Questions

Title I is the largest federal education program for public schools. It sends extra funding to schools where many students come from lower-income families, and schools use it for things like additional teachers and specialists, reading and math support, family engagement and after-school programs. In Portland Public Schools, dozens of elementary, middle and high schools receive Title I funding.

We are parents, guardians, teachers, staff and neighbors from PPS Title I school communities. We came together so that the needs of Title I students and families stay central as the district makes decisions about how schools are organized and how resources are shared.

Portland Public Schools has fewer students than it did a decade ago and more school buildings than it needs. Right-sizing is the district's plan to match schools, staffing and resources to today's enrollment. The proposals include school closures, consolidations and boundary changes. The Board is expected to decide in December, with changes taking effect the following school year.

We are not advocating for or against any individual school. Our focus is on how the decision is made: that the data is verified, that families and staff are genuinely heard, that receiving schools get the staffing and support they will need, and that the final plan advances equity rather than just spreading changes evenly.

Equality means every school is treated the same. Equity means every school gets what its students need. Communities have different needs, resources, histories and capacity to navigate change, so an equal impact does not automatically produce an equitable outcome. We ask PPS to account for those differences.

Delay is also a decision. Postponing past December pushes implementation back a full school year, while declining enrollment and stretched resources keep affecting students now. Title I communities rely more heavily on school-based supports, so they feel those constraints first. Sustained advocacy over many months also takes time, transportation, childcare and language access that not every family has. We ask PPS to use the coming weeks to listen, verify and improve the proposals, and to make the best decision possible in December.

Send us a message through the contact page and tell us which school community you are part of. Parents, teachers, neighbors and organizations are all welcome, and there is no cost to take part.

No. We never ask for or store student information, and we do not publish a student's name or photo without a family's permission.