David Douglas School District No. 40 is a

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...

in eastern

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

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. Its administrative offices are at 11300 NE Halsey St. Portland, OR 97220. The district was formed in 1959 as a consolidation of the Gilbert, Powellhurst, and Russellville elementary school districts and the David Douglas Union High School District. As of 2012, it operates nine

elementary schools A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

, three

middle schools A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

and one

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

with an alternative school campus. It serves more than 10,330 students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

History

The district and High School are named after famed Scottish botanist David Douglas, for whom the Douglas Fir tree is named after as well. In 1964 the school district had no significant tax base. Each year it relied on a voter-approved levy so the district could have funds to cover its operational expenses.One Vote Defeats Budget In Portland School District
" ''

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'' at the ''

Eugene Register-Guard ''The Register-Guard'' is a daily newspaper in the northwestern United States, published in Eugene, Oregon. It was formed in a 1930 merger of two Eugene papers, the ''Eugene Daily Guard'' and the ''Morning Register''. The paper serves the Eugene- ...

''. Wednesday May 6, 1964. p. 3A. Retrieved from

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(2 of 22) on October 5, 2012. In 1984 the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...

sued the school district regarding its plans to include prayers in the May 23, 1984, graduation ceremony. The students had created a compromise, but the school board rejected the compromise. During that year Robert P. Jones, the

Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland–Vancouver– Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thou ...

circuit judge, ruled that the David Douglas School District would not be able to include prayers in its high school graduation ceremony, because doing so would be a violation of the

U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

. Jones had orally stated so before the ceremony was held, but his written judgment came over one month after the ceremony. The

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.Measure 5, which was an initiative to reduce property taxes. 1993 the

Oregon Legislature The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...

cut millions of dollars in education funding. To compensate, the district passed a $19.8 million bond, with 5,658 voters in favor and 3,798 voters opposed. The bond called for renovating a middle school, adding fifteen classrooms to elementary and middle schools, and add multipurpose rooms and new gymnasiums to elementary schools. In 2004 the district's student population increased by over 300 students, making it an increase of over 4%. Around 2008 Portland City Commissioner Erik Sten created a plan to transfer $19 million of educational funds for central Portland to David Douglas so that district could build a new elementary school.Redden, Jim.
Portland School Board opposes $19 million ‘satellite district’
" ''

Portland Tribune The ''Portland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published every Wednesday in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Pamplin Media Group, which publishes a number of community newspapers in the Portland metropolitan area. Launched in ...

''. May 14, 2008. Updated on October 30, 2009. Retrieved on October 5, 2012. Rob Manning of

Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is the primary television and radio public broadcasting network for most of the U.S. state of Oregon as well as southern Washington. OPB consists of five full-power television stations, dozens of VHF or UHF tra ...

said that "Commissioner Erik Sten’s idea is to create a direct connection between opposite ends of Portland, both geographically – and financially."Manning, Rob.
Portland Leaders Look To Spread The Renewal Wealth Around
"

. September 25, 2007. Retrieved on October 5, 2012. In June 2008 the Portland City Council approved taking $19 million from the

Downtown Portland Downtown Portland is the city center of Portland, Oregon, United States. It is on the west bank of the Willamette River in the northeastern corner of the southwest section of the city and where most of the city's high-rise buildings are found. ...

River District urban renewal area to the David Douglas area to build an elementary school and community center.Mayer, James.
Portland wins almost all arguments in David Douglas urban renewal case
" ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

''. Monday January 5, 2009. Retrieved on October 5, 2012. The Portland School Board expressed its opposition to the plan. Several former Portland Development Commission employees and members filed a lawsuit challenging the fund transfer. In 2009 the city government won the legal dispute. In 2010, as the school district planned to reduce its $98 million budget by $7 million, it considered eliminating middle school sports teams traveling outside of the school district to compete against other schools, except those in track and field. The district also planned to end summer school for lower grades except for kindergarten, sixth grade, and ninth grade, as those three levels are years involving students transitioning.

Demographics

As of September 2012 the district had 10,650 students. Of them, 75% participated in free or reduced lunch programs,Hottman, Sarah.
State test scores show east county districts generally below average; David Douglas stands out
" ''

''. Wednesday September 12, 2012. Retrieved on October 5, 2012. and the participation rate reflects the poverty of students within a school district. Almost 25% of students were English language learners. The average size of a Kindergarten class was 33 students, and the average size of a high school physical education class was 50 students. In 2010 the district had over 4,700 elementary school students.Maddocks, Andrew.
David Douglas' music education earns high honor
" ''

''. Thursday July 1, 2010. Retrieved on October 5, 2012. As of 2009 the school district had over 10,000 students. 70% of its students qualified for free or reduced lunches. As of that year almost all of the district schools were filled to capacity. The student population had increased by 35% in a 10-year period until 2009. In the 2009 school year, the district had 479 students classified as homeless by the

Oregon Department of Education The Department of Education of the U.S. state of Oregon is responsible for implementing the state's public education policies, including academic standards and testing, credentials, and other matters not reserved to the local districts and boar ...

