ParkroseGateway.com

Here’s the news from the Parkrose/Gateway area for February 1st, 2012 through June 4th, 2012:

• Parkrose loses another school board member | Mid-county Memo – Two board members have resigned so far this year.
• School board members will advise Oregon governor on higher education | OregonLive.com – Parkrose board member Jamie Woods is a member of the new Higher Education Coordinating Commission
• David Douglas to spend bond money fixing roofs, floors and the swimming pool | OregonLive.com – The David Douglas bond passed much more easily than the Parkrose bond did. I wonder why?
• BikePortland.org » Blog Archive » East Portland bike access will improve thanks to ODOT grant – The city will receive $640,000 to fund a variety of projects in East Portland, including sidewalks, bike boulevards, and crossing treatments.
• $1.2 million settlement in police shooting of Aaron Campbell | kgw.com Portland – Campbell was shot and killed in a Parkrose apartment complex.

Received from the school district 4/19/12, 4:49 p.m.

* **UPDATED

April 19, 2012

*

Dear Parkrose Parents, Guardians and Community,

As you may already know, the Parkrose Faculty Association notified the District that they would be conducting a strike starting on April 25th. In an effort to communicate with the parents, guardians and community of the Parkrose School District, we are sending you both an email and a letter in the mail regarding our Tentative Strike Plan for the students of the Parkrose School District.

The District and PFA have been bargaining for almost a year for many hours. On April 16, 2012 we met for another 14 hours in our fifth mediation session. While the parties seemed to agree on a majority of the workload issues, the sticking point continues to be salary and benefits. We will be having our 6th state mediated session today, April 19th at 6:00 pm to try to settle this contract in order to avoid the unfortunate occurrence of a strike. Tuesday, the Board voted unanimously to implement the final offer presented to the Association which, we also sent to you in an email last week. A full copy of the final offer is located on the District home page. We are trying hard to give you all current information so we can keep everyone informed. Our desire is to settle the contract but it takes both sides for this to occur. We are hopeful each and every time we meet that this will be accomplished and we are confident that we will get there. We also know that a strike is bad for everyone and can damage school districts and communities for many, many years to come.

Below is the Tentative Strike Plan. I need everyone to know that it may change and it will certainly be more detailed with time. Locations are to be determined. Hopefully, we will never need it.

*Week One*: April 25, 26 and 27: No students. Scheduled varsity sports only.

*Week Two*: April 30-May 4: Day Care provided for students K-5, and varsity sports. Middle school and high school students will have breakfast, lunch and dinner snack available at the high school.

*Week Three*: May 7-May 11: Regular school for grades K-2, and high school seniors. Day care continues for grades 3-5, special education all grades, and varsity sports. Middle school and high school students will have breakfast, lunch and dinner snack available at the high school.

*Week Four:* Full school all grades, all students.

We are in the process of lining up qualified substitutes and working out about a million details which will continue to flow to you mostly through email. We are sending this message to the school secretaries who will forward it to all parents. We will continue to do that. At times, we will also be mailing information home through the post office to get the best communication coverage.

I know that this tentative plan doesn’t answer everything but I wanted to share with you just what we have done so far. I know that this communication may raise more questions than answers. Please send your questions to us and we will do the best that we can to answer them. Just a final note, that strike days are NOT furlough days. Furloughs will be different days. During strike days, all other staff are required to be at work.

We will continue to keep you informed.

The hope of the Parkrose School District is that this is one plan we will never have to implement.

Sincerely,

Dr. Karen Fischer Gray

Superintendent

NOTE: This plan has now been updated. See separate post.

As a parent of Parkrose students, I received the following email from the district at 5:22 p.m.today:

Dear Parkrose Parents, Guardians and Community,

In an effort to communicate with the parents, guardians and community of the Parkrose School District, we are sending you both an email and a letter in the mail regarding our Tentative Strike Plan for the students of the Parkrose School District. The Parkrose Faculty Association notified the District that they would be conducting a strike on April 25th.

