Matt Morton: Why I'm running for Portland school board
Matt Morton
By Matt Morton of Portland, Oregon. Matt is a candidate for Portland school board (zone 2). Election day is Tuesday, May 17.
We talk a lot about livability in Portland. We talk about transit, and we talk about small businesses, but we don't talk enough about public education. I believe public education is intimately tied to the vitality of our community.
My name is Matt Morton, and I'm running for the School Board because Portland Public Schools are falling far short of what a livable city's schools should be. Too many of our kids are failing to meet even the most basic academic standards, and many are graduating unprepared to take full advantage of the opportunities that await them. Our kids deserve better.
As a member of the Portland School Board, I plan to help every kid in every school get an excellent public education. As Deputy Director of the National Indian Child Welfare Association--a position in which I oversee a staff of twenty-four and a multi-million dollar budget--I have developed the tools I need to be an effective school board member. Meaningful engagement, thoughtful action, and responsible stewardship of our resources will be my guiding values as we work together to improve educational achievement in our schools.
In closing the educational achievement gap, we must look to community partners for support and guidance. As board chair of the Native American Youth and Family Center, I helped start an alternative school for Portland-area Native students. About 31% of Native students graduate Portland Public Schools; our school graduates 88%. Organizations like this could help advise and guide the district to better serve every kid in every school.
My wife and I live with our two-year-old son in North Portland. We know the students attending our neighborhood schools, Jefferson and Humboldt, have tremendous potential, but they need greater support from the district. If elected, I will work to ensure that these students, and all students throughout the district, receive the educational opportunities and support they deserve.
I'm proud to live in Portland. We're a community filled with dedicated and passionate people working together to create a better future for our city. Educating our kids is the keystone to keeping our community vibrant and livable.
If you have any questions for me, I would love to answer them. I can be reached by email at [email protected], or by phone at (971) 208-3340. You can also check out my website at mattmorton.info.
I ask for your vote on or before May 17.
(Editor's note: Other candidates for Portland school board are invited to submit "Why I'm running" guest columns.)
|
May 10, 2011
|
More Recent Posts | |
Albert Kaufman |
|
Guest Column |
|
Kari Chisholm |
|
Kari Chisholm |
Final pre-census estimate: Oregon's getting a sixth congressional seat |
Albert Kaufman |
Polluted by Money - How corporate cash corrupted one of the greenest states in America |
Guest Column |
|
Albert Kaufman |
Our Democrat Representatives in Action - What's on your wish list? |
Kari Chisholm |
|
Guest Column |
|
Kari Chisholm |
|
connect with blueoregon
10:30 a.m.
May 11, '11
Matt
Two questions.
First, what is your plan if (as seems likely) the construction bond issue fails?
Second, are you ready to make the hard choices regarding high schools? We have a high school system built for 66,000 students (our peak in the 1950s) yet we continue to avoid closing or consolidating schools.
Jefferson is perhaps the most politically contentious example. Current enrollment is 621, down 27% in the last decade, in a school designed for twice that number, yet we are taking a stab at another major reconstruction and redesign?
I don't want to sound negative, but with four children in the public schools, I am well aware of the challenges. Things have gotten worse, not better, in the past decade. Most of my colleagues at Reed College send their children to private schools or are moving out of the district.
2:20 p.m.
May 11, '11
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your questions. It's hard to say whether the construction bond will pass at this point since so much work is being done on both sides of the issue. Regardless of what happens, though, I will push for a long-term operation & maintenance plan for the district's properties. The district has kept this too far down the priority list for far too long.
It's also important to recognize that PPS has closed a number of high schools since the height of the high school enrollment in the late 60's. High schools that have been closed include: Jackson, Adams, Washington, Monroe, and now Marshall. In our current economic situation, there is likely to remain a constant tension between the number of neighborhood high schools in our system that people will want and the ability to offer a robust program that can meet the needs of every student. This isn't an unmanageable tension, but it is real nonetheless. So yes, I'm ready to make the hard choices regarding our schools, and I'll do so while considering two important questions: 1) Does the decision strengthen or weaken the health and stability of our entire district? and 2) Does the decision improve outcomes in our core competency of educating Portland's youth?
Thanks again for your questions, Paul. I appreciate you taking the time to comment on my post.
Matt
1:17 p.m.
May 11, '11
That has the ring of trying to tee up pushing charter schools instead of addressing the issues of our public schools.
Can you expand and clarify what you are trying to say in the part I quoted so I am not guilty of misinterpreting what that reads like to me?
2:36 p.m.
May 11, '11
Hi Mitchell,
Thanks for seeking out more clarification. No, I'm not trying to tee up charter schools--the last line of the paragraph you quoted is really my main point. I plan to encourage PPS to seek out partnerships that build the district's competency in serving all students. If you're familiar with our current achievement gap, it's clear the district needs help serving communities of color. For our public education system to survive, the district must build its own capacity to serve an increasingly diverse student population. Fortunately, there are a number of culturally-specific, community-based organizations throughout the city that can help us build the capacity to meet that need.
Thanks again for your question.
Matt
5:59 p.m.
May 11, '11
Thanks for your reply Matt.
However, when you say " I plan to encourage PPS to seek out partnerships that build the district's competency in serving all students" that sounds even more like coded language about pushing for vouchers and charter schools and away from addressing the issues needed to improve public schools.
If you could be more specific about what you mean by having "culturally-specific" "community-based" organizations "help build the capacity to meet that need" that might help clarify and put to ease concerns that you are looking to privatize public schools.
Thank you in advance.
7:31 p.m.
May 11, '11
Thanks again for your question, Mitchel. Let me be crystal clear: I do not want to privatize public education. I don't believe it's in the best interest of our district of our students.
Like I previously stated, for our public education system to survive, the district must build its own capacity to serve an increasingly diverse student population. Partnering with culturally-specific, community-based organizations may be an opportunity for the district to immediately and positively impact the achievement gap, particularly when it comes to serving students of color.
I'm suggesting that we create smart partnerships focused on providing the types of supports we need to serve marginalized communities. You can look to the SUN Schools as an example of a smart partnership between PPS and Multnomah County.
Thanks, Matt