, or 4.5 percent of students in the district. In a ten-year period ending in 2007, the student population had increased by 36%. Many of the families who moved to David Douglas were low income students that were forced to move from outside of the district due to

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and urban planning, planning. Gentrification ...

. In 1964 the district was one of the largest school districts in the State of Oregon. In February 1986 the district had 6,000 students.

Curriculum

As of 2010 David Douglas has an extensive music program, with 26 district employees teaching music. In the district each elementary school student takes music classes two to three times per week. A student may select an area of concentration in the fifth grade; it may be band, chorus, and/or orchestra. In 2010 1,800 fifth to twelfth graders took instrumental courses and slightly over 1,000 fifth to twelfth graders took choir. The district alumni include several professional musicians, several music students on university scholarships, and a graduate of the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

. In 2008 the National Association of Music Manufacturers (NAMM) gave recognition to David Douglas. In May 2010 NAMM ranked David Douglas one of 174 "Best Communities for Music Education." In 1969 the district introduced the David Douglas Diagnostic Mathematics, 6th Grade testing plan (DDDM6) an 89-question computer-scored multiple choice test on the district

IBM 1401 The IBM 1401 is a variable-wordlength decimal computer that was announced by IBM on October 5, 1959. The first member of the highly successful IBM 1400 series, it was aimed at replacing unit record equipment for processing data stored on pu ...

used to assess difficulties in mathematics in students.

Project STARS

In 1991 the school district introduced the Project STARS (Students Taking Authentic Routes to Success) "school-to-work" program after a survey concluded that, of the recent graduates of

David Douglas High School David Douglas High School (DDHS) is a public high school in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is a part of the David Douglas School District. In 1998 Lynn Olson, author of ''The School-to-work Revolution: How Employers And Educators Are Joinin ...

, 20% went to four-year colleges. Anthony Palerimini, the superintendent, said "We were doing an excellent job of providing a well-rounded college prep education. But it wasn't relevant to 25 to 30 percent of our students."Career-oriented high school begins transition to work
" ''

''. Wednesday October 26, 1994. p. 4D. Retrieved from

(16 of 26) on October 5, 2012. The program introduced students to various career fields. The

Oregon Business Council Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. ...

, an organization representing forty chief executive officers from the largest companies in the State of Oregon, partnered with the David Douglas district in implementing the program. In middle school students took career orientation classes. In high school each student selected one of six "constellations" (concentrations) in which he or she would concentrate his or her electives in. Each constellation requires a student to take a capstone course, related courses, job shadows, and work experience. The Oregon Business Council implemented committees, together with 12 members, to develop a business and administration certificate of advanced mastery and a production and technology certification of advanced mastery. In the northern hemisphere fall of 1994 the district planned to begin offering courses in these areas. The district planned to add four more certificates in the 1995-1996 school year. In 1994 the ''

'' referred to the district as "a leader in Oregon's movement toward more career-oriented schools" due to the school-to-work program courses. The ''Associated Press'' added that "It may serve as a model for other districts as they forge new ties with the world of work."

Schools

The district's elementary schools and their

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

s are Cherry Park (Chargers), Earl Boyles (Bulldogs), Gilbert Heights (Mustangs), Gilbert Park (Patriots), Lincoln Park (Lions), Menlo Park (Minutemen), Mill Park (Panthers), Ventura Park (Vikings), and West Powellhurst (Wildcats). The middle schools are Alice Ott (Huskies), Floyd Light (Falcons), and Ron Russell (Timberwolves). The schools and mascots for older students are

(Scots) and the Fir Ridge Campus (Timber Wolves). Azbuka Academy, a public

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of auto ...

with a focus on Russian language and culture, operated between 2008 and 2010 under an agreement with the David Douglas School Board. In its final year, it enrolled 50 students in ninth, 10th and 11th grades. As of September 2012 the district was the only school district in eastern

to not have a school ranked "focus" or "priority." In 2007 Gilbert Heights had over 630 students. During that year Rob Manning of

said that the school was "a small school building, bursting at the seams". Due to the large number of students, the school had six lunch periods 20 minutes each.

References

External links

DDSD Website

David Douglas School District Case Study
"
Archive
Center for Innovative School Facilities. {{coord, 45, 30, 46.05, N, 122, 31, 43.11, W, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-AK_source:googlearth, display=title, name=David Douglas School District headquarters Education in Portland, Oregon School districts in Oregon 1959 establishments in Oregon School districts established in 1959