Hundreds of parents and students packed the West Sylvan Middle School gym, Monday Nov. 16, to discuss proposed changes to schools on Portland's west side.
Rob Manning / OPB
A Portland schools advisory committee has published a
to enrollment boundaries for much of the city's west side.
The scenario from Portland Public Schools staff responds to concerns that
didn't solve Chapman Elementary's crowding problems. The scenario would further reduce crowding at Chapman. It’d also rein in growth at Capitol Hill Elementary through boundary moves affecting four other west side elementary schools.
District-wide Boundary Review Advisory Committee
member Michael Reunert said parents should weigh in, starting at a meeting Thursday.
"A lot of these lines could be moved a little bit one way or another," Reunert said at a recent advisory committee meeting.
"Some of them don't line up really well with current neighborhood boundaries. Some of them do result in a limited number of kids that could walk to a current school would have to be bussed to another school."
"So, I think there will be options for the community to make suggestions," Reunert said.
As in previous proposals, the Odyssey program would move from the Hayhurst building to East Sylvan. Skyline School isn't affected — it would remain a K-8 that feeds Lincoln High School.
But enrollments under the new proposal would shift slightly between middle schools, and between Lincoln and Wilson high schools.
Education reporter Rob Manning spoke with OPB All Things Considered host Kate Davidson about the proposed boundary changes. You can hear their conversation by clicking on the audio player above.