That third rail is hot isn't it Carole?

She's waiting for Homer or Joe to make a better offer for the Marshall building . . .

I have no idea what the proposal will be. But I gaurantee some neighborhood somewhere is going to be furious.

And I don't blame them for being upset.

But I think this is one of those proposals like ripping off a bandaid, just do it, get the pain over with and then move on with the healing.

In this wreckage that passes for an education system in Portland, we can only anticipate one more in a long line of efforts to pretend that the situation is otherwise, or that it is salvageable.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/magazine/23Race-t.html

Start on page 5, with the tale of two secondary schools in New York.

The teachers' union is particularly out of control in Portland, as any administrator would second.

A few years ago, I was a part of an effort to start a charter school in Portland. Dinosaur forces had jerked us around for many months. These forces had only been reined in when it was clear we would seek state sponsorship and would probably get it. If we had State sponsorship instead of PPS sponsorship, PPS would lose a huge cut of the school's state enrollment dollars. So, reluctantly, after union goons and their allies had been trying for months to make us simply go away, PPS approved the application. That very night, both my husband's car and my car were pelted with eggs. So surprising that all the other cars parked on the street got missed.

Good news: No school closures. Bad news: Developers are lining up to usurp the play fields and beloved open spaces around our neighborhood schools. In fact, Marshall and Franklin are both already zoned for Industrial Residential development.

Evidently IRd has it's own peachy-zoney color on Portlandmaps, but the color key accompanying the zoning maps for these public lands doesn't include it. But if you look further, there is this definition:

IR (Residential Institutional) zone
The IR zone is a multi-use zone that provides for the establishment and growth of large institutional campuses as well as higher density residential development. The IR zone recognizes the valuable role of institutional uses in the community. However, these institutions are generally in residential areas where the level of public services is scaled to a less intense level of development. Institutional uses are often of a significantly different scale and character than the areas in which they are located. Intensity and density are regulated by the maximum number of dwelling units per acre and the maximum size of buildings permitted. Some commercial and light industrial uses are allowed, along with major event entertainment facilities and other uses associated with institutions. Residential development allowed includes all structure types. Mixed use projects including both residential development and institutions are allowed as well as single use projects that are entirely residential or institutional. IR zones will be located near one or more streets that are designated as District Collector streets, Transit Access Streets, or streets of higher classification. IR zones will be used to implement the Comprehensive Plan’s Institutional Campus designation. The IR zone will be applied only when it is accompanied by the “d” Design Review overlay zone.

Note that while Marshall might stay as a focus school, they are quick to say that sports are gone at Marshall. No need for those idle sports fields once sports are nixed.

The only other high school with IRd designation is Jefferson, so when it eventually closes, it is appropriately zoned for private development or to be swallowed by PCC with ease.

The other good news? No worries about a summer of public meetings fighting zone changes. The heavy lifting of zone change requiring public input was done under a different guise quite some time ago.

Hey, maybe the Portland Beavers will be moving to Lents after all . . .

I'm excited that Carole will be announcing that PPS will oppose the formation of another urban renewal area in downtown, plus ask for their fair share of existing absconded urban renewal dollars from education. She'll also be announcing pay freezes and employee participation to benefit costs. This will more than solve PPS's deficit.