We Need School Choice That Maintains Equity in Neighborhood Schools

The one thing upon which most agree is that with all things being equal, most families would prefer to send their children to an excellent neighborhood school.

Beaverton does an outstanding job of ensuring equitable educational opportunities at ALL neighborhood schools while still allowing choice, resulting in tremendous residential support of BSD district wide. This is accomplished by utilizing a very different "choice" system from PPS - one that does not result in have and have-not neighborhood schools.

Open enrollment is extremely limited, and options programs are generally centralized. Students do not transfer from their neighborhood school to another neighborhood school to access options programs.

Instead, students remain enrolled in their neighborhood school and, if desired, attend options program(s) part or all of the day at these central locations.

Options include Engineering, Fire Science, Law Enforcement, Cisco, Linux/Unix, Web Design, Teaching as a Profession, Animation, Auto Technology etc. Beaverton is also getting ready to open a centralized International Language School facility and other choices NOT located in neighborhood schools.

Beaverton is also building/offering more K-8 schools, along with the K-5 and middle schools, but parents must select one of these two options within their own neighborhood attendance area.

PPS's choice system, on the other hand, perpetuates inequity by forcing a student to transfer from their own neighborhood school to another neighborhood school to access particular programs of interest. This has resulted in gross inequity for students, and has fueled competition within the system itself.

It is a moral outrage that PPS operates under a system which demonstrates that some children do not merit the same level of educational opportunities as others.

There is a better way. Beaverton's superintendent, Jerome Calona, has offered to assist in any way he can. However, PPS has thus far expressed no interest in even considering a different "choice" model.

As long as the current open enrollment system remains, residents (particularly from the Jefferson cluster) will continue to vote with their feet because some neighborhood schools do not offer our children the same opportunities afforded others elsewhere in the city.