reassignments, and expulsions should be included in the
Handbook.
Minority Hiring
Rationale:
Currently, the Portland School Board has a policy of,
"achieving a reasonably balanced s ta ff in terms o f race,
color, age, and sex (while) taking into account the
educational and s ta ff requirements o f the District. ”
Just what a "reasonably balanced” staff means is left
up to interpretation.
The Portland School District has used three different
standards in advocating that it has a “ reasonably ba
lanced" staff. In the early seventies, the Superintendent
claimed that the District has a “ reasonably balanced”
staff because it had roughly the same proportion of
Minorities on its staff as there were in Portland's overall
population (“ M inority Staffing in the Portland Public
Schools,” A Report to the Model Cities Education
Committee by Superintendent Robert Blanchard, 1973).
Recently the D istrict adm inistration inform ed the
Coalition that it had a “ reasonably balanced” staff
because the proportion of Minorities on the District’s
payroll was similar to the proportion o f Minorities in
Portland’ s work force. Furthermore, the administration
pointed out that the Portland School District’s staff has
a greater proportion o f Minorities than the number
found on the payrolls o f either the city or county
governments.
The Portland School District does not have at present
a reasonably balanced staff.
• Minorities in Important Positions:
A ll Professional Positions — 7.8% (263 o f 3,372)
• • Percent of Portland's W ork Force That Is
Minority: 8.4*7«
Percent of Portland's Population That Is
Minority. 10.0%
• Percent of Student Population That Is Minority:
20.0%
Recommendations :
Recruitment and Hiring Priority
The School Board should set as a priority the recruit
ment and hiring o f Minorities in those positions that
have daily contact with students.
Proportion of Minority Employees
The School Board should establish the proportion of
M inority students in the District (currently 20%) as the
long-term goal o f a “ reasonably balanced” staff.
Time Line
The School Board should establish a five year time
line for achieving a racially balanced staff (percentage
of Minority staff equal to the percentage o f Minority
students in the District). Each year during this period,
the District should accomplish 20% o f this goal.
Principals
To assure that M inority candidates are available for
the job o f principal, the School Board should establish
an internship program in the elementary schools to train
personnel for the job.
Aida Incantiva Program
The School Board should require the Superintendent
to develop an incentive program for Minority aides to
These exerpts from the report of the Community
Coalition for School Integration are brought to you
by the
Portland Observer
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obtain their teaching credentials. We recommend that
this program be submitted to the Board no later than
June 1979.
Minority Teacher Placement
Rationale:
Although the Portland School District has had a
desegregation policy since 1964. at no time during the
past fourteen years has the placement o f M inority
teachers been included in this policy. Up until 1975, the
District segregated its Minority teachers in those schools
that had the highest concentrations of Minority students.
In 1975 the Portland School District was found to be in
violation o f the following Federal regulations regarding
the placement o f M inority teachers.
After notifying Superintendent Blanchard that his
School District was in violation o f the above regulation,
the Federal government informed him that the District
would have to apply for a waiver o f ineligiblity in order
to receive Federal funds.
In the fall o f 1975, the Portland School District
dispursed its M inority teachers throughout the District,
adhering strictly to 74-125% form ula contained in
waiver o f inelig ib ility guidelines. Subsequently, its
ESS A funds were reinstated.
The Portland School District maintains that it must
continue to assign M inority teachers in a manner that
conforms to the 75-125% formula. Information con
sidered by the Coalition raises doubt about this conten
tion.
1. The Portland School District is using the 75-125%
formula because it does not have a formula or plan of
its own for desegregating M inority teachers. However,
the Portland School District is currently in violation of
this formula because it has ten schools with no Minority
teachers.
2. Based on communications between the Coalition’s
staff and Federal officials, it appears that the Federal
government is prim arily concerned with assigning
teachers in a manner that racially identifies certain
schools (the highest percentage o f M inority students).
3. Being the only M inority teacher in a particular
school is often d iffic u lt. M in o rity teachers in this
situation can experience neighborhood and community
resistence to their presence. In addition, they often are
assigned or expected to deal with any or all o f the
problems encountered by Minority students who are
bused in to their school as part o f the D is tric t’ s
desegregation efforts.
Recommendation:
Developing a Plar.
The Portland School District should develop a plan
for distributing its M inority teachers in a manner that
compliments its desegregation plan.
a. The plan should emphasize placing M inority
teachers in regular classroom assignments.
b. M inority teachers should be placed in a manner
that precludes having only one M inority teacher in a
particular school.
c. Minority teachers should be placed in a manner
that does not racially identify certain schools.
