Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek is urging Portland Public Schools to slow down enough for families to understand and weigh in on plans that could close up to 14 schools, redraw attendance boundaries across the district and move programs between campuses. In a letter sent Tuesday, Oct. 13, to Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong and school board Chair Eddie Wang, Kotek did not ask the district to withdraw its proposals. She called for clearer information and more time for public input before the board makes decisions. “Confusion about the process is not something that we should accept,” Kotek wrote. Families need time to understand the plans and provide meaningful feedback, she said. The school board is scheduled to vote on the proposals in mid-December. The plans were unveiled about a week before Kotek’s letter, prompting some school communities to organize against them or call for a delay. Portland Public Schools spokesperson Valerie Feder said the district has held more than 50 engagement sessions and is adding opportunities for families, students and staff to share their views. The upcoming schedule includes meetings for special education families, school visits with Armstrong and open houses hosted by board members. The debate has exposed competing concerns about both the pace of the process and the consequences of waiting. Gwendolyn Schrader, a parent at Sellwood Middle School, said the district was trying to do too much too quickly and had not demonstrated that its data, projected benefits and transition plans had undergone independent scrutiny. But Leslie Brown, a parent at Sunrise Elementary, argued that delaying a decision could postpone changes for a full school year. Families at Title 1 schools, which receive additional federal funding because of poverty in their communities, may be especially affected by shrinking resources, she wrote. Brown called on the district to check its data and revise proposals where evidence supports doing so, rather than delay the process outright. District leaders say falling enrollment and rising operating costs are driving the proposals. Portland Public Schools has lost 6,000 students since 2019 and expects enrollment to decline by another 5,200 over the next decade. The district has cited lower birth rates, high housing costs and families choosing private, charter or home schooling. Armstrong has said declining enrollment leaves staff spread across too many buildings and can undermine students’ educational experience. However, the district has not yet provided clear estimates of potential staff losses or savings, or detailed what students’ experiences would look like at schools receiving merged programs. Armstrong has said more information will be presented in the coming weeks. Kotek’s letter comes as public education has entered the spotlight in Oregon’s closely contested gubernatorial race, weeks before the election. Republican challenger Christine Drazan has said Portland schools should do everything possible to keep neighborhood schools open. Parents and school staff have also appealed to Kotek and other state lawmakers to find more funding that could ease the pressure for closures, at least temporarily. The board’s December decision will shape how the district responds to enrollment and budget challenges—and what changes students and families may face in their neighborhood schools.