As you know, the District and PFA have been bargaining for almost a year for many hours. Yesterday, we met for another 14 hours in our fifth mediation session. While the parties seemed to agree on a majority of the workload issues, the sticking point continues to be about finance. We will be having our 6th state mediated session this Thursday at 6:00 pm to try to settle this contract in order to avoid the unfortunate occurrence of a strike. This morning, the Board voted unanimously to implement the final offer presented to the Association which we also sent to you in an email last week. A full copy of the final offer will be up on our home page tonight. We are trying hard to give you all the up to date information so we can keep everyone informed. Our desire is to settle the contract but it takes both sides for this to occur. We are hopeful each and every time we meet that this will be accomplished and we are confident that we will get there. We also know that a strike is bad for everyone and can damage school districts and communities for many, many years to come.

Below is the Tentative Strike Plan. I need everyone to know that it may change and it will certainly be more detailed with time. Locations are to be determined. Hopefully, we will never need it.

Week One: April 25, 26 and 27: No students.

Week Two: April 30-May 4: Day Care provided for students K-3 plus siblings, special education for all eligible students K-12 and varsity sports. Middle school and high school students will have breakfast, lunch and dinner snack available.

Week Three: May 7-May 11: Day care continues for students K-3 plus siblings, special education all grades, regular school for grades K-2, seniors and varsity sports. Middle school and high school students will have breakfast, lunch and dinner snack available.

Week Four: Full school all grades, all students. All staff required to be at work.

We are in the process of lining up qualified substitutes and working out about a million details which will continue to flow to you mostly through email. We are sending this message to the school secretaries who will forward it to all parents. We will continue to do that. At times, we will also be mailing information home through the post office to get the best communication coverage.

I know that this tentative plan doesn’t answer everything but I wanted to share with you just what we have done so far. I know that this communication may raise more questions than answers. Please send your questions to us and we will do the best that we can to answer them.

Just a final note that strike days are NOT furlough days. Furloughs will be different days. During strike days, all other staff are required to be at work.

We will continue to keep you informed.

The hope of the Parkrose School District is that this is one plan we will never have to implement.

Sincerely,

Karen Gray

Superintendent

Parkrose Schools

–

Dr. Karen F. Gray

Superintendent

Parkrose School District

(503) 408 2135

Parkrose School District:

PRIDE Through Performance!

Here’s the news from the Parkrose/Gateway area for December 14th, 2011 through January 4th, 2012:

• East Portland church’s Epiphany choir to raise money for homeless shelter | OregonLive.com - Enjoy good music for a GREAT cause — Human Solutions operates both the Daybreak Shelter and the winter warming shelter in East Portland.
• December weather blamed for busted Parkrose water main | East PDX News – I totally missed this! Guess I don’t make it down the hill often enough.
• Portland’s Top Stories 2011: Northeast Portland Public Schools chart new course | OregonLive.com – Parkrose’s construction bond was a big success story for 2011.
• Overnight Tire-Slashing Spree – 12 vehicles had tires slashed on NE Bell Drive, off of NE 102nd.
• Press Releases – Police press release on NE 102nd bank robbery.
• Driver hits cop car, flees, crashes in cemetery | kgw.com Portland – Sounds like a wild ride!

Here’s the news from the Parkrose/Gateway area for October 16th, 2011 through December 14th, 2011:

• Recruiting: Marcell Frazier of David Douglas commits to University of Idaho – OregonLive.com –
• Port of Portland police arrest woman after brief chase, search in Northeast Portland | OregonLive.com – Driver sped out of Parkrose Transit Center, crashed on NE 85th.
• Jefferson 36, Parkrose 19: Democrats’ defense key in play-in win – OregonLive.com –
• Portland boy, 14, sets record as youngest-ever Cowboy Fast Draw Association world champion | OregonLive.com – I didn't know there WAS such a thing!
• Suspect in Parkrose shooting arrested | Mid-county Memo – Schools were in lockout status briefly over this incident on October 6.

