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.