Eleventh-hour deal could save Portland schools

KOIN:

By Jennifer AndersonThe Portland TribuneThe city, Portland School District and Portland Association of Teachers have cobbled together a tentative 11th-hour deal that would avert the district’s expected $10 million in cuts to schools.The Tribune has learned Wednesday morning that Mayor Sam Adams has been working with leaders from the union and school district throughout the week to try to come up with a plan to restore school staff and retain school days.Details on how much the city, union and district might be pitching in – and where the funds are coming from -- will be released in upcoming days as the numbers are agreed upon.The school board had been scheduled to vote on Superintendent Carole Smith’s proposed cut package on May 14. Cutting $10 million could have meant laying off 110 teachers or chopping eight school days from the year through teacher furloughs.Parents, students and teachers, however, have been urging leaders to look elsewhere to fill the funding gap. A group of school supporters who’ve formed a group called UPSET are planning a May 11 rally in Pioneer Courthouse Square.

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