Opinion: Rieke Elem. and What to Know About School Closure Conversation
- Aug 8
- 4 min read
[August 16, 2026]
[Earlier this year Portland Public Schools Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong announced a process to identify up to 12 schools for closure. The district has called this process “rightsizing” and plans to submit a proposal to the Board of Education in November or December of this year. School closures would be effective in the Fall of 2027. No list has yet been publicly released, but Rieke Elementary in Hillsdale is among the smallest schools in PPS and has been targeted for closure in the past. Read more here.
For updates, sign up here to be notified by The Hillsdale Neighborhood Association of any community response to the potential closure of Rieke.
—Editor]
By Matt Coolidge, Rieke PTA Member
As a new school year approaches, PPS parents—and, increasingly, the broader Portland community—are focused on the rightsizing decision that could result in the closure of up to 12 elementary schools across the district, including schools in and around the Hillsdale neighborhood.
If you’re just learning about this process now, here’s a quick primer: Last spring, the Portland Public Schools Board of Education voted to direct the superintendent to kick off a districtwide process meant to address “declining enrollment, aging facilities and a forecast budget gap.” No decisions have yet been made; the district has spent the subsequent period closely examining performance data and conducting an ongoing series of in-person community events throughout the city.
The process is driven by a series of real and persistent issues that are impacting not only Portland, but districts nationwide. It’s increasingly clear that the status quo isn’t sustainable, and that we need to rethink and evolve how the district is structured. What’s less clear is whether closing schools will make a meaningful difference in closing the gap that inspired this process in the first place.
To date, PPS has been frustratingly vague about the actual goals of this process, beyond the aforementioned and ongoing enrollment and budget challenges. Before they commit to closing what’s ultimately expected to be anywhere between 1 and 12 schools (most who have closely watched this process to date anticipate all or most will be at the elementary level), they owe the community much better answers around some of the most critical questions that this decision is meant to address.
Looking at Real World Impacts of Rightsizing
Closing even a single school can have significant—and often negative—impacts on the community it serves. For perspective, consider the following outcomes of recent rightsizing decisions in other cities:
Research on Chicago school closures found students lost roughly 1.5 months of reading progress during the announcement year alone, before any transition occurred.
Philadelphia research shows receiving schools experience measurable achievement declines for up to two years after absorbing displaced students, particularly when they exceed a ~10% concentration threshold.
A Pew Charitable Trust study found that, once holding costs, security, and maintenance on vacant buildings are factored in, net savings typically fall below $1 million per closed building—a modest return that would barely put a dent in a $50 million annual deficit.
What You Can Do
This isn’t meant to come off as a naive, “oppose rightsizing at all costs” argument. The environment around us is changing, and PPS will clearly need to adapt accordingly. But big decisions require thoughtful consideration and a clear articulation of the desired outcome. Before we close multiple schools—a process that’s expected to be voted on this fall—PPS and the School Board owe the community a far more comprehensive answer than the ambiguous word salad that constitutes PPS’ current FAQ page on the process.
As a community, we should ensure clearer answers before we take such a momentous step that will impact not only students, staff and their families, but also the businesses that surround these schools, many of whom have been integral parts of those school communities for decades.
The conversation around rightsizing is growing, and expected to reach a fever pitch over the next two months. To borrow PPS’ own words, rightsizing is “how we align schools, programs and resources with where students are today, and where we’re headed.”
It’s a noble intention, but it requires far more intentionality from the district than what we’ve seen publicly so far. In the coming weeks, many of you will likely be motivated to write to your local school board representative and your state representatives, among others (and you should!).
When you do, here are five especially relevant questions you should consider asking them:
What specifically does a “well-resourced, high quality” school look like in a post-rightsizing world, and will you publicly commit to that specific vision before voting on rightsizing?
If rightsizing is enacted, will PPS still have a blended classroom model that combines multiple grades in the same classroom?
How many additional teacher positions will be impacted by rightsizing across the district?
What sort of study has been done on rightsizing’s impact on local businesses—and which specific local business organizations have you engaged so far in the process?
What’s the estimated budget deficit for the 2027-28 academic year—and what sort of impact do you estimate potential rightsizing will make on closing that?
For those interested in staying up to date on the latest with PPS rightsizing, and connecting with fellow Hillsdale residents who are similarly focused, please consider joining the PPS Community Advocacy Group on WhatsApp.
Questions? Comments? Email us.
