Part 5 of 5

The PPS Board Votes Dec. 15. Here's How to Reach Them.

Published November 3, 2026

Portland Public Schools' rightsizing plan was developed by district staff under Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong. But staff don't make the final call. The seven elected members of the school board do, in a vote expected December 15. The superintendent is due to present her final recommendations on November 17.

If you want to influence the outcome, it helps to understand who is deciding, what pressures they face, and what kinds of input actually change minds.

The superintendent: a national career path

Superintendents are hired, not elected, and they often move between districts. A 2025 report by the Council of the Great City Schools found that the superintendents of the largest urban districts had been in their jobs an average of 2.7 years, and that their predecessors had served an average of 4.9. Dr. Armstrong came to Portland in 2024 from Evergreen Public Schools in Washington, where she was deputy superintendent. A superintendent's professional reputation is built in national networks as much as in any one city.

Dr. Armstrong is a member of Chiefs for Change, a national network of state and district education leaders. She was part of its Future Chiefs leadership program in 2024 and joined its full membership in 2025. The superintendent of Salem-Keizer, which is also considering closures, is a member too. The organization was founded in 2010 by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, with roots in the education reform movement, and now describes itself as bipartisan.

That connection has prompted community concern. Asked about it at a board meeting, Armstrong said Chiefs for Change had not influenced her closure recommendations, and she said she came up in public schools and believes in them. KATU reported finding no evidence that the organization directed either district's plans, and Chiefs for Change's CEO, Robert Runcie, told KATU it had not advised either district on closures: "That's not something that we do." Districts nationwide are closing schools in record numbers, including many not led by members.

Denials aside, the incentive is real, and it doesn't depend on anyone's intent. In a profession where leaders often move on within a few years, successfully leading a large consolidation is a credential: evidence of bold, data-driven leadership to bring to the next job. Whether or not that's why it was proposed, the costs fall on Portland families. That gap between who bears the costs and who might gain is a good reason for the board to demand strong evidence before approving the plan.

The board: local voters, local pressure

Board members face a different set of incentives:

They answer to Portland voters. Board candidates file in a geographic zone, but every voter in the district can vote in every board race. Every board member is accountable to every Portland family.
Four seats are up in May 2027, a few months after the December 15 vote. Members whose seats are up will face voters while the effects are fresh.
The teachers union is a major player. Union-endorsed candidates won three of four contested seats in the last board election.
The board hired the superintendent. The board hired Armstrong unanimously in 2024, and the current board extended her contract 5–2 in September 2026. Rejecting her signature initiative would partly reflect on that choice.
Some members frame rightsizing as an equity issue. In September, board member Michelle DePass said that if larger-scale rightsizing produced more equitable schools, "I'd say go big." Christy Splitt, more cautious, preferred "a scalpel approach" and worried the district might favor preserving bigger schools that "tend to be more affluent."

In September, a majority of the board signaled interest in moving forward, while a few members voiced unease about the scale. That was before the specific scenarios and the protests that followed. The board's position is not settled.

Other voices weighing in

The Portland City Council wrote to the board saying families had not received enough information about what closures would mean for children and neighborhoods.
Parent groups, including savepdxschools.org, have organized rallies and petitions.
Some families support the plan, including César Chávez K-8 PTA parents, who argued their students have had less access to resources than students at other schools.

What actually moves a board

Large crowds get attention. Specific, answerable questions change votes. Some approaches that tend to work:

Put specific questions in writing. For example: What is the projected net savings after transition and transportation costs? What staffing levels are guaranteed at each receiving school? How does the plan comply with the district's equity policy? Unanswered questions become part of the public record and make a "yes" vote harder to defend.
Contact your own zone's board member directly. A constituent asking their own representative for a meeting or a written answer carries more weight than mass email.
Coordinate testimony. A group of speakers who each cover a different point (cost, research, equity, a specific school's situation) is far more persuasive than many people repeating the same message.
Use concrete cases. A specific school where the plan contradicts its own logic is more powerful than general opposition.
Ask members to state their positions before the vote. Candidates for the 2027 seats will be paying attention.
Engage the equity argument directly. Board members who care about equity will listen to evidence that the plan's burdens fall unevenly, or that its promised benefits aren't guaranteed.

How to reach the board

Email the full board: schoolboard@pps.net
Rightsizing questions: Rightsizing@pps.net
Public comment at board meetings: check pps.net for the schedule and sign-up rules
Board listening sessions on rightsizing: November 18 at Cleveland High School (at the Marshall campus) and November 19 at Franklin High School, with student listening hours from 5 to 6 p.m. and general sessions from 6 to 8 p.m. Check pps.net/rightsizing to confirm.

The decision isn't made yet. The people making it are elected, and they're listening.