Portland Students Walkout Protesting School Board Delaying Bond Vote

On Tuesday, students from Lincoln High School went to the Portland Public Schools Board meeting to let members know they would be walking out of class on Wednesday to protest the board's decision to postpone a bond measure to May 2017 from this November.

On Wednesday morning, about 9:00, they followed through. Hundreds of students pouring out, heading first to the school's football field, then to Pioneer Courthouse Square downtown to City Hall where they tried to get into a city council meeting. They ended up at Portland Public School headquarters before finally headed back to class.

At City Hall, the students had hoped to let the in-progress city council meeting know how they feel. They were met by locked doors and a city representative telling them they should send an email with their issues.

While the protest only lasted a couple of hours, it is unlikely the feelings behind the protest are going to fade anytime soon.

At issue is a recent decision by the school board to delay a $750 bond measure that would help pay for much needed repairs throughout the city.

Lincoln High School, for instance, has about 1,700 students cramped into a space meant for only 950.

The proposed bond measure would refurbish Lincoln High School as well as Benson and Madison High Schools. It would also fund redo Kellogg Middle School, which is scheduled to reopen next year.

The school board, however, while conceding repairs are needed, has voted to postpone putting the bond measure on the ballot. It was originally supposed to be voted on this November. Now, it has been delayed until May of next year.

The school board on Tuesday night basically said there's only so much they can do at once and that does not involve building support for the bond measure. The board said they need to focus on finding a new superintendent.

The school has an interim superintendent who will bridge the gap between whomever is hired and Carole Smith who resigned abruptly earlier this year after a scathing report about how her administration handled the problem of lead in the water.

The problem with waiting, says parents, is that the district's own polling shows that doing so will likely set the bond measure up for failure.

Polling done for the district last month showed that the May election, with smaller turnout than the November presidential election, would not generate enough support for the measure to pass.