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Good morning.  I just want to add that I took a Social Foundations in Education class from Dr. (Zaher) Wahab 26 years ago at Lewis and Clark College.  The experience made a profound impact on me and continues to shape the way that I serve the diverse, primarily low-income students with whom I work at a Portland charter high school, where I serve as Principal. 

Thank you for continuing to do the important work you do. 

Lorna Fast Buffalo Horse, LEP High School Principal and Director

posted 2 years, 9 months ago
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Good morning.  I have been trying to call and not able to reach you.  I am the principal of LEP High School, a public charter school in SE Portland.

I want to clarify that the money does not completely follow charter school students.  We do get 95% of the state school fund, but get no city, county, other state or federal funds.  When you add it all up, we receive about 59% of what district schools receive to educate their students.  We also pay about $200,000 a year in rent on our building. 

Our school is diverse and includes students from every corner of the city and 12 other area school districts.  The majority of these students are low-income and students of color.  They deserve equity in funding.  These are public school students.

Our school has received a great deal of recognition for our program but is at risk of closing because of this funding inequity.  Please address this issue.

Charter schools are designed to provide innovation in education, but the status quo may not allow that to happen, due to funding inequality.

Thanks for including this in the discussion.

--Lorna Fast Buffalo Horse, School Director, LEP High

posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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