There is a proposal to dismantle Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Elementary School in Northeast Portland school community in order to move Harriet Tubman Middle School. “We want to come together as a community, as the family that we are, to let them know that we don’t want our school to be displaced,” said PTA President Tiffany Robinson. “We’re here to stay.” Portland Public Schools is considering several options for Tubman school, including building a new school within the same neighborhood or relocating it to an existing district property. PPS owns five other schools, including King, and an administrative site in the area.
The district’s full statement:
“Oregon state officials have approved plans and funding to substantially widen the Interstate 5 freeway — moving even closer to Harriet Tubman Middle School — which could have significant noise and outdoor air-quality impacts for the school community for years to come. If and when this happens, Portland Public Schools has and will continue to advocate for the state to provide funding to relocate and rebuild the school in a safe, healthy location in the historic Albina community.
“Due to the negative impacts to PPS schools, including Tubman, PPS has opposed the widening of I-5 adjacent to Tubman. The Governor’s office agrees that Tubman should be relocated to a new site. Relocating an active school requires careful planning, discussion and community engagement, and PPS is in the very earliest stages of that process.”
“At the moment, PPS is beginning to review potential options for relocating Tubman and has begun community engagement sessions. Ultimately, the decision to relocate Tubman will be made by the PPS Board of Education. No time table has been established as to when this decision will be made, and many discussions need to take place before a decision can be made. PPS values and will rely upon the input of all impacted community members before making any decisions.”
“As detailed in this information sheet, PPS has identified two options: purchase land and build a new school at a new site, or convert an existing school site. PPS owns 7 properties within the Tubman catchment area: the BESC central office, Jefferson, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School, Boise-Eliot/Humboldt Elementary School, Harriet Tubman, Irvington and Sabin. Those sites may or may not be viable options for relocation, and that analysis would need to be completed before a recommendation was made to the Board of Education.
There are very few other properties in the area that are adequately sized. An initial survey did identify one city-owned property (at N Mississippi Ave and N Cook St) that is potentially the right size, and PPS has reached out to explore its feasibility. At this time it’s unclear if the property would be viable or even available, and PPS is still exploring other options with the assistance of Macadam Forbes.”
“As part of the communications to the State about the impact of the project, we have provided preliminary estimates for the cost of relocating Tubman, to facilitate discussion around allocating funding in the 2022 legislative session. Because we are early in the relocation analysis process, and no decision has been made if/where to relocate Tubman, PPS has provided high-level generic cost estimates based on conceptual relocation options. It’s important to note that these estimates will change over time as the relocation discussion progresses.”