Integrated Housing
Rationale:
Integrated housing is often cited as the ultimate
solution to racial segregation in public schools.
However, it must be remembered that this is a long-term
approach and not an adequate solution to the current
problems o f inequity. Racial integration in the school
system is an essential step towards the long-range goal
of housing integration. I f young people gain an ap
preciation and respect o f different cultural backgrounds
while they are in school, they will be more likely to feel
comfortable locating in an integrated neighborhood.
Recommendations:
The School District should become involved with the
city, the Portland Development Commission, the
Chamber of Commerce, the real estate industry and
lending institutions in developing a long-term marketing
program to promote family liveability in the city. Such a
proposal is already under consideration by the city.
Seminar For Real Estate Agents
The Portland School District should annually sponsor
a seminar for real estate agents and media represen
tatives (all the newspapers, TV stations, radio stations)
to inform them o f the educational opportunities
available in the public schools, particularly those in
volved in school pairing. These seminars should be held
in one o f the paired schools.
City-School* Commission
The School District should reaffirm its commitment
to promote neighborhood diversification through the
application o f all available means. The grant ap
plication for a city-schools commission should be re
submitted for funding provided it is revised to propose
that the commission be comprised o f existing city-
School District officials and broadbased citizen repre
sentation.
Public Housing
The School District and the Community Coalition for
School Integration should work with the Housing
Authority o f Portland to generate public support for
placement o f public housing in middle and upper middle
class neighborhoods.
Home Purchase Incentives
The School District should lend assistance to the
Community Coalition for School Integration and ap
propriate public and private agencies to explore the
possibilities for tax incentives and loan opportunities
for home purchases which would improve the racial
balance o f a given neighborhood.
Fair Housing
The School District should be an outspoken advocate
o f fair housing practices.
Advisory Boards
Recommendation:
The School Board should closely m onitor the
representative on the advisory boards that already exist
within the District; avoid having the same person serve
on several o f the boards; require that the composition o f
the board corresponds to its regulations; be sure that at
least five community and civic organizations have each
selected a representative to be on the Title V II advisory
committee. The city and the state are not considered
civic or community organizations.
Future School Board Rela
tionship w ith Com m unity
Coalition for School Inte
gration
Rationale:
One of the important characteristics o f successful
school desegregation is community support from all
geographic areas o f the city, and from the major civic,
business, and government leaders.
The Community Coalition for School Integration
represents a broad spectrum o f community groups and
individual views. Groups and individuals engaged in the
months o f research and the numerous public meetings,
prior to these recommendations, want to continue their
support o f the process of integration in Portland’s Public
Schools. This ongoing support is very important for
both the School District and the community. In the
past, other citizen groups reporting to the School Board
on desegregation have ended their activities with the
submission o f the report. Much value has been lost in
the lack o f ongoing support from an organized citizen
group which can ask important questions, look at data
from the citizen/parent/consumer point o f view, and
channel support from people to help make necessary
changes.
Recommendations:
Community Coalition for School Integration
The School Board establish an ongoing relationship
with the Community Coalition for School Integration.
This relationship should include and not be limited to
the following:
a. Work with the Coalition on implementation o f the
recommendations including the school selections for the
paired schools.
b. Meet with the steering committee o f the Coalition
at the request o f either the Board or the Coalition.
c. Provide information requested by the Coalition.
d. Request information from the Coalition on issues
relating to school integration.
PORTLAND OBSERVER
SECTION II
VOLUME 8. NO. 48 NOVEMBER 30.
EQUITY FOR THE EIGHTIES
A Summary of the Report of the
COMMUNITY COALITION FOR SCHOOL INTEGRATION
Administration
Rational«:
School desegregation in Portland has been carried out
in a piece-meal, fragmented manner. Although the
Portland School District has instituted a number o f
programs that have desegregation/integration as part o f
their purpose, it has never developed a comprehensive
school desegregation plan. The D is tric t’ s current
desegregation/integration programs are the respon
sibilities of a number o f different administrative offices.
While not constituting an ongoing desegregation/in
tegration program, middle school conversions have been
identified by the District as part o f its desegregtion ef
fort. Middle school conversions have been carried out in
a gradual and uncoordinated manner.
The evaluation and m onitoring o f the Portland
School District’s desegregation/integration programs
has also been conducted in a haphazard manner.
