Updated. ENROLLMENT BALANCING: Why we need it and how we re doing it. Building blocks for right-sizing schools. Right-sizing schools

Transcription

1 PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS ENROLLMENT BALANCING: Why we need it and how we re doing it A ll PPS schools are committed to providing a strong education for students. With dedicated and talented teachers, school staff and leaders, many schools achieve this despite less than ideal conditions: Some schools use learning spaces not designed as classrooms due to overcrowding. Updated Some are under-enrolled and challenged to provide the full range of offerings and support students need at every grade level. And some schools are housed in buildings too small to provide optimal learning spaces at all grade levels. PPS enrollment is projected to grow by about 5,000 students in the next decade. This creates an opportunity to balance enrollment and manage growth to support strong schools in all neighborhoods, investing in the continued vitality of our city. Right-sizing schools A school is the right size when the number and grade levels of students attending can be served well in the school building s existing space and supports a full teacher and staff team to meet all students needs, since most of a school s funding is determined by its enrollment Building blocks for right-sizing schools 1. Core program: The core academic program in PPS schools 2. Preferred enrollment: The ideal number and distribution of students to support the staff to provide the core program across grade levels and student needs 3. Overcrowded and under-enrolled schools: Enrollment and building capacity 4. K-8 s and K-5/Middle Schools: Rethinking the mix 5. Getting to solutions: How proposals are being developed 6. Next steps: Community feedback opportunities and the timeline for possible changes More information: Click on Growing Great Schools ppsgrows@pps.net

2 1. CORE PROGRAM T he core academic program in Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grades includes prescribed time blocks in the following areas: Grades: PK-5 Literacy/Reading Writing Library Social Studies Enrichment (3 times weekly: Physical education (PE) and such options as music, art, dance, band, drama) Math Academic Support (as required) Science World Language (offered in dual-language immersion programs) Wellness English Language Development (as required) Grades: 6-8 Language Arts/Reading & Writing Wellness Social Studies Library with Integrated Technology Science Math Enrichments (3 times weekly - art, drama, band, dance, music, etc.) Physical Education (2 times weekly) World Language (1-2 years) Assessment and technology (supports instruction, all grades) Academic Support (as required) English Language Development (as required) The District is committed to equal opportunity and nondiscrimination in all its educational and employment activities. The District prohibits discrimination based on race; national or ethnic origin; color; sex; religion; age; sexual orientation; gender expression or identity; pregnancy; marital status; familial status; economic status or source of income; mental or physical disability or perceived disability; or military service. 2

3 2. PREFERRED ENROLLMENT P Right-sized schools Without using extra funding, including: The word sections means the number of classrooms per grade, such as three 2nd grade classrooms or two 5th grade classrooms. PS determined the enrollment levels that would afford enough teachers to provide the core program to all students in grades K-8 using the current PPS staffing allocation: Special Education, English as a Second Language or federal antipoverty (Title One) funding K-8 Schools: 3 sections per grade District-allocated, equity staffing funds to schools with high percentages of historically underserved students 2 sections per grade can work but doesn t protect against annual enrollment fluctuation. Parent fundraising/school foundations or grants K-5 Schools: With an average class size of 30 students and planning time for teachers built in. 3-4 sections per grade 2 sections per grade can also work but doesn t protect against annual enrollment fluctuation. If these additional sources of funding were included, average class size would be lower than the 30 students used in this analysis. Middle Schools: A minimum of 450 students Assumes that middle schools have 2-4 K-5 feeder schools 3

4 3. OVERCROWDED AND UNDER-ENROLLED SCHOOLS Enrollment and building capacity S The analysis of overcrowding and underenrollment is not a measurement of which schools are doing a good job, nor will every school highlighted experience change. This analysis is a snapshot of conditions in our schools related to enrollment and building capacity that allow for a discussion about possible improvements. chools are overcrowded if their enrollment requires more teachers to provide the academic program than there are classrooms. Schools are under-enrolled if they have so few students that they need extra funding to offer the core academic program across all grade levels, limiting the range of electives available at some schools. Updated:

