Portland school committee finalizes spring engagement schedule and plans delegation outreach

Committee members confirmed a schedule of spring community engagement sessions and discussed how to make them accessible to families, students and staff.

Dr. Grace Valenzuela, executive director for family and community partnerships, said locations and times are confirmed for parent, staff and student sessions, and that United Way will host a community location while Woodfords Club will host interpreted sessions. Valenzuela noted calendar conflicts with the city budget process and Ramadan and suggested a lunchtime virtual session to increase participation.

Board members discussed attendance challenges for daytime student sessions and agreed on a practical approach to ensure board-level coverage: keep the confirmed schedule but use a shared note-taking system so members who cannot attend can access session notes. "So even if we only have two board members at each of the student sessions... the notes are kept and we can share that knowledge with everybody else," Chair Sarah Lentz said.

Delegation outreach: members also agreed to invite Portland's legislative delegation to a short meeting focused on MEPRI's EPS findings and district-specific impacts. The superintendent and Dr. Valenzuela volunteered to draft invitations and propose three potential dates based on school calendars. The committee discussed hosting the meeting at central office or doing a short school tour to give legislators on-the-ground context.

Next steps: Grace Valenzuela and Ryan Scallon will draft and share proposed dates and a short agenda with the committee. The committee asked staff to post confirmed dates on the board calendar and include the engagement schedule in the next board update.