“High quality education in Portland has been my passion for 25 years.  A strong school system that provides our youth varied and comprehensive educational opportunities is the best path to building a competitive and thriving city for the future.”   - Sho Dozono

My experience as an advocate of education includes:

• Graduated from Portland Public Schools and received a Master’s Degree from Portland State University.
   
• Taught and coached at Grant High School from 1971 to 1976.

• Graduated five children from Portland Public Schools.
   
• Founding member of the Portland Schools Foundation.
   
• Member of the Portland State University Foundation.
   
• Current member of the Leader’s Roundtable consisting of top Portland educators, elective officials and private sector leaders.
   
• Joint organizer of “March For Our Schools”, a community-wide effort raised $11M for the schools and saved countless teaching jobs.

My plan for the educational system of Portland includes:

• Improve School Facilities:  Reinvestment in school facilities to bring them back to the high quality and caliber of previous years.
   
• Involvement: Develop a model for volunteers to expand multicultural or immersion programs throughout the city to help future generations compete well in a global economy.
   
• Shared Costs: Organize city and school districts to collaborate more on shared costs and ensure the buildings, nearby streets and parks are safe for all.
   
• Reach Out to Business:  Engage our businesses to help create opportunity scholarships for both higher education and trade industries.
   
• Shared Resources: Distribute city resources equally between all school districts that exist in the city of Portland.
   
• Transitioning Our Workforce: Increase support for updating skills training in green development.  Partner with Portland State University, Portland Community College and Cascadia Rise, a consortium of community colleges, high schools, and universities partnering with industry, government, and non-profits to help build a clean technology workforce.
   
• Joint Educational Facility: Create a mixed-use teaching/research facility in the South Waterfront.  With OHSU in the lead, develop a life sciences center, Oregon State Pharmacy College and PSU science programs in South Waterfront. Business, industry, the City of Portland and PDC should collaborate in the implementation of the renewal of the University District Plan which encompasses PSU and OHSU.