By John A. Charles, Jr.
Testimony of John A. Charles, Jr.
President & CEO, Cascade Policy Institute
Regarding the PPS Racial Educational Equity Policy
August 4, 2026
Portland Public School Board Meeting
The Portland Public School (PPS) board adopted the Racial Educational Equity Policy in 2011.
In 2013 the Equity Funding policy was approved by the Board as a means of implementing equity goals.
This policy uses race as a factor in determining how Equity FTE positions are allocated to elementary schools.
In 2020, the PPS Community Budget Review Committee noted “there has never really been a way for the district to quantify the equity funding goals.”
In 2022, the Oregon Department of Education published an audit of PPS and found “no coordinated framework” to monitor the success of the Racial Equity Social Justice (RESJ) program.
In 2024, Cascade Policy Institute published a report titled, “Equity funding has Not Closed the Racial Achievement Gap in Portland Schools.”
In October 2025, a PPS parent filed a federal lawsuit against the district alleging racial discrimination stemming from two related policies: (1) equity funding, and (2) the District-wide Advocacy and Fundraising Policy.”
Tonight the recommendation is to ignore this track record and re-adopt the policy that has, according to the Board itself, been failing since 2011.
The question is “why?” What will change going forward?
If this review process has any meaning, then you should take time to discuss the many problems caused by the Racial Educational Equity Policy.
You should also consider returning to the foundational aspiration of educational equality rather than educational equity.
[John Charles delivered this testimony to the Portland Public Schools board on August 4, 2026, regarding the board resolution 7358 to adopt a revised Racial Educational Equity Policy 2.10.010-P. The testimony is visible on YouTube at timestamp 03:10:00.]
John A. Charles, Jr. is President and CEO of Cascade Policy Institute, Oregon’s free market public policy research organization. He researches, writes, and presents testimony and analysis on state and local issues important to the freedom and opportunity of all Oregonians.
