Believe it or not, there are decision makers within Portland Public Schools that don’t grasp how successful Benson Polytechnic High School has been at educating and empowering Portland’s students over the past 100+ years. To be fair, PPS leadership has been reflective of Portland’s dynamic citizenry, making it so important that we help them understand Benson’s value to the region.
You can help by sending a quick, *positive* email to the school board (before Dec. 18th) expressing your support for keeping Benson as a 4-year high school (more details on this below). You can send your message to schoolboard [at] pps [dot] net or if you prefer to email each member individually:
| Superintendent | Guadalupe Guerrero | superintendent [at] pps [dot] net |
| Board Chair | Rita Moore | rmoore5 [at] pps [dot] net |
| Board Vice Chair | Julie Esparza Brown, EdD | jebrown [at] pps [dot] net |
| Board Members | Paul Anthony | panthony [at] pps [dot] net |
| Scott Bailey | sbailey [at] pps [dot] net | |
| Julia Brim-Edwards | jbrim-edwards [at] pps [dot] net | |
| Amy Kohnstamm | akohnstamm [at] pps [dot] net | |
| Mike Rosen | mrosen [at] pps [dot] net |
It has been a tumultuous time for Benson as of late. The school is doing *great* under the leadership of Principal Wilson! However, Benson’s future continues to vacillate between a proposed 4-year, comprehensive, CTE high school with 1,700 students and a 2-year skills center where students from throughout the district can commute to take shop classes a few days per week. While this debate was settled nearly a decade ago, it has been resurrected in light of the prospect of rebuilding the Benson campus.
The good news is that support has been steadily building for the 4-year option. Superintendent Guerrero has recommended that the board adopt the BPHS Master Plan when it votes on December 18th. We feel it is important that Benson supporters make known to the board how important it is to them that Benson remain a 4-year, comprehensive, CTE high school.
You can also show your support by wearing your Benson colors and joining the Benson Community at any of the following upcoming board meetings:
- December 11th @ 6pm
- December 18th @ 6pm (vote to take place)