Following a series of listening sessions with the PPS community this fall, the Board of Public Education sent a letter to the community in November detailing what members learned from the community engagement sessions, restating the district's commitment to equity and pledging to do better to realize it. Read the letter below:

November 24, 2025

Dearest Community,

This fall, Board members attended many engagement sessions with students, staff, and community. Our role was to listen – deeply – and learn what is supporting our students’ success and what is getting in their way. We are grateful to everyone who showed up and spoke honestly with us.

We heard clearly that many people love Portland Public Schools and value the care shown to students, our diverse community, and our long-standing commitment to equity. At the same time, others expressed frustration, fear, and uncertainty. The federal targeting of communities based on identity — and the trauma of seeing young people and their families detained — has shaken our district. These national events are not abstract; they are affecting our classrooms and community every day.

Many told us they look to our schools for safety and support. Yet a troubling and underlying theme emerged: despite years of equity work, students, families and staff — particularly those from historically marginalized communities — continue to report that PPS is not consistently a safe place to learn or work. This is heartbreaking because it reflects that we have not yet done enough to ensure that all students and staff feel safe and welcome. This is unacceptable and we must do better.

Our definition of equity is clear, “All people are held to high expectations and have access to opportunities that are reflective of their individual needs, identities and experiences. Equity is achieved when there are no identifiable differences in outcomes and experiences for any population sub-group.” But caring about this definition is not enough.

Equity can’t be the job of a few people or appear in just one part of our strategic plan. Equity is collective work and must be reflected in how we work with one another every day. This work requires learning and unlearning, examining our own behaviors, seeking to understand nuance, and being willing to sit with discomfort as we grow. It asks us to listen differently, act differently, and show up with grace and as true allies for our students and colleagues. It means interrogating the stories and assumptions we carry and recognizing that multiple truths and experiences can coexist within our community. Without this daily practice we risk keeping in place the very systems we are trying to change.

We also recognize that practicing equity is just that — a practice. We will make mistakes. The Board vows to reflect, work to repair harm, and recommit to doing better. We expect and welcome shared accountability in this work.

The commitments below reflect work already underway —work that the Board, Superintendent, Multilingual Center and district staff will continue to deepen and strengthen:

Build common skills across the district — so staff can notice harm, interrupt bias, and act as strong allies to one another and to students.

Create communities of practice — so staff have meaningful spaces to learn together, reflect, and build belonging; which strengthens belonging for students as well.

Strengthen instruction for multilingual learners and expand access to challenging coursework — so educators are better supported to teach in ways that honor all students’ languages, identities, and lived experiences, and improve academic outcomes for all learners.

Amplify and expand Wabanaki Studies and Local Black History Curricula — so students learn histories, and contributions that reflect our full community and deepen their understanding of themselves and one another.

Clarify expectations for how staff work together — so equity is reflected in daily interactions, instruction, and in decision-making.

Improve systems of hiring, onboarding, and retention — so staff experience consistent support from the moment they join PPS, enabling them to provide a continuously supportive academic journey and meaningful relationships for students.

Please join us in this work. We invite you to share your experiences and ideas to help guide the ongoing efforts. You can reach the Board by email at schoolboard@portlandschools.org or share comments at any Board meeting. You can find the schedule here. This work will take time, but we promise to listen and use your thoughts to help create better and sustainable solutions.

We also want to remind everyone of the avenues to report discrimination and harassment (including retaliation). Anyone can submit a concern through the district’s online reporting system. Each report triggers a defined process to ensure concerns are documented, investigated, and addressed. The Board reviews this data regularly to identify patterns and strengthen our response systems.

To every student and staff member whom we have failed to maintain an environment that matches our commitment to equity: we know we must do better, and we are committed to doing better. This work calls for honesty, courage, and shared responsibility. Our community’s strength comes from the way we care for one another, and we believe that — together — we can build the safe, welcoming schools our students and staff deserve — schools where every student is prepared and empowered.

Sincerely,

Chair Sarah Lentz, Vice-chair Micky Bondo, Sarah Brydon, Julianne Opperman, Usira Ali, Fatuma Noor, Maya Lena, Ali Ali, and Jayne Sawtelle