Jefferson, School of Mine

I have put off writing this for months. It's weird. The way I feel about the high school that I attended is not just the loyalty of hoping that their sports teams win. It's pain.

Pain of feeling helpless to watch something I love slip away. Pain of watching well-meaning people continue to shoot holes in an already desecrated institution.

School of the Blue and Gold

I first went over to Jefferson as a grade schooler. I went to watch one of the early 1980's versions of the Wiz. I was familiar with the school because it was two blocks away from my grade school Humboldt. But high school students were weird and scary. A whole lot of them seem to have curls or mullets as well. (Or both!!)

I was so blown away by the dancing. This wasn't the Utah ballet's production of the Nutcracker that I saw every year in Portland (we didn't have a ballet company at the time), or like dancing I saw on TV, or like my Wednesday evening ballet class either. This was boys and girls, very multiracial, doing ballet and jazz and things that I couldn't even describe.

We're with her hour by hour
I remember my audition. It was the test to see if I could take classes. I don't remember what I did, I just remember the room and how nervous I was. I remember how much I felt like the people in the movie and TV show "Fame." (that comparison got made A LOT in the 80's) Even though I was just auditioning for the level, not to see if I "got in," I was inspired by the kids in the movie. And because I did live out of the Jefferson neighborhood, if I didn't take one of their specialty classes: dance, TV or drama, I would not be allowed to go. The rules were very strict about transferring from your neighborhood school

I started taking classes at Jefferson when I was in 8th grade. I went over every morning to take Ballet 2 and Jazz 2 and then took the school bus back to Tubman. Dance and TV teachers from Jefferson came into the school for middle schoolers to take class. There were three of us who had gone far enough into the programs for us to go to Jefferson. Josh for drama, Gaylene for TV production (I think), and me for dance. The dance program was amazing. Incredibly talented teachers, live accompanist for every class, a professional costumer for every recital. I can't even begin to explain.

With Spirit Untold
My freshman year I felt dorky and small. Even though I was used to dancing at the school, it was different to be there all day. I remember these two seniors who were really popular asking if I could give them a hug in the hallway as I walked by in my dance clothes. I was so embarrassed. One of them was named Michael Jackson I remember, but everyone called him MJ. He and the other guy were in my first year Spanish class. They were football stars and basketball stars and I was thrilled that they knew who I was.

At some point I noticed the tracking. The fact that some classes were for smart kids (and the classes were mostly white). But not all of my classes were like that. My social studies classes were not. That's when I began to be interested in teaching . . .

So Give a Long Cheer for Jefferson
Junior year was when Willamette Week published a HUGE article: "Are we losing Jefferson High?" A group of us went out and got as many copies as we could to pass out at lunch. Then we organized a march downtown in front of the offices.

The article quoted extensively a former teacher of the TV department and former students. It left the impression of a dangerous place with bullets whizzing down the hall. We thought that it was sour grapes from people who thought it could never be as good as when they were there, but on the other hand, the Crips and Bloods were around. Looking back, that was probably their height.

I also was inspired and annoyed by my history teacher. I thought he was pedantic and pedagogical and became determined to become a teacher and come back and take his place. (Years later we talked about teaching theory and I sounded just as unbelievable arrogant. After I began to teach I realized HOW HARD it was what he was doing. Aaahh teenagers)

That year, 1989 there was a census done of the school. It was 44% Black, 44% White, and the rest something else. It surprised a lot of people who thought of Jefferson as the "black" school. Portland is such a white town that Jefferson felt like that to them. The census I think showed the great diversity of the school. But we were feeling the attacks. Both from the media and from the gangs.

We're Always Back of Her
By senior year I was tired. Tired of answering questions from people. "Do you go there for the dance?" as if there would be no other reason. "Are you in danger?" "Are you going to be able to go to college?" Tired of being defensive. (Last night, as in 2006 I told someone I went to Jefferson and they said "Why?" Good grief.)

The rules were no hats. Red was the color for the Bloods, blue for the Crips. One day I came to school with a red wide-rimmed hat (a la Tiffany, the eighties singer), red shirt, and red parachute pants. Nobody said anything to me. The double-standard was amazing. I always was amused by the fact people who were so worried about gangs didn't realize that the ones who were really members didn't think it was a priority to get to school at 8am. Not that there wasn't a strong influence.

But the siege mentality also helped us feel so much the community. Who cares if other schools were scared to come to sporting events at our school!! Who cares if people think that we aren't getting a good education!! We know that we are safe!! We know that we are learning!!

Jefferson Will Live in Our Hearts
I didn't realize how much I was affected by gangs until I got to the east coast for college and I saw an African-American man walking down the street in Providence with a red bandanna on his head and I worried that there would be a drive-by. All my new friends didn't know what I was talking about. It was only people I met from certain parts of California that understood.

My sister went to Jefferson after me and although the gang problem in Portland gradually subsided, Jefferson's problems did not. During the nineties Portland Public Schools relaxed the standards for people who wanted to transfer out of their neighborhood school. You no longer needed to show that you were going to Lincoln for the International Studies program, or Benson for the tech program. You just needed to ask if you could transfer. And because of the bad reputation of Jefferson, people were transferring.

