Latest news with #KimberleeArmstrong
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Early results: Voters favoring PPS $1.8B bond
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The early results show voters are in favor of the $1.8 billion dollar bond for Portland Public Schools. . show 53.69% of those who voted in favor of the bond, with 46.31% opposed. More results will come throughout the night. Just minutes after the first vote tallies were released, PPS officials released statements showing their belief the bond will ultimately pass. 'We are incredibly grateful to the Portland community for once again standing with our students and saying yes to the future of public education. The passage of the 2025 school bond reflects a shared belief that every child deserves to learn in a school that is safe, modern, and designed for success,' PPS Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong said. 'This bond allows us to move forward with modernizing Jefferson, Cleveland, and Ida B. Wells-Barnett High Schools, while also delivering critical upgrades across campuses, from safety improvements to new roofs, climate systems, and classroom updates. These investments directly support student success by creating environments where students and educators can focus, connect, and thrive.' PPS Board Chair Eddie Wang added: 'We deeply appreciate Portland voters for believing in our students and placing their trust in this board. By passing this bond, our community has reinforced its commitment to public education and to creating safe, modern, and inspiring spaces where every student can thrive.' On Monday night, the PPS Board voted to approve the superintendent's $2 billion proposed budget. However, the district still faces a $40 million budget shortfall that has led . The teachers union says passing the $1.8 billion dollar bond would help reduce some of the proposed cuts. It would also go toward modernizing Cleveland, Jefferson and Ida B. Wells high schools. Despite the potential help from the bond, Portland Association of Teachers President Angela Bonilla with the teachers' union says the state needs to step up. 'We need the legislature to step up. And then what we need from them is to invest every single dollar they possibly can to direct student services,' Bonilla said. Stay with KOIN 6 News as we continue to follow this story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PPS board unanimously votes to approve $2 billion budget amid $40 million shortfall
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Portland Public School board unanimously voted to approve the $2 billion proposed budget on Monday night, moving one step closer to several budget cuts as the district attempts to address a $40 million shortfall. The Portland Association of Teachers told KOIN 6 that they're disappointed in the proposed cuts. However, the organization says some things are moving in the right direction. PPS Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong says the district is expecting to receive Title 1 funding on Wednesday, which will provide greater support to low-income schools. As far as the impending budget cuts, PAT President Angela Bonilla says the budget woes boil down to what state leaders decide to do, which could start by getting rid of the Oregon tax kicker. 'We need the legislature to step up. And then what we need from is to invest every single dollar they possibly can to direct student services. Folks who are facing students. Folks who are supporting the educators, facing our students who are in our schools, making sure that every single day kids feel seen, they feel supported, they feel protected,' she said. Bonilla also says voters passing the $1.8 billion bond in Tuesday's special election would help with the money problems. This bond would help with the modernization of Cleveland, Jefferson and Wells high schools. Many parents have been rallying over the last several weeks, hoping to sway people's vote. 'People who have said that the bond isn't clear enough. It is a rather large bond at $1.83 billion. I think you've heard that before. So for that, we worked really hard. And I know PPS administration is working very hard to clarify what's in the bond,' said Cleveland parent Megan Steffek. The board has less than a month now to vote on a final budget. KOIN 6 will know more about these proposed cuts on June 10. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PPS Superintendent discusses 2025-2026 budget proposal
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong laid out her proposal for the 2025-2026 school year at a press conference Wednesday morning, a proposal which includes laying off hundreds of positions in the district. At the event, Armstrong spoke on the current deficit the district is facing, $40 million, and the fact that this is the district's third straight year facing a deficit. She also shared that the current budget reflects tough decisions being made with students as their central focus. Proposal to make Portland Street Response its own standalone unit moves forward According to Armstrong, when it comes to layoffs, the central office is taking the biggest hit and in total, they are looking at a reduction of at least 240, which includes layoffs, vacant positions and teachers who are retiring and will not be replaced. 'We are making sure that our classrooms have all the essential services to be successful,' said Armstrong. 'That we are continuing with high-quality instruction, materials that our standards align, and making sure that we are providing wrap-around supports to our students who need it most. We still believe that Portland Public Schools is the best option and choice for families in our community, and we are going to continue to uplift those experiences.' When asked about some of the key reasons for the budget deficit, Armstrong said that the district has been seeing declining enrollment and that schools receive funding on a per-student basis. She also said that the district has been affected by rising costs. PPS Chief Financial Officer Michelle Morrison emphasized that this current budget proposal is only preliminary and that it will be revised. Next week at Grant High School, PPS is hosting a Board Budget Public Comment Session meant to allow the public to voice their input to the board on next year's budget. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
26-03-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump administration investigating Portland schools over transgender athlete
The Education Department is investigating Oregon's largest school district and the state's governing body for high school sports for allowing a transgender student to participate in girls' track and field competitions, the department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced Tuesday. In letters sent this week to Kimberlee Armstrong, superintendent of Portland Public Schools, and the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA), the department alleged both entities violated Title IX, the federal law against sex discrimination, by permitting one transgender teenager to compete against and alongside non-transgender girls and access the girls' locker room. OCR said it opened the inquiries in response to a complaint filed with the department and 'credible public reporting' that Leodis V. McDaniel High School in Portland allowed a trans student to race on its girls' track team the last two seasons. The student, according to OCR, easily won the girls' 200-meter and 400-meter dashes at this and last year's Portland Interscholastic League Championship. The department's investigations into the school district and sports association are the latest in a string of probes the department has opened since President Trump signed an executive order to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports. 