*Accept a grant in the amount of $119,340 from Metro Regional Travel Options and authorize Intergovernmental Agreement for Safe Routes to School High School Programming
The City of Portland ordains:
Section 1. The Council finds:
- The Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) applied to Metro Regional Travel Options (RTO) for a grant in the amount of $119,340 for Safe Routes to School High School Programming on 3/31/2023; and
- Metro has notified the City of Portland that it will award a grant for the Safe Routes to School High School Programming to PBOT in the amount of $119,340;
- The grant IO number is TR03610001. The grant number is TR000361.
- FY 2023-2024 expenses will be budgeted as part of the Fall Budget Monitoring Process (BMP).
NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs:
- The Commissioner-in-Charge is hereby authorized to accept on behalf of the City of Portland a grant from the Metro for the Safe Routes to School High School Programming in the amount of $119,340.
- The Commissioner-in-charge to execute an Intergovernmental Agreement in the amount of $119,340 in a form similar to the contract attached as Exhibit A.
- The Commissioner-in-Charge is authorized to execute amendments, approved as to form by the City Attorney, to the scope of the services or the terms and conditions of this Agreement, provided the changes do not increase the total project cost by twenty percent (20%) or greater.
- The OMF Grants Office is authorized to perform all administrative matters in relation to the grant application, grant agreement or amendments, requests for reimbursement from the grantor, and to submit required online grant documents on the Commissioner-in-Charge’s behalf.
Section 2. The Council declares that an emergency exists because a delay would unnecessarily delay the City’s ability to perform the activities authorized by the grant; therefore, this Ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by the Council.
Official Record (Efiles)
An ordinance when passed by the Council shall be signed by the Auditor. It shall be carefully filed and preserved in the custody of the Auditor (City Charter Chapter 2 Article 1 Section 2-122)
Passed by Council
Auditor of the City of Portland
Simone Rede
Impact Statement
Purpose of Proposed Legislation and Background Information
- Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and Portland Public Schools (PPS) will collaborate over three years (2023-2026) to 1) co-develop high school transportation educational modules that can be integrated into instructional classrooms, and 2) increase youth engagement opportunities within the City of Portland.
- This program builds upon our current Transportation Academy that is being piloted in Parkrose High School in partnership with Elevate Oregon.
Financial and Budgetary Impacts
- Total project cost is $132,999, funded primarily with a Metro Regional Travel Options grant - $119,340 Metro grant funds plus $13,659 (10.27%) required in local match.
- Internal order number is TR03610001. The grant number is TR000361. Match funds are from GTR.
- The 3-year contract is for Safe Routes to School High School Programming. The grant budget includes staff time ($45,818), materials and supplies ($6,000), contract services ($29,347), and approved indirect costs ($38,175). The grant is broken up into four tasks: piloting current Transportation Academy, co-developing updated Academy with teacher/student workgroup, piloting updated Academy, and expanding youth programmatic offerings, such as internships.
- FY2023-24 expenses will be budgeted in the Fall BMP.
- There is no additional funding requested.
- There is no work outside of the scope of the grant agreement anticipated for this project.
Community Impacts and Community Involvement
- PBOT’s high school program for Portland Public Schools will be shaped by youth and teacher contributions to be responsive to the needs of youth and school communities.
- PBOT Safe Routes to School (SRTS) will partner with two high schools within Portland Public Schools (PPS) to have classroom educators teach our current Transportation Academy, a youth-focused transportation instructional unit that equips students with skills to make safe transportation choices as they come of age and gain independence.
PPS expressed support for Portland SRTS to work with Cleveland and McDaniel High Schools on our Transportation Academy.
- Cleveland High School has seen recent incidents of traffic violence, including the crash that killed Sarah Pliner and was witnessed by students, which have galvanized school community members to seek new traffic safety solutions. Ninth grade physics students in Alex Fuller’s class did research projects to evaluate the effectiveness of proposed safety improvements and shared their recommendations with Senator Kathleen Taylor and the SE Powell Workgroup. Leadership teacher Jessica Sawyer has committed to partnering with Portland SRTS to pilot transportation content in her classes. This grant partnership will build on existing momentum at Cleveland to give students agency in making their community safer.
- McDaniel High School is the site of new BIKETOWN installations, and the City of Portland has held BIKETOWN registration events for students 16 years old and older. Transportation Academy programming would teach students to utilize this and other transportation resources. McDaniel High School is located on the high crash corridor, creating a need for safety education for students. Additionally, McDaniel is a racially and linguistically diverse school, and students of color and language minorities have been historically underserved by transportation and other resources in Portland. Nicole Safranek is an English Language Learning teacher who is interested in supporting the program with multilingual education, which will be valuable for reaching speakers of other languages.
- In thinking about expanding our SRTS youth program, we will go beyond in-classroom education. Connecting in other ways will broaden our reach and increase our opportunities to engage youth around transportation. In the past, we had youth interns, held workshops and focus groups, tabled at schools, and developed outreach events. We will build on these relevant programmatic offerings with the input of students. We particularly want to work with the students from the workgroup and PPS’ Career and Technical Education (CTE) program to design career-related opportunities for high school youth such as an ambassador program and youth internships.
- While we will focus on engaging with Cleveland and McDaniel through our Transportation Academy, we may also have interest from staff at other high schools around other youth programmatic opportunities. Though we will work with any PPS high school, Franklin and Jefferson High Schools are two school communities which could benefit from intentional youth engagement.
- Franklin High School community members have voiced concerns about safety and circulation at arrival and dismissal. Additionally, Franklin is a school where many students arrive by car, despite living in a neighborhood that is well-equipped for biking, walking, and transit use. This partnership could empower students to make informed decisions about transportation modes that fit their lifestyle and values, as well as furthering PPS’ and the City of Portland’s climate goals.
- The Jefferson High School neighborhood has faced the reality of gun violence in recent months. The grant partnership could educate and involve students in existing city efforts to curb gun violence through placemaking and traffic calming interventions, giving them the tools to safely claim space in their community.
100% Renewable Goal
N/A
Financial and Budget Analysis
Total cost to the City is $13,659 to receive $119,340 of grant revenue from Metro due to a required local match which will be funded through existing appropriations. This cost is included in the Fiscal Year 2023-24 Budget.