that these kids were thrown, although the kids did do the catching and holding on to that lifeline. Why isn't the mayor's office demanding justice for the kids in this city? For many it doesn't look like leadership when the school that depended on someone goes bust the same year that they're getting a career stepping stone. Does commitment and leadership stop when you walk out the door? Doesn't that sense of commitment and pride at what your organization and the kids created get carried on to new life chapters? Please, don't misunderstand, I am not talking about Mr. Lord, personally, I'm talking about the mayor's office and the support that the local government should be throwing behind these kids, by virtue of who Mayor Adams hired for his top job, and in spite of what PPSD is trying to do (and I do question, what's the point?). The mayor's office must know what this city will be losing if LEP closes. If LEP closes, we have around 100 senior kids looking for a new high school for their last year. How many of them will end up as part of the local homeless kid community downtown? And how many will end up as college freshmen in two years if they are left to finish what they started.
Again I'm don't mean to throw stones at one person. I mean to have a big bag of rocks and dump it down from the balcony of city hall. A lot of kids are going to be hurt if PPSD gets its way. And no one seems to have a GOOD answer as to why. The school should be able to collect what it is owed by the district... Wher is our local city government, because we all have a large stake in this outcome.
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