Today the Portland Public Schools Board of Education voted to approve the contract that authorizes outside legal counsel Amy Joseph Pedersen of Stoel Rives to engage Bob Weaver and Joy Ellis of the law firm Garvey Schubert Barer to lead the investigation into the Mitch Whitehurst matter and provide recommendations to strengthen district policies, practice and procedures for employee complaints and misconduct as it relates to students.  Norm Frink, retired Multnomah County Chief Deputy District Attorney with over 35 years as a public prosecutor and experience in the Portland region, will also be on the team. 

On Saturday, September 16, dozens of PPS staff and volunteers fanned-out across Portland to knock on doors and reach out to students who have disconnected from school. These door-knockers invited students back to school and offered resources to help them re-engage with their education.

Architectural Digest picked Roosevelt High School as one of the most beautiful high schools in the nation. According to the story, “while many high school buildings might be rather bland from a design perspective, there are others that are veritable works of art.”

The honor comes as crews are putting finishing touches on a full modernization of the school, thanks to a voter-approved bond.  

For an educator and a parent like me, the start of the school year carries the promise of new beginnings and fresh possibilities.

This sense of excitement and potential is in full swing as Portland Public Schools gets ready to open its doors Wednesday to nearly 50,000 students. Among them are our future engineers, nurses, artists, and teachers. All of them will require the critical thinking and collaboration skills that will equip them to be leaders and make this a better world.

We will do all we can to deliver those skills.