More on the Portland School Board

Interesting article in Willamette Week today, about a $4,000 contract from PPS to a freelance journalist to write positive stories about schools in the district. “Interesting” most of all, because two incumbent Board members who approved the expenditure waffle when asked about it, while the two active school-volunteer moms challenging them are clear their priorities for spending would be elsewhere.

Our resources are way too limited,” says Ruth Adkins, a challenger to Morgan in Zone 1. “It seems to me we don’t need to be hiring out to do PR.”

From 2001 to 2007, the district’s communications staff grew from six to 11 people.

Michele Schultz, who’s challenging Wynde in Zone 2, echoed Adkins’ concern.

“If the goal is to the get the word out, there are clearly ways to do that without writing a contract and expending district funds,” says Schultz. “Schools are in the business of providing education, not news.”

Morgan says the results of the agreement may need review. “To the extent that it’s true, it needs to be examined,” says Morgan.

Makes me wonder why it wasn’t “examined” when the contract was approved. Some may say, “It’s only $4,000, out of a Budget (pdf) of about $360 million.” My response is that folks thinking like that, haven’t recently been involved in trying to patch together funding for things like art, music, drama, tutoring, PE, or smaller class sizes in Portland Public Schools, using bake sales, auctions, sponsored runs, raffles, and sundry other begging. If the Board is going to contract out authorship of PR articles, open the job up for bids and give preference to student journalists from one of our ten high school campuses.

We need School Board members who watch out for every penny coming in and going out.