Here’s the news from the Parkrose/Gateway area for September 9th, 2011 through October 8th, 2011:

• 122nd Avenue Green Streets construction update | Mid-county Memo – Thankfully, my daughter hasn't had any trouble getting to/from school.
• Home invasion robbery in east Portland | Mid-county Memo – I hate passing along the bad news, but…
• Sacramento teacher creates fresh food pantry — Sacramento Market — for local families | Mid-county Memo – Fresh fruits, vegetables and breads available to local families each week!
• 11th Annual Parent Leadership Conference – Held at Parkrose High School. Free breakfast, lunch and child care available.
• Going to the dogs | Mid-county Memo – New business offers DIY dog grooming facilities or full service professional grooming.
• Mike Bryant named new ACE Academy director | Mid-county Memo – ACE Academy is a joint charter school for the Centennial, Gresham-Barlow, Parkrose and Reynolds School Districts.
• Learning to box, and learning how to be a girl, in Northeast Portland | OregonLive.com – 11-year-old gains confidence taking boxing lessons at Curt's Ultimate Fitness on NE Halsey.

Here’s the news from the Parkrose/Gateway area for August 29th, 2011 through September 8th, 2011:

• Shaver Elementary Community Garden officially opens | Mid-county Memo – Yet another community garden in Parkrose!
• Not your father’s Lunch Lady | Mid-county Memo – Nice feature about the David Douglas School District food services department.
• Caldera fights his way to Junior Olympic Bronze | Mid-county Memo – A medal for a Parkrose High School junior!
• Smashed mid-century brick pedestal at Northeast Portland’s Lorene Park raises question of who pays for ‘street furniture’ | OregonLive.com – This pedestal is at NE 108th and Glisan.
• Gray sets the bar high – Bob Gray was a star athlete at David Douglas High School and U of O before returning to DDHS as a teacher.

Here’s the news from the Parkrose/Gateway area for August 25th, 2011 through August 26th, 2011:

• Getting back to school; east open house dates set | Mid-county Memo – Find your school on this handy list!
• Cross Blog: Award-winning Red Cross news and views from Oregon and beyond: David Douglas High School Football Team "Spreads the Red" – David Douglas Football team donates blood!
• Candidates get street-level view of issues – State Rep. Jefferson Smith takes local politicians on a tour of East Portland, ending at El Indio Restaurant.
• Dog days of summer – The first football games are coming up on September 1! David Douglas will play at Forest Grove.
• New director hired for ACE Academy – ACE Academy is a charter high school operated in partnership with the Parkrose, Centennial, Gresham-Barlow and Reynolds school districts.

So, this item from OregonLive.com came through my Twitter feed this afternoon: Green street construction to close bike lanes and sidewalks on NE 122nd Avenue for 10 weeks.

And it turns out that this will be on the stretch of NE 122nd between NE Shaver and NE Fremont, right here in Parkrose. The city is installing “small rain gardens that collect stormwater runoff from streets. The vegetation and soil in green street facilities filter stormwater as it soaks into the ground,” according to a press release.

Great! But here’s my problem: that’s right where kids from my neighborhood have to walk or bike in order to get to the middle school and high school. We live in Parkrose Heights, south of I-84, but we’re within 1.5 miles of the middle school and high school, so we don’t get school bus service. And I’ve got a sixth-grader starting middle school this fall.

However, I’ve just discovered the back way into Parkrose Middle School — from NE Fremont, go down NE 120th Avenue and enter through a gate near the track. Aha! Middle school students can skip the whole construction area, and it’s actually a shorter route anyway. Some of you probably already knew that.

Students can also use Tri-Met to get to and from the schools; line 71 runs along both NE Prescott and NE 122nd.

Here’s the news from the Parkrose/Gateway area for August 9th, 2011 through August 18th, 2011:

• Movie Night at Rossi Farms | Parkrose Neighborhood Assocation – Free showing of Rio at the farm on NE 122nd Avenue.
• Police scour NE Portland neighborhood for robbers – FOX 12 – KPTV – Portland News, Weather and Sports – Another armed robbery near NE 111th and Halsey. 
• 2011 Football Preview: Parkrose Broncos – OregonLive.com –
• Teen who died in fall from Portland’s Rocky Butte was David Douglas student | OregonLive.com –
• Harley stolen from outside Clamity Jae’s restaurant – Motorcycle was left to man by his father, who died 2 months ago, and he'd really like it back!