For Southeast Portland parents wondering what the future holds for their children’s neighborhood classrooms, October 5th brought long-awaited specifics…and a shock: Rightly or wrongly, parents had been expecting the list to be devoted entirely to elementary schools. But both proposed lists consisted of elementary schools proposed for closure – plus only one Middle School in the whole school district: Sellwood Middle School, which seems to have an ideal enrollment figure, and appears to be in decent shape physically.
Portland Public Schools (PPS) officially unveiled two draft proposal options – named Scenario A and Scenario B – that could reshape local attendance zones, move specialized programs, and close several area school buildings.
District leaders formally presented both options to the Board of Education during its regular meeting on October 6th. The draft plans aim to address a problem years in the making: Local birth rates dropped 30 percent over the past decade, leaving many school buildings operating well below capacity. At the same time, PPS is navigating an estimated $50 million budget shortfall for the 2026-27 school year, as operating expenses rise, and state revenue falls behind…