In 1990 the state also changed the way that schools were funded. No longer did property taxes from Portland go to Portland schools. They were sent to the state capitol in Salem and then given out equally to every school in the state. And while this prevented schools from shutting down in small towns due to lack of money like they had in the 1980's, it meant that Portland had a lot less money. (No difference in the amount of money per student based on cost of living in the town.) Also in 1990 property taxes were cut drastically.

So the cutbacks started in the early 1990's. It was gradual at first. No live accompanists. Fewer teachers going to the middle schools. (and therefore fewer middle school students interested in going) And the gradual cutbacks were combined with the gradual transfers so that Jefferson was getting smaller and smaller.

And Never Die
When came back to graduate school for education there was no question in my mind. I would do my student teaching at Jefferson. Most of the inspirational teachers were still there. My former teachers welcomed me back as they did several former students as teachers or in other capacities.

During my student teaching things were different. Fewer students. We now were "competing" with other schools to get eighth graders because of the open transfer policy. But the spirit remained the same. The staff had introduced an all-block schedule and a freshman academy in order to try and keep the school competitive. They had a new magnet besides performing arts; Bio-technology.

After a semester of subbing I was hired to teach at Jefferson in January of 1997. It was my dream come true. It was also so hard. I was hired to teach one English class when I had only been trained to teach social studies. If it weren't for my former English teachers helping me out I would have never been able to get through the year. I also learned so much about the history of Jefferson. (That's a different piece for a different time.)

J louder E louder F louder F louder E louder R louder S-O-N
The students kept transferring out. And the test scores were getting worse. At the end of the 1996-1997 school year we had a meeting in which we were told we had a year to get it together or we would be "Reconstituted." Although the jokes were about orange juice, the pressure was on.

The next year the staff met for hours outside of the regular school day. We used research from educational institutions all over the country. We were watched in our classrooms. It was in the news. It was like teaching in a fish bowl. The cutbacks were continuing as well. The accompanists and middle school programs were gone. Then went the costumer. And more, and more. (When I went as a student we had a pretty state-of-the-art computer program forPete's sake)

We came up with a huge plan for the school. Schedules and classes and organization and everything was called into question and revamped. Then in the spring, we were told to pack our stuff, we were unassigned and to reapply for our jobs. Ironically, the Rose Festival Queen that year was from Jefferson. She spoke out against reconstitution. So did I.

So Give a Long Cheer for Jefferson
Teachers that been at the school for 10, 15 20 years packed up their stuff. Many of them did not reapply. I did. All I had ever wanted to do was teach at Jefferson. I had been there a year and half. I figured I had a good shot. I lived in the neighborhood, I went to an Ivy-League college, I had a Masters in Teaching, and I was an alum.

I was not rehired. I cried a lot. I was unassigned until late August of the next year when I was told to report to Franklin.

We're Always Back of Her
Very few people were rehired. Apparently the new teachers were mostly as inexperienced as I was. The turnover rate was high. Jefferson had 4 new principals in 2 years.

The Jefferson diaspora of teachers went all over the district. But we still got together to talk and share. I will always be the youngest member of that group.

The transfers continued. The population continued going down. The test scores continued going down. And because of the No Child Left Behind law, the bad test scores prompted a letter to neighborhood students reporting that Jefferson was a failing school and that they could transfer to somewhere else. (Which they already could)

More transfers. Lower test scores.

Jefferson Will Live in Our Hearts
For years at my new assignment I tried to get back.

I have moved three times since Reconstitution, but I have never moved out of the neighborhood.

A close friend of mine with a similar story did go back after 4 years. But it wasn't the same. No one knew her as a former student or former teacher. They created two "small schools" within the school. New academies, new ideas. It was still a fish bowl. And people weren't transferring back in.

Ironically the former gang hideouts of the 1980's are part of the hottest housing boom in years. The Jefferson neighborhood is gentrifying and full of people from all over. But none of them are sending their students to Jefferson.

And Never Die . . .
For years I have heard the rumor that there was a conspiracy to shut Jefferson down. I never believed that. I just thought a series of decisions and circumstances kept worsening the reputation, which then led to people leaving, which worsened the reputation, which led to people leaving . .

There are new ideas about how to "fix" Jefferson now. Grades 7-12 in one school. All girls at Tubman 7-12 and all boys 7-12 at the Jefferson building. Jefferson has been reincarnated as many different things in the last 100 years several times. The Performing Arts Magnet was instituted in the 1970's in order to solve the de facto segregation problem in Portland. My memories of Jefferson as "Fame" is different from those who attended the 1950's and 1960's "School of Champions." (Terry Baker and Mel Renfro graduated in 1959 and Jefferson won every single sports championship that year) Maybe the school will roll with the punches and rise again from the ashes . . .

But last year the attendance at Jefferson was 655 students. It has been going down every year. There are 1950 students who live in the Jefferson neighborhood. The school building is less than half used.

As contrast Grant has 1820 students and only 1622 live in their neighborhood. (See the PPS website for those numbers: www.pps.k12.or.us and go to the School Fact Pages)

At my current school of Franklin I have been developing a We The People Constitution Team. We just competed with Grant and Lincoln (and others) in a competition on the Constitution. We have met after school once a week until late since the beginning of the school year and I have given many rides home. I have three African-Americans in the class. Every one of them lives in the Jefferson neighborhood.

And so I have struggled with my response. People have asked me how I feel about the new ideas for Jefferson and I just get emotional. It seems hopeless. All I ever wanted to do was give back to the school that helped me and I wasn't allowed to. So I don't know what to do.