School Closures: Spotlight on Integrated Schools - Portland
School closures are on the table in districts across the country. Declining enrollment, aging buildings, and tight budgets are forcing difficult conversations about the future of public education. But when districts decide which schools to close, which to consolidate, and which to preserve, whose interests are being prioritized? And how have decades of school choice policies shaped the options available today?
In Portland, Oregon, those questions are front and center. Portland Public Schools is considering a sweeping restructuring of its elementary schools, with proposals that could close more than a dozen buildings. And while the district grapples with declining enrollment, a group of parents is asking a fundamental question: **What would it look like to prioritize neighborhood schools and the children who rely on them?**
We're joined by Elizabeth Doerr, a parent, writer, and coordinator of the Portland chapter of Integrated Schools. Elizabeth is also one of the organizers behind Rightsizing the Right Way, a grassroots campaign challenging the district to examine how its school choice system has contributed to segregation and inequitable access to resources.
Elizabeth shares her journey to Integrated Schools, from questioning the assumptions White families make about "good" and "bad" schools to choosing her own diverse neighborhood school. She reflects on what it means to show up thoughtfully in an integrated school community, the importance of finding people who share our commitments, and the ways we can interrupt the often-unexamined patterns of school choice.
We also dig into the specifics of Portland's school system. Magnet-style "focus option" schools, charter schools, and dual-language immersion programs offer families alternatives to their neighborhood schools. But those options aren't equally accessible, and Elizabeth argues that their impact on enrollment and resources must be part of any honest conversation about school closures. The Rightsizing the Right Way campaign is working to bring those inequities into the conversation, building a coalition of parents across the city and challenging the district to think beyond the immediate challenges of declining enrollment.
The conversation is also about organizing itself. What does it take to bring people together around a shared vision? How do we measure success when the changes we're seeking may take years, or even generations? And what happens when the work of building community is itself one of the most important outcomes?
Elizabeth reminds us that meaningful change rarely happens overnight. Sometimes the work is about preparing the ground, building relationships, and creating the conditions for people to act when the moment arrives.
Ultimately, this is a conversation about the power of community. Schools can be places where we learn to recognize our shared humanity, but only if we're willing to invest in them, in one another, and in the collective future we're trying to create.
LINKS:
- Integrated Schools – Portland Chapter – Connect with Elizabeth Doerr using the Portland chapter's contact form, whether you're in Portland or interested in organizing around school closures in your own community.
- Rightsizing the Right Way – The parent-led campaign advocating for equity and prioritizing neighborhood schools as Portland Public Schools considers closures and consolidations.
- Rightsizing the Right Way: Portland Families Fight to Center Equity in School Choice as the District Faces School Closures – Elizabeth's article for Integrated Schools about the campaign and the inequities built into Portland's school choice system.
- S12E12 – Spatial Injustice: School Closures as a Form of Educational Redlining – Our conversation with Dr. Mara Tieken about how school closures disproportionately impact Black, Brown, and low-income communities.
- Cramming for the Apocalypse – Elizabeth's project exploring climate justice, disaster preparedness, resilience, and building community.
Join our Patreon to support this work, and connect with us and other listeners to discuss these issues even further.
Let us know what you think of this episode, suggest future topics, or share your story with us – IntegratedSchools on Facebook, email us at podcast@integratedschools.org, or leave us a voice memo at SpeakPipe.
The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.
This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.
Music by Kevin Casey.
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
