Community leaders press Portland schools to announce site for Center for Black Student Excellence; superintendent outlines next steps
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Summary
At a May 19 Board of Education meeting, the superintendent said an appraisal for a potential site for the Center for Black Student Excellence is due May 23 and the district will post a director position; public commenters urged the board to publicly identify a site before the end of June.
The Portland Public Schools Board of Education heard public pleas on May 19 to identify a physical site for the district’s planned Center for Black Student Excellence and was given an implementation update by district staff.
Superintendent Armstrong told the board the district ‘‘has an appraisal that is due back at the end of this week, so Friday, May 23,’’ and that a director position for the center ‘‘will be posted tomorrow.’’ Those steps, the superintendent said, will allow the district to continue negotiations and prepare materials for board consideration.
Why this matters: community and school leaders say a named site is the next concrete step toward making the center operational. Public comment speakers said the center would provide programming and supports that go beyond a title or staff position and asked the board to make a public site announcement in June.
Erin Frazier, executive director of the Center for Black Excellence, told the board she welcomed the superintendent’s update and urged faster public action. “Please publicly identify a site for the CBSE before June’s end,” Frazier said, adding that a location is a necessary first step even though a building alone will not guarantee program quality.
District staff described a two-stage process: first confirm the appraisal and the terms of a purchase agreement, then bring a packet (including an operating plan and budget) to the board for consideration. When asked about operating costs, district staff said they expect to develop details on maintenance and ongoing expenses once a purchase agreement and site details are more definite.
No formal board vote was held on acquisition or operating funding during the May 19 session. The superintendent’s remarks describe steps the district says it will take before bringing a purchase or lease recommendation to the board.
Ending: The board received the operational update and public comment. The district’s next public steps, as described at the meeting, are receipt of the appraisal (May 23), posting of the director job, continued negotiations, and later presentation to the board of a packet with an operating plan and budget for any proposed site.
