October 5, 2022
Page 3
Minority Business Edition
INSIDE L ocaL N ews
Portland Public Schools
Renames Headquarters
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
c Lassified /B ids
page 11-13
pages 14
PPS Announces
the Renaming
of the District’s
Headquarters to
Honor Former
Superintendent
Dr. Matthew
Prophet
Dr. Matthew Prophet, former PPS Superintendent
Portland Public Schools an-
nounced that the PPS Board
of Education renamed the
Blanchard Education Service
Center (BESC). The PPS Board
of Education voted unanimous-
ly to rename the central office
after Dr. Matthew Prophet, for-
mer PPS Superintendent from
1982-1992, who passed away in
June. The resolution is historic,
and establishes that the current
building – and any future PPS
School headquarters – be named
after Dr. Prophet.
The unified vote by the school
board followed compelling testi-
mony by Dr. Prophet’s son, Mat-
thew Prophet, Jr.; former board
members who served during his
tenure; and community leaders,
all in support of the measure.
“My dad always spoke with
pride and love of Portland Public
Schools,” said Mathew Prophet,
Jr. “He was always very proud
of the onsite professionals, the
teachers, the secretaries, the cus-
todians, the principals, the coun-
selors and their contributions to
the kids,” Prophet said.
Several board members also
spoke affectionately about the
beloved superintendent. Board
Chairman Andrew Scott said, “I
graduated from Wilson in 1991,
and I got a world class education
from Portland Public Schools
– and I think you have to give
credit to the superintendent at the
time…I just remember the rev-
erence that people at the school
had for him: that when he showed
up, there was just an immense
amount of respect.”
Portland Public Schools Su-
perintendent Guadalupe Guer-
rero said that his team will
expedite this action and take
immediate steps to bring this
resolution to fruition.
PPS welcomes this deci-
sion and is very excited by this
new beginning.
Resources Available to Help
Students with Career Paths
PCC’s new
Opportunity
Center being
built for students
and community
Tracee Wells has been help-
ing students and members of the
public connect to opportunities
and navigate their career paths
at Portland Community College.
She recently transitioned into a
new role as training and educa-
tion specialist. She supports a
variety of programs and services
at the Portland Metro Workforce
Training Center (PMWTC) in
Northeast Portland. The center
helps people explore careers that
will provide upward mobility in
an inclusive environment. PM-
Training and education specialist Tracee Wells
WTC will include 84 affordable
housing units and other support-
ive services to be accessed by
surrounding communities.
The facility is part of PCC’s
Opportunity Centers, which
work to close opportunity gaps
to give people the tools they need
to develop their skill sets and the
confidence to be competitive for
high-demand careers. They also
help students navigate resourc-
es, find employment and connect
C ontinued on P age 5