Parents scrambling for structure with PPS closure

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PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - With schools closed throughout the entire metro, some parents were left scrambling to find care for their kids.

Kim McGair, the mother of a high school senior, said if there’s one things kids shouldn’t have in their lives throughout the week, it’s the current state of Portland Public Schools.

“I love them,” McGair said regarding students her daughter’s age, “but I don’t think any of us can say giving a bunch of teenagers unstructured free time is good for them.”

McGair believes a strike isn’t the answer.

“We’ve got these two adults that can’t solve a problem,” she said. “That is an adult problem. It’s not a kid’s problem. But our kids are the ones that are paying the price.”

Shane Kennedy has two young sons in the district and agrees.

“Shutting down schools is a bad thing,” she said. “We should not want schools to be shut down. We should want schools to be open.”

Kennedy doesn’t have hope the two sides will come to an agreement soon. However, as a working single father he needs his two young boys supervised during the day.

“I’ve already bought plane tickets to send my kids out of state to spend a couple weeks with grandma,” he explained.

Both Kennedy and McGair agree, in their opinions it seems like the demands from the union don’t add up with what’s possible with state funding.

“The district can’t spend money it doesn’t have,” McGair claimed, “and keeping our kids out of school doesn’t turn on some magic faucet of money.”

“We’re the ones paying the price,” Kennedy added. “We’re having to figure out what to do with the kids and we don’t have any say, one way or the other, in how this goes.”

They’d both like to see an agreement reached, but they fear how long it could take.

“The longer these closures last,” McGair said, “the worse it’s going to be for kids. We’re just talking about days and days that our kids will be out of school. These things don’t have to happen at the same time,” McGair noted the strike. “They can continue to bargain while we get our kids back in school.”

“Please,” Kennedy said, “for the good of the kids and the community, keep the schools open.”