Ruth Adkins for School Board

Four out of seven seats on the PPS school board are up for reelection this May, including the seat representing schools in the Wilson cluster and Brooklyn and Lewellyn elementary schools in SE Portland. Currently David Morgan holds the position, and he has one challenger -- Ruth Adkins. Ruth was one of the parents that organized the fight to keep Rieke Elementary open and she is a founding member of the Neighborhood Schools Alliance, a watchdog group. She's got three kids, one at Rieke, one at Robert Gray and one at Wilson.

I met Ruth a few weeks ago and liked her immediately. She's got energy and passion and a real down-to-earth persona. Last year I attended one of the "keep Rieke open" planning meetings, and was so impressed by the level of dedication and time so many of the parents were devoting to Rieke. Ruth was one of the parents leading the charge, which ultimately led to victory for Rieke. She believes in community decision-making, and has a real knack for making it happen. She also intends to challenge the magic 400 number that Vicki Phillips seems to think a school's enrollment must reach in order to stay open. She's got the experience and intellect to be a powerful advocate for our schools, so check out her Web site, read about her stance on the issues, and vote for Ruth!

Comments

[Ruth Adkins]

Thank you so much, Heather, for your endorsement!

Although I first became deeply involved in Portland Public Schools policy issues as a result of the discussions around Rieke's proposed closure, since then my focus has expanded well beyond Rieke to the entire city.

We need to include our schools in our urban planning - that is, have the school district work in partnership with the City and Metro to map out how to best utilize and preserve our existing schools within a network of strong neighborhoods. One idea is to look for opportunities to add creative uses for school buildings so that they can become true community centers as well as schools. Commissioner Erik Sten has a very exciting initiative to target City housing resources at affordable housing near schools, as well as City dollars to help improve school facilities.

I want to shift the Board's focus from reacting to declining enrollment with closures and reconfigurations to proactively working to stabilize and even increase our enrollment. Tapping into grassroots passion and energy among parents (as shown on this blog) is a key for future growth in Portland Public Schools.

Anyway, I would love for everyone to check out my website, and please donate if you can. Challenging an incumbent, I am learning, is very expensive - I will need at least $20,000 to pay for citywide mailings to voters. We have the momentum and the grassroots support to win, but we do need to raise enough money to reach those thousands of voters without children in schools. Please give what you can - it's vital that we have a strong community voice on the School Board. Thanks again for your support!

[Zarwen]

Thank you for encouraging Portland School District voters to support Ruth for School Board!

I would like to ask you and your audience to consider also supporting the other challenger, Michele Schultz. Michele has a 20-year career as a social worker and has spent a great deal of that time helping troubled youth. She also has experience recruiting and hiring professionals, which is a crucial task facing the School Board at this time. And she is the mother of two children who attend Portland Public Schools.

Portland Area Rethinking Schools describes Michele as “a surprising breath of fresh air . . . well versed in the controversial issues. . . .” The Portland Mercury’s endorsement says, ". . . like Adkins, she also wants to improve communication between the various interest groups in Portland's Public Schools." Michele has also been endorsed by the Northwest Labor Council and many, many parents, teachers, and concerned citizens, including several members of the Neighborhood Schools Alliance Steering Committee. What Michele will bring to the Portland School Board is a “bottom-up” rather than a “top-down” approach to any needed changes, as well as a “hands-off” approach where changes are NOT needed! For more information, please visit www.vote4michele.com

Southwest neighbors can meet Michele in person this Sunday at the Hillsdale Farmers market and Rieke Art Show.