5 4. K-8S AND K-5/MIDDLE SCHOOLS: RETHINKING THE MIX F rom 2003 to 2013, PPS closed or consolidated 23 schools, in most cases consolidating K-5 and middle schools into K-8 schools and closing Marshall High School. Reasons included: Educating more students in fewer schools amid declining enrollment and funding. Keeping siblings together and allowing for older students to assist younger. The chance for families & staff to form relationships over a longer period. Fewer transitions for students. Challenges Affording middle grade students a robust academic program is one key to a successful K-8. This has proven challenging over time: Many of the K-8 buildings were elementary schools and lack the space K-8 s with low middle grade enrollment are challenged to support a to fully support middle grade students who change classrooms for full staff, requiring a subsidy or dipping into funds meant for extra different subjects. supports, just to offer the core program. Board resolution As part of enrollment balancing in the Jefferson cluster ( ), the Portland School Board approved a resolution that set in motion the planning for district-wide boundary review to address city-wide demographic shifts. The resolution also raised the possibility of shifting from just K-8s in the Jefferson cluster to a mix of K-8s and K-5/middle schools, opening the door to a district-wide analysis. Resolution: Survey results PPS and the District-wide Boundary Review Advisory Committee surveyed the values that PPS community members felt should shape strategies for managing enrollment growth. The PPS 2025 survey (Full results at: found that among the more than 4,000 parents, students, staff and community members who responded: 71% agreed that students should have the opportunity to attend a middle school (grades 6-8) offering a variety of classes even if that means more transitions between schools. The middle school preference persisted racial groups (71-77% with the slight exception of Latino respondents - 59%) and across high school clusters, and students, parents, staff and community members. 6

6 5. GETTING TO SOLUTIONS: HOW PROPOSALS ARE DEVELOPED P PS and the District-wide Boundary Review Advisory Committee are releasing proposals to balance enrollment in view of: The core program all students need and the staff needed to provide it. Preferred enrollment and school building capacity needed to support the core program for all students. Overcrowded and under-enrolled schools. The need for a better mix of K-8 and K-5/middle schools. Guiding values To guide this work, the District-Wide Boundary Review Advisory Committee adopted and the school board approved a set of values and desired outcomes: Equity in the process of making changes and in the outcomes; Access to equitable and effective programs for all students Goals Strong and stable enrollment in all schools; A clear, responsive and transparent process; School buildings that provide appropriate learning environments for all students. Evidence that a racial equity lens has been incorporated into scenarios to right-size schools. With these considerations, following is how PPS is developing proposals: INPUTS Preferred enrollment: At least two sections/ grade and specified number of students per section Some K-8s become K-5/middle schools Existing capacity in schools Location of special programs, such as immersion and prek Most current enrollment and forecasted enrollment for 2020 Limited change to high school feeder patterns where possible ANALYSIS PPS is using a custombuilt computer program to generate approaches for balancing enrollment. The program takes into account all inputs and then optimizes for proximity from home to school and/or limited change for students. It generates a map and data by which to measure the effectiveness of this approach. VALUES LENS Proposals weighed against measurements of guiding values: Proximity from school to home REALITY CHECK ADJUSTMENTS Aberrations, such as non-contiguous boundaries, are fixed. Proposals adjusted to better reflect values. RELEASE Oct. 29: Proposals released to DBRAC and community for feedback. Sufficient enrollment to support core program Schools not over-crowded Keeping students together through grade level transitions Equity lens* Limited change for students where possible 7 * Measured by the number of high poverty schools before and after the proposed changes; In addition, all data are broken out by race and socioeconomic status to allow for tracking the impact on these groups.

7 6. NEXT STEPS: COMMUNITY FEEDBACK Timeline Comment November: DBRAC and community comment on proposals. Considering January/February: School board considers proposal, takes additional feedback. Refinement December: DBRAC incorporates community feedback into proposal Adoption to Superintendent. January/February: School board is anticipated to vote on changes. Finalizing Implementation January: Superintendent makes final proposal to Portland School Board. Fall 2016: Changes begin, may phase in over time. Community meetings Nov. 9 Tuesday 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Hosford Middle School 2303 SE 28th Place, Nov p.m. to 8 p.m. César Chávez K-8 School 5103 N Willis Blvd., Thursday Nov p.m. to 8 p.m. Center for Intercultural Organizing 700 N Killingsworth St., Nov a.m. to noon Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO) 8114 SE Division St., Nov p.m. to 8 p.m. West Sylvan Middle School 8111 SW West Slope Dr., Tuesday Nov p.m. to 8 p.m. Charles Jordan Community Center 9009 N. Foss Ave., Tuesday Nov p.m. to 8 p.m. Latino Network@Madison High School (En español) 2735 NE 82nd Ave., Wednesday Nov p.m. to 8 p.m. Roseway Heights K-8 School 7334 NE Siskiyou St., Nov p.m. to 8 p.m. Markham K-5 School SW Capitol Hwy., Child care and interpretation in supported languages provided at meetings. Other opportunities to comment Twitter Town Hall: Nov. 2, noon-1 p.m.; follow #askpps Online survey coming: click Growing Great Schools Facebook Town Hall: Nov. 2, 7-8 p.m.; ppsgrows@pps.net 8