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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 8, 2019)
Mayor’s Budget Supports Albina Vision Also backs Hardesty’s street response team ‘City of Roses’ Writings for a Better World Student leaders tackle systemic racism See Local News, page 3 See Local News, page 3 Volume XLVIII • Number 17 www.portlandobserver.com Wednesday • May 8, 2019 D anny p eterson /t he p ortlanD o bserver Michelle DePass is compassionate about making a difference in a Portland school system that fails kids of color. One of the two candidates for the Portland School Board in a May 21 vote-by-mail election, she has deep roots in Portland’s African American community. See Metro, on page 7 inside for additional, in-depth profiles. photo by May vote a choice for school board direction by D anny p eterson t he p ortlanD o bserver Two well qualified African Ameri- can candidates are vying for the Portland School Board in a vote-by-mail election on May 21. It means that for the first time in more than a decade, at least one black member of the community will be repre- sented on the seven-member governing panel when the district begins its new fiscal Committed to Cultural Diversity photo by D anny p eterson /t he p ortlanD o bserver Shanice Clarke identifies with the value of doing holistic work with students to overcome obstacles and improve outcomes for disadvantaged students. She is one of the two African American candidates who are running for the Portland School Board from Zone 2, insuring at least one black member on the seven member panel for the first time in more than a decade. Opportunity to Serve year in July. Michelle DePass and Shanice Clarke are both running from Zone 2, representing the cluster of schools that historically have Established in 1970 feed into Jefferson and Cleveland high schools from inner north, northeast and southeast Portland. The geographic area also includes Benson High School. The in- cumbent Paul Anthony is not running for re-election after one term. DePass and Clarke promise to improve outcomes for students of color. Both can- didates point to a recent audit by the Ore- gon Secretary of State’s office and a report from the Oregon Legislature that shows Portland has dramatically failed black and other students of color. Despite their similar goals, backgrounds and experiences, both candidates are dis- tinct. Read more about each candidates’ back- grounds, experiences and qualifications. See our side-by-side, in-depth profiles of the candidates on Metro page 7, inside.