Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 9, 2019)
January 9, 2019 Page 5 KairosPDX is a K-5 charter school focusing on closing the achieve- ment gap for its majority black students. KairosPDX Gets 5 year Lease KairosPDX, the public charter school that focuses on closing the achievement gap for its majori- ty-black students, has signed a new, longer lease from Portland Public Schools that leaders of the school say will give them more stability. On Dec. 18, the school board voted to offer Kairos a three year lease with an option to renew for an additional two years, Portland Public School Board Chair Rita Moore confirmed to the Portland Observer via email. That extension gives the school the five year lease they originally requested back in August for their stay at the former Humboldt Ele- mentary School located on North Gatenbein Avenue. “This gives us the time we need to find a permanent home for Kai- ros and the growing community we serve,” Kairos said in press r elease on New Year’s Eve. The organization was recent- ly honored by Portland’s Human Rights Commission for its work using evidence-based teaching methods to bolster the learning outcomes for underserved and mi- nority students since 2012. Jayapal Takes Oath C ontinueD froM p age 3 in a historic contest between two black candidates. Jayapal enters office with issues of homelessness and gentrification dominating the landscape, matters she said are large and complicat- ed, but ones she says the county is best positioned to take action on and improve residents’ lives. “District 2 has borne the effects of a booming economy, resulting in construction of expensive con- Opposition Grows C ontinueD froM p age 3 economic development policies and projects helped gentrify his- torically black neighborhoods. Leaders for the local civil rights group claim the earthquake warn- ings would devalue the impacted properties and even act as an im- pediment to improving the build- ings and keeping them in current use, all under the guise of public safety for the benefit of specula- tive redevelopment. “We will no longer allow these things to remove us from our community. We want action, we demand action, we want it now,” Mondainé said. In addition to black churches made of bricks and masonry in Portland’s African American com- dos, boutiques and restaurants, and soaring real estate values. And also resulting in the displace- ment of those left out of that econ- omy and in the ripping apart of long-established and closely knit communities,” she said. “This is where we have daily direct impact on the lives of our most vulnera- ble residents, and where we pro- vide the services that can put those residents on the path of housing stability, economic mobility, and community wellness.” munity, many well-known music venues like White Eagle, Crystal Ballroom, Dante’s and Kelly’s Olympian, would be impacted, according to Music Portland. City officials said the placard- ing ordinance, approved in Octo- ber, was part of an effort ultimately aimed at upgrading old buildings to withstand an earthquake. But the NAACP says the policy will make it tougher for masonry building owners to get loans for improvements and will discour- age investment. Instead, the group argues that the buildings will be sold, and developers will demolish and redevelop the sites, increasing the cost for residents to live there and forcing current residents out. Publicly-owned buildings have been required to post the placards since last week. Privately owned buildings would be required to post the signs by March 1, and non-profits, like churches, have until 2020 to post the warning signs, according to the mandate.
