May 3, 2017
Page 15
Running for School District Change
c ontinued from p age 5
need to work with them to come
up with solutions that actually
work,” she said.
Zone 4 has its own unique set
of obstacles with less supplemen-
tal funding to bring in additional
supplies, upgrades and arts pro-
grams from school foundations
and Parent-Teacher Associations,
which in more affluent neighbor-
hoods fill in the gap from budget
cuts.
Moore grew up in Boston in
a poor working class family and
through public education was able
to move into college, eventually
achieving a PhD in Political Sci-
ence. She’s studied political sys-
tems her entire life and spent 18
years teaching at the college level,
including Portland Community
College and Portland State Uni-
versity. Moore also taught abroad
and her most recent position as a
consultant with the Oregon Health
Authority, which oversees the Or-
egon Health Plan.
A single mother, Moore faced
her own personal battle with Port-
land Public Schools and found
quickly that the work she did to
advocate for her son was a full
time job.
For the last 15 years, she has
been a school volunteer and activ-
ist. She knows who’s-who and has
attended many meetings and helps
run a grassroots parent group on
Facebook.
Moore said in traditional school
board meetings parents are given
three minutes to bring concerns
to the table, but in her Facebook
group, conversations grow lively
and debates on issues are allowed
to grow and find common ground
to discover solutions.
She argues that Portland Public
Schools is teetering on the edge,
but with a new school board, new
superintendent and clear vision
can be fixed to serve its students
and families.
The high turnover rate of prin-
cipals and teachers is one area
where Moore sees a breakdown
in the system. She said principals
are being given a huge workload
of administrative duties from bu-
reaucrats and not enough balance
in their positions to be an educa-
tional leader and mentor to the
teachers their schools.
She is advocating for the transi-
tion back to middle schools from
K-8, to help reduce class size and
give students the opportunity to be
in a learning environment which
puts them in step with the next
phase of their education and helps
get them in place to be college
ready by high school graduation
Moore has been endorsed by
the Portland Association of Teach-
ers which has been backing school
board candidates who oppose
school administration, includ-
ing the two current school board
members who have endorsed her
campaign.
“We have a new superintendent
coming in and I think it’s really
important for the board to estab-
lish a good working relationship.
We’ve got to be a team. He’s go-
ing to need a school board who
knows what’s happening.”
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R
C ALENDAR
May 2017
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
1
2
3
4
Mother Goose
Day
Hawaiian Lei Day
May Day
8
No Socks Day
15
Frank L. Baum
born in 1856.
Paul Zindel born,
1936
Dr. Benjamin
Spock Born in
1903
9
National Teacher
Day
First Newspaper
Cartoon, 1754
16
First US Nickel
Minted In 1866
FRIDAY SATURDAY
5
6
National Sun Day
Constitution
Memorial Day
in Japan
National Weather
Observers’ Day
Space Day
Cinco de Mayo
Children’s Day In
Japan
10
11
12
National School
Nurse Day
Clean Up Your
Room Day
17
First Kentucky
Derby In 1875
Gary Paulson
born, 1939
Twilight Zone
Day
18
Mount St. Helens
Erupted In 1980.
Visit Your Rela-
tives Day
International
Nurses Day
Kite Day
Limerick Day
19
Circus Day
The Ringling
Brother’s Circus
opened in 1884
Kentucky Derby
takes place
Eiffel Tower
opened in 1889
13
Tulip Day
SUNDAY
7
1st Stamp Collec-
tion Started
Pulitzer Prize Es-
tablished (1917)
14
Mother’s Day
National Dance Like
a Chicken Day
20
Armed Forces
Day
21
American Red
Cross Founded
Founded by Clara
Barton in 1881