'We are putting every school receiving taxpayer dollars on notice: If you let men take over women's sports teams or invade your locker rooms, you will be investigated for violations of Title IX and risk your federal funding,' Trump said at the order's signing ceremony in February. In an emailed statement, Armstrong, the school district's superintendent, said she is aware of the OCR complaint and the district 'is fully cooperating with the investigation.' 'I stand firm in our legal responsibilities, and I deeply value every student's right to be treated with dignity, safety, and respect,' Amstrong said, adding that the district 'is in full compliance with Oregon state law, which may differ from federal guidance.' 'We are actively working with our legal and state partners to navigate this complex legal landscape,' she continued. 'While I am limited in what I can share at this time due to the sensitive nature of the matter and our duty to protect student privacy, I want to be clear: my commitment—and our district's commitment—to doing what's right for all students, especially those most vulnerable, remains unwavering.' Oregon state law prohibits discrimination based on gender identity, meaning schools cannot categorically exclude transgender students from participating in interscholastic activities, according to the state's Education Department. 'Questions about individual sports eligibility or protocols should be directed to the applicable governing association,' reads a portion of the department's guidance for supporting gender-expansive students. The OSAA, representing nearly 200 Oregon cities and communities, has since 2019 allowed transgender student-athletes to compete on teams that match their gender identity. The organization developed the policy with education officials. An OSAA spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment on the U.S. Department of Education investigation. 'We will not allow the Portland Public Schools District or any other educational entity that receives federal funds to trample on the antidiscrimination protections that women and girls are guaranteed under law,' said Craig Trainor, the Education Department's acting assistant secretary for civil rights. 'President Trump and Secretary [Linda McMahon] have been steadfast in their commitment to protect the rights of women and girls,' Trainor said in a statement. 'OCR will use every lawful means to ensure that no female athlete is denied equal athletic opportunities or robbed of her rightful accolades.' The department's investigations into the Oregon school district and the sports body come roughly a week after President Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, a longtime target of conservatives. The order, which claims the department 'has plainly failed' students and educators, recognizes it will take an act of Congress to fully shutter the agency. The White House said earlier this month that the department will retain 'critical functions' mandated by Congress, like funding programs for students with disabilities. An Education Department spokesperson did not answer questions about whether there are contingency plans in place for open Title IX investigations in the case of the department's dissolution. Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) began opening Title IX investigations into schools and states allowing transgender athletes to compete on girls' and women's school sports teams, part of a new initiative within the department's Office on Women's Health. Last week, both the Departments of Health and Education said investigators found Maine had violated Title IX by permitting trans student-athletes to compete on teams that best align with their gender identity rather than their birth sex. The University of Maine System said Friday that the administration found its seven universities to be in compliance with state and federal laws, as well as a new National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) policy barring transgender athletes from women's college sports. NCAA President Charlie Baker previously testified before Congress that fewer than 10 transgender athletes are competing at the association's member schools nationwide.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Feds investigating Oregon school, activities association for possible Title IX violations
March 25 (UPI) -- A male competing against females and using a girls locker room while girls were changing clothing spurred a Department of Education investigation of possible Title IX violations in Oregon. The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights on Tuesday notified Portland (Ore.) Public Schools Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong that the school district is being investigated for possible Title IX violations. "We will not allow the Portland Public Schools District or any other educational entity that receives federal funds to trample on the anti-discrimination protections that women and girls are guaranteed under law," Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said Tuesday in a news release. "President [Donald] Trump and [Education] Secretary [Linda] McMahon have been steadfast in their commitment to protect the rights of women and girls," Trainor said. "OCR will use every lawful means to ensure that no female athlete is denied equal athletic opportunities or robbed of her rightful accolades." The Education Department announced the investigation after receiving at least one complaint regarding potential Title IX violations when a male athlete competed in a girls' interscholastic track and field competition used the girl's locker room while girls were changing on Wednesday. The DOE also notified officials with the Oregon School Activities Association of a Title IX investigation against the state's organization that is in charge of athletics and other activities. Male athlete dominated girls' track events The investigation arises from a male competing against females during a track competition on Wednesday and allowing that person to use the girls' locker room while girls were inside and changing. The unnamed male athlete has competed in girls' track and field events for Leodis V. McDaniel High School in Portland over the past two years. A male athlete last year won Portland Interscholastic League Championship titles in the 200- and 400-meter dashes and this year was allowed to compete in the Portland Interscholastic League girls' track and field events. The male athlete won the 200- and 400-meter dashes and beat the closest female competitor by 7 seconds while setting records in the 400-meter-dash event, according to the Education Department. The Title IX investigation also examines the OSAA's "gender identity participation" policy that runs counter to federal Title IX protections for female athletes in grade schools and colleges. The OSAA's gender identity participation policy allows athletes to compete based on gender identity instead of biological sex despite a recent federal court ruling to the contrary and President Donald Trump's executive order banning athletics participation based on gender identity. Federal judge affirms Title IX protections for females U.S. District Court of Eastern Kentucky Judge Danny Reeves in January ruled Title IX protects female athletes against biological males competing against them or using locations designated for girls and women due to gender identity. Reeves said the Biden administration erred when it included gender identity as a form of "sexual harassment" regarding Title IX protections for students and athletes. Reeves said Title IX since its inception always has determined "on the basis of sex" means the sex a person was born and not gender identity. Title IX protects women against males who identify as females competing in sporting events or using women's or girls' bathrooms, locker rooms or anything of the kind," Reeves ruled. Federal district court rulings do not have national impact, but they serve as precedence in future federal court cases unless overturned on appeal. Portland School District director of media relations Valerie Feder and OSAA director of media communications Nate Lowery did not return calls seeking comment.
