A Republican legislator who represents Bend wants Superintendent Carole Smith gone and the state involved in the Portland Public Schools water investigation.
State Rep. Knute Buehler sent a letter to Gov. Kate Brown and PPS Board Chairman Tom Koehler today calling on the school board to ask for Smith's resignation or to place her on leave.
Related: Parents Call For Portland School Superintendent To Resign Over Lead
“Portland is roughly 10 percent of Oregon’s students and 10 percent of the state’s school budget, so you don’t have to be from Portland to care about Portland schools,” he said.
Buehler urged Brown to put "the full weight of her office and state government" into investigating and responding.
Tests at two PPS schools showed elevated lead levels this spring. The water stayed on for eight days at one campus. Smith and the school board discovered the contamination last week. Students and teachers at every PPS campus are using bottled water for the rest of the school year.
Buehler said he plans to call for a statewide review of lead contamination in Oregon schools during the 2017 legislative session. He was one of the sponsors of a bill lawmakers approved last year requiring all Oregon school districts to test for radon by 2021. PPS administrators did their testing in April, and announced this week that they found high levels of the toxic gas in several schools.