Oregon’s largest school district is facing a $30 million deficit and the prospect of cutting some 250 positions districtwide. Interim Superintendent Sandy Husk has presented her proposed budget, which the school board will vote on later this month. Schools across the state face budget cuts, citing rising costs, limited state funding, the end of federal COVID relief money, heightened student needs since the pandemic and declining student enrollment. Portland also experienced its first-ever teachers strike in the fall, which resulted in a 14.4% cost-of-living adjustment over the next two years. Interim Superintendent Husk joins us to talk about the budget and what’s ahead for Portland Public Schools, along with Renard Adams, Chief of Research, Assessment and Accountability for the district.
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