Members of the Portland Public School Board are reconsidering their decision to end the year-round calendar at Rosa Parks Elementary School after parents complained that the district failed to communicate the end of the program adequately.
Following heated testimony at last week's school board meeting, board members Julia Brim-Edwards and Paul Anthony have drafted a resolution to extend the year-round schedule through the 2019-2020 calendar.
Brim-Edwards says the resolution also recommends the school community and district staff have a much more comprehensive discussion about the school’s calendar, academics and support needed for Parks' success.
She expects to vote on the reversal March 12.
"The best path forward for the school district and the school community is to have a year-round calendar for 2019 and 2020 — the next school year — and then use that time to have a deeper discussion with the entire Rosa Parks School community around the calendar, the offerings of the school and how we can provide supports for the students and staff, whether they have a traditional calendar or a year-round one," Brim-Edwards said.
The North Portland school serves a largely low-income population. It switched to a year-round schedule five years ago to prevent what teachers call the summer slide. Board members proposed ending that schedule to align the school with the rest of the district.