Recommendations:
1) C entralized C oordinatio n: the Portland Dis
trict should develop a comprehensive school deseg
regation/integration plan that includes the recom
mendations o f the C oalition. The implementation
o f this plan should be the responsibility o f one cen
tralized administrative office. The person in charge o f
this office should be directly under the Superintendent
and should be responsible for coordinating and mon
itoring all o f the District’ s desegregation/integration
programs.
2) Im plem entation: The person in charge o f this o f
fice should be responsible for overseeing the implemen
tation of all the other recommendations contained in this
report.
3) Annual Report: This office should report an
nually at a public School Board meeting on the progress
that has been made toward equalizing educational op
portunity and bringing about racial integration in Port
land’s Public Schools.
4) C oalition: The centralized administrative office
responsible for the desegregation/integration program
for the Portland Public School should work closely with
the Community Coalition for School Integration, thus
providing an important communication link between in
terested, involved citizens and the School District.
Student Transfer for School
Desegregation/integration
Principles
A. School Desegregation is the law o f the land.
11 Federal level: In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled
that racial segregation in school districts is illegal if it
exists as a result o f school board policies and practices.
Since then, no court in the land has failed to uphold this
principle.
2) State level: The Oregon Board o f Education
adopted a policy o f school desegregation in 1974. This
policy (No. 4171) specifically states that it is the duty o f
individual school districts to desegregate so none of
their schools has a minority enrollment o f over 50 per
cent.
3) Local level: Starting in 1964, the Portland School
District has had a policy o f school desegregation. The
current policy is to eliminate segregation so that no
school has a minority student enrollment over 50 per
cent. Currently seven schools are not in compliance with
this policy.
School Desegregation Must Be Carried Out in An
Equitable Manner
1) Federal Constitution: According to the equal
protection provision o f the U.S. Constitution (14th
Amendment) and the Civil Rights Act o f 1964 (Sec. 601)
when school districts desegregate, they must do so in a
manner which is not discriminatory.
2) Oregon Statute: “ No person in Oregon shall be
subjected to discrimination in any public elementary,
secondary, or other school.” Discrimination is defined
as “ any act that unreasonably differentiates treatment,
intended or unintended, or any act that is fair in form
but discriminatory in operation, either o f which is based
on race.” (ORS. 659.150)
to their neighborhood schools at any time. Data in
dicates that 50 percent o f the White children bused into
ECECs leave after kindergarten. On the other hand,
students in the Black community have been mandatorily
and voluntary bused to other schools.
Although grade levels have been removed from
elementary schools outside the Black community for
middle school reorganization, immediate provision has
been made to include these grade levels in other neigh
boring schools. This has not been the case for elemen
tary schools in the Black community.
Racial Segregation in the School System
The Community Coalition for School Integration
maintains that racial isolation represents a serious con
flict with the American creed o f equal opportunity and
the traditional use o f education as a tool o f economic
and social mobility. Racial segregation is detrimental to
sound education. It is self-perpetuating and generates
separation and conflict, and its effects are cumulative.
The Portland School District ha* not Carried Out
School Desegregation in an Equitable Mannar
In adopting their "Portland Schools for the Seven
ties” plan (Resolution No. 3553, March 23, 1970) the
School Integration ha* Demonstrated Itself as a
Portland School District specified that, “ the elementary
Means of Equalizing Educational Opportunity
schools in Albina (Black community) area w ill be con
verted to early childhood centers consisting o f
Research has shown that school desegregation has in-
preschools, kindergarten, and grades I to 4.”
• creased student achievement and improved interrracial
The mandatory elimination o f grade levels in all o f
understanding in the community. The more o f the
the elementary schools, except Boise, has not been
following factors are present, the more likely school
carried out in any other community in the District.
desegregation w ill produce positive results.
Students leaving the Black community for the purpose
1. It is im portant that school desegregation/in
o f school desegregation have been scattered and isolated
tegration occurs at the early grade levels.
throughout the whole School District. For example, the
2. It ts im portant that school desegregation/in
44 students having to leave the Eliot neighborhood in
tegration receives public support from important com
1977 were bused to twenty different schools throughout
munity leaders and public officials.
the District.
3. It is im portant that school desegregation/in
The accomodation o f white children from outside the
tegration has highly visible support from the school
Albina area enrolling in the pre-kindergarten and kin
board and superintendent.
dergarten programs at the Early Childhood Education
4. It is important that the school district require
Centers has resulted in the exclusion o f some resident
in-service training on school integration for teachers,
children from these programs in three o f the six schools.
administrators, and other staff involved in desegrega
White children who have transferred into the Early
tion/integration.
Childhood Education Centers have the option to return
5. It is important that a long-range commitment be