02/12/2013
What do you think about the Police Bureau?
The Portland Police Bureau is asking interested neighbors to fill out a survey about police participation and communication, writing, "The survey itself is available online at http://neighborhoodassociationsurvey.questionpro.com/, and should take about 20-25 minutes to complete. The survey asks questions about the demographics of our association, the specific participation of police with the Arbor Lodge neighborhood, and what kind of interactions with the police bureau you would like to see. Even if you have had limited or no involvement with the police bureau we would still ask you to take the survey, as the information about the lack of outreach from the bureau is important to us"
02/09/2013
Position Statement: Jefferson Cluster Enrollment Balancing
The text below is ALNA's position on the Superintendent's recommendation to the PPS School Board regarding Chief Joseph and Ockley Green schools. Maybe see some of your neighbors at the public hearing at Jefferson High School Cafeteria today from 10am-noon, or on Monday evening at the School Board meeting!
Dear Superintendent Smith and Members of the Board:
Arbor Lodge contains campuses for two thriving school communities: Chief Joseph and Ockley Green. As representatives of the Arbor Lodge Neighborhood, we are compelled to comment on Superintendent Smith’s recommendations for the Jefferson Cluster. We have held meetings with our board, our neighbors, and most recently, hosted an open forum with over 40 Ockley Green and Chief Joseph parents and community members to discuss the future of our neighborhood schools. After months of engaging our community, we are deeply concerned at direction the school board is poised to take in Arbor Lodge.
North and northeast Portland have a sordid history with the Portland Public School system shuffling and restructuring schools all too often. In addition to a quality education, schools should provide a stable community for students. Gutting Ockley Green’s magnet and special education programs as well as eventual closure of Chief Joseph do just the opposite. Among the most affected by these changes are those that rely on school busing and students with special needs – in short, disadvantaged students who rely on school to develop their resilience.
Further, the demographics of our neighborhood are changing, and the number of families with school age children and children on the way are growing. Recent census data show that while there has been a drop in K-8 students in Arbor Lodge, there has been a 28.8% increase in adults ages 25 – 34, which strongly suggests a coming increase in school-age children. We urge in the strongest possible terms that the School Board not close the campus of either Ockley Green or Chief Joseph schools. We need a viable, livable and equitable solution for the future that takes into account coming changes in student population. The school board has already indicated that in three years, they will be reevaluating their transfer policy and enrollment across the district, meaning that these students and communities could be very soon disrupted again.
In the recently released background report for the upcoming Portland Plan, schools are identified as “central to community vitality, neighborhood identity and the well-being of all Portlanders.” (p. 8) The Plan also recognizes public schools as “multifunctional neighborhood anchors to serve local residents of all generations.”(p. 40) When families invest in a school, they also invest in local businesses, homes, parks and playgrounds. Families build ties as they volunteer in the neighborhood and as their children walk, bike and carpool together to school. Neighbors of all generations utilize SUN School programming at these campuses. These ties create a community destined to be more safe and resilient in the face of all kinds of challenges. We care deeply about the communities that are formed around these schools, as shown through our support of the new “Harper’s Playground,” a fully accessible playground adjacent to Chief Joseph, strengthening the school as a hub in our neighborhood. Superintendent Smith’s recommendation for the Jefferson Cluster threatens to cut our neighborhood anchors and scatter families to the wind, jeopardizing our neighborhood ecosystem.
These schools are the heart of our neighborhood. Shutting the doors to either continues a sad history plaguing our community for decades. We demand that Portland Public Schools put a stop to hasty closures until they can develop viable, equitable long-term solutions. Now is the time to change history and prove to the citizens of north and northeast Portland that instead of expecting to continually feel the brunt of budget cuts, we will see that burden shared equitably district-wide.Sincerely,
Katy Asher, Chairon behalf of the Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Association Board of Directors:Ginger Edwards, Gavin Hamilton, Steph Lanning, AlexSandra, Katie Chastain,Brian Edelschick, Bob Meehan, Sharon Parker and Nate Young
02/04/2013
Meeting Notice: Emergency Board Meeting re: Neighborhood Schools
Portland Public Schools is considering a proposal to change programming at both Arbor Lodge neighborhood schools: Ockley Green and Chief Joseph. The ALNA Board will meet this coming Wednesday, February 6th at 7:45pm at the Historic Kenton Firehouse to develop a response to these proposed changes.
In relation to these two schools, the school board is considering the following:Merging Chief Joseph K-5 and Ockley Green PK-8 into a single neighborhood PK-8 school and close the Ockley Green focus option program.
Chief Joseph and Ockley Green would operate as a shared campus while a phase-out of the Ockley Green magnet program occurs. The distribution of grades between buildings during that transition period would be determined.
Students attending the Ockley Green focus option program may remain in the merged PK-8, return to their neighborhood school, or apply to attend King PK-8.
A process to determine leadership of the merged school would include staff and community input.
The Chief Joseph building would ultimately close and all students would attend on the Ockley campus, which would undergo a re-naming in collaboration with the Native American community.
01/31/2013
Town Hall Announcement from Sen. Chip Shields
Reminder:
Town Hall
When: This Saturday, February 2nd from 10am-12pm
Where: the Classic Foods building on 817 NE Madrona St. Portland, OR 97211, near the Dekum St. Triangle in NE Portland (map)
Join me, House Speaker Tina Kotek and State Rep. Lew Frederick for a town hall this Saturday, February 2nd at Classic Foods in NE Portland. This is a great opportunity to hear what we are working on and to share your ideas and concerns for the 2013 legislative session.
Parking is very limited, so we encourage alternative modes of transportation. If traveling by bus, Tri-Met's bus lines 8 and 6 will take you to NE Dekum and NE Martin Luther King Blvd. Their trip planner can be found at www.trimet.org. The Classic Foods building is handicap accessible and there is handicap parking available in their small parking lot on the NW side of the building, off of 7th St.
If you have questions, need special assistance, or can't make it but would like to share your thoughts and concerns, please contact my office by emailing me at sen.chipshields@state.or.us or calling 503-231-2564.
I hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
Senator Chip Shields
D-22, N/NE Portland
01/27/2013
Update: January 27th 2013
Save the date
March 9th, 9am-12pm
1st work party of 2013 for Arbor Lodge Park
and Harper's Playground
9:00
Greeting, find an activity (weeding, spreading bark mulch, etc.)
Grab a donut, some grapes, drink water or coffee
10:30
Break for information meeting, or continue your activity.
The info meeting will invite you to consider joining
a Friends Group for Arbor Lodge Park and Harper's Playground
11:00
Finish up activities in park/playground
12:00
Wrap it up, put the tools away
Questions? ginger.edws@gmail.com