PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Public Schools (PPS) continues to slash its budget, after announcing plans to cut $30 million from the 2024-25 school year budget.
Recently, parents at West Sylvan Middle School found out that they may not have a campus safety associate (CSA) at the school next year. CSAs function like security at Portland Public middle and high schools, but they don’t carry weapons or have a badge.
Next year, though, several middle schools may not have CSAs.
"It doesn't feel good to send your kid to school knowing that there is no security," Jennifer Hornick, a parent of two West Sylvan middle schoolers, said. "I don't see how they (PPS) can selectively cut one school or the other."
Hornick said school administrators told her that while West Sylvan won’t retain its CSA, most middle schools would.
"West Sylvan was deemed, not — what they call — high priority," Hornick said.
That’s left her confused over how PPS determines priority for CSAs.
A PPS spokesperson said the school district bases priority on a multitude of factors, including incident reports and historical data. The spokesperson added that cuts to CSA positions are also not a sure thing; the district is still crafting its final budget for next school year. The final budget won't be finalized until late April.
If some CSA positions are cut, there could be ‘rover’ safety associates added, who could rotate between schools each day, the spokesperson said.
"I think there's still a lot to figure out," said Giovanni Cafiso, a West Sylvan parent.
The school does a good job of keeping students safe through administrators, counselors and restorative justice coordinators, Cafiso said. That leads him to believe that CSAs may not be imperative for West Sylvan.
"I don't think it's an absolutely necessary role as long as we have other resources that ensure the school safety," Cafiso said.
The potential cuts come months after PPS said it would have to slash its budget, following a new contract with its teachers in November that ended a near month-long strike.
"It's not as if I want to cut,” PPS school board member Patte Sullivan said. “None of us do."
KGW has reached out to the teachers' union president about the budget cuts and have not heard back.