Julia Silverman | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Julia Silverman covers schools for The Oregonian, with a focus on Portland Public Schools and nearly two dozen other metro area school districts. She also keeps an eye on statewide education policy and funding issues, and the goings-on at the Oregon Department of Education. She arrived at the newspaper in November of 2022 after more than twenty years in journalism, most of it in Portland, where she's also worked at Portland Monthly magazine, Oregon Public Broadcasting and the Associated Press. She graduated from Brown University in 1999 with a degree in American history.

After Portland’s teacher strike and statewide budget cuts, Kotek backs ‘significant’ changes to school funding formula
Gov. Tina Kotek's office estimates that formula revisions could generate an additional $515 million or so for schools in the 2025-2027 biennium.
17h agoJulia Silverman
Former Multnomah County chair hired as chief of staff to new Portland Public Schools superintendent
Former Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury — once considered a likely candidate for governor in Oregon — will start Tuesday as the chief of staff to Kimberlee Armstrong, the new superintendent of Portland Public Schools.
Julia Silverman

After overspending last year, an Oregon school district eyes unavoidable cuts, including layoffs
Leaders in the Newberg-Dundee school district began formally unveiling painful proposed budget cuts this week.
Julia Silverman
Blumenauer calls for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race
Rep. Earl Blumenauer, retiring this year after nearly three decades in Congress, says fellow Democrat President Joe Biden should also step aside.
Julia Silverman and Sami Edge
Despite pushback, Oregon schools will require stand-alone classes on financial literacy, post-high school plans
Oregon high schoolers will have to take and pass stand-alone classes on financial literacy and college and career preparation to graduate, starting with the class of 2027.
Julia Silverman
Some school summer programming paused in Portland area due to lack of air conditioning
Summer school is out — at least at non-air conditioned buildings at Portland Public Schools, until the current heat wave breaks.
Julia Silverman

Signature-gathering effort fails for measure that would have provided public money for private education
Proponents of a school voucher-like system have failed to collect enough signatures to put a proposed measure on the November 2024 ballot.
Julia Silverman
Portland Public Schools’ construction bond wish list nears $3 billion
Portland Public Schools has a $2.9 billion wish list for a proposed construction and maintenance bond it plans to put before voters in May.
Julia Silverman
Prospects dim for quick shift to statewide teacher salary schedule in Oregon
A task force's findings look unlikely to imminently upend the state’s current system of individual bargaining in 197 school districts.
Julia Silverman
North Clackamas will lock away student cellphones at all middle, high schools
The North Clackamas School District will lock up students’ cellphones for the entire school day at all its middle and high schools, starting next fall.
Julia Silverman

Once, Oregon’s Black students went to college at higher rates than their white classmates. Not anymore
Oregon has an established and growing network of programs to help Black teens find their way to higher education, but there are powerful outside forces at work, including spiraling college costs. Two friends from Reynolds High School spent their senior year trying to find their way to their futures.
Julia Silverman
New test results suggest Portland Public Schools students aren’t learning enough math, but holding steady in reading
The first data points on how the strike- and storm-disrupted 2023-24 school year may have impacted academic progress at Portland Public Schools are in, and they are discouraging.
Julia Silverman

Julia Silverman | The Oregonian/OregonLive

After Portland’s teacher strike and statewide budget cuts, Kotek backs ‘significant’ changes to school funding formula

Former Multnomah County chair hired as chief of staff to new Portland Public Schools superintendent

After overspending last year, an Oregon school district eyes unavoidable cuts, including layoffs

Blumenauer calls for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race

Despite pushback, Oregon schools will require stand-alone classes on financial literacy, post-high school plans

Some school summer programming paused in Portland area due to lack of air conditioning

Signature-gathering effort fails for measure that would have provided public money for private education

Portland Public Schools’ construction bond wish list nears $3 billion

Prospects dim for quick shift to statewide teacher salary schedule in Oregon

North Clackamas will lock away student cellphones at all middle, high schools

Once, Oregon’s Black students went to college at higher rates than their white classmates. Not anymore

New test results suggest Portland Public Schools students aren’t learning enough math, but holding steady in reading

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