Charter school for BIPOC students set to open in Portland with aim to 'decenter whiteness'

Portland, Oregon, is opening a school specifically and especially for children who do not identify as white. The Holla Public Charter School will open in the fall of 2022, in the Reynolds School District. Charter schools in Oregon are funded by Oregonian tax dollars and "do not discriminate in either admissions or programs." Holla appears to be the only charter school in the district with a race-based admissions mission.

As for the teachers, the school intends to "prioritize hiring staff reflective of our student demographics while simultaneously creating an environment and community reflective of their lived experiences and culture."

The mission of the school is "To change the academic narrative of Black, Brown and Indigenous youth by honoring lived experiences, catalyzing genius and centering joy; To explore student identities, nurture their curiosity, ignite their criticality and orient them in the world; To systematize the use of a comprehensive anti-racist, culturally and historically responsive instructional framework that centers literacy and relationships through mentoring, entrepreneurship and acknowledging the contributions of our community."