It’s that time again… the Mercury and the Bus Project are hosting another BREWHAHA: Democracy and Drinks event!!!
This time: How do we fix Portland Public Schools? In the midst of a bitter debate about whether or not to close high schools, and how to run the ones we keep, the Mercury invites you to witness a panel of experts battle it out, high-school debate style.
- It’s like class, only with more beer
Portland Public Schools is considering a drastic overhaul of its high school system that would close two or three neighborhood campuses and convert them to much smaller magnet schools. Officials say we need change in order to shrink the racial and economic achievement gap. Some parents say, “Don’t close our school, period.“
This is a conversation that’s been going on for months, riddled with talking points and PowerPoints and sticking points. Come help derail the debate and send it off in new directions, discussing what really matters to Portland residents.
We’ll be submitting six panelists to a barrage of questions, some serious and some not, about what the future of Portland’s high schools should look like. The audience gets to vote on whose argument is most persuasive. Are you a high school student? Parent? Friend? Teacher? Come in to heckle, stay for the fine beverages.
This event is a week from today, Wednesday the 3rd of March at 7 pm, at Backspace Gallery, 115 NW 5th Ave.
Panelists include:
• David Wynde, Portland Board of Education
• Rita Moore, equity activist and former Board candidate
• Frank Cappuccio, Grant High School parent
• Xavier Botana, Chief Academic Officer, Portland Public Schools
• Dave Hamilton, Principal, Pauling Academy
• Nancy Smith, Teacher, Beaverton Public Schools
Also featuring a SURPRISE GUEST!!! And remember, these panelists won’t be saying the things they’re used to saying.
BREWHAHA
WEDNESDAY MARCH 3
7:00 PM
BACKSPACE
115 NW 5TH AVE
“How do we fix Portland Public Schools?” Same way other broke states do, add a sales tax!
Surprisingly missing from this conversation is the perspective of youth/students from all schools. I would recommend ontacting the Multnomah Youth Commission (who has an education committee) and other student voices–especially those from those schools who seem to have the most at stake. We have heard mostly in the media from Grant/Lincoln/Cleveland (to a lesser degree) students, but little in my view from students at Jefferson/Roosevelt/Madison/Marshall.
Todd – You’re absolutely right. The less-heard-from schools you mention were also conspicuously absent from the student workshop last week. And reaching out to those schools is tricky — a lot of people are so jaded by previous media inattention that they’re wary of talking now. We’re looking to round up a student or two to participate.
Wait, it’s all ages and you’re serving alcohol? How does this work?
I asked that last time, too. Apparently it works.
re: drinks and youth engagement. It may work via OLCC put really does this create an environment that is most conducive to engaging those most impacted by this discussion (students under the age of 21), no. I love me some Brewhaha but really you couldn’t consider a RootBrewHaha for this one issue? Do it for the kids!
@Josh: Yeah, that’s kinda my point, too.
@JoshT @CraigW Get over it. I was drinking regularly in British pubs from 14 and it didn’t do me any har…ah…yes…I’m an alcoholic.
We looked at other venues but Backspace is what worked out. Thanks for your concern, but this is what we’ve got. And I see plenty of kids in Backspace all the time.
Also I mentioned I was drinking in British pubs at 14, right?
@DLS 3.0: We passed something like that a month ago. It was a 0.1% sales tax, and the “citizens for job killing taxes” said it would cause all the businesses to leave the state and increase unemployment. (And 45% of the state believed them.) How do you expect a real (5-9%) sales tax would do?
A sales tax won’t necessarily solve anything. There was a recent article on the cheating in class blog which lays out how much Title 1 money Portland Public Schools underspent last year. Title 1 money is designed to specifically to help lower income students and to help increase achievement. In some cases, it’s about the money. In this case, it’s about the leadership. The reality is, there is money in school failure. The only reason PPS is doing this now is becuase they will be up for NCLB sanctions soon if they don’t create new schools. If by PPS’s own admission in some cases, up to 70% of students enter high school unprepared for success, no great new magnet or comprehensive school will make a difference. Tell PPS to finish f***ing up or fixing the k-* and then talk to me about high school redesign.
I think some are taking this event a little too seriously. It is supposed to be a funny, heckling type of event. It will have no real impact on the future of Portland’s High Schools. The real discussions are happening at School Board meetings and HS Redesign Sessions. The Bus project events are always pretty funny and off the wall.