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At its regular meeting tonight, the PPS Board will vote on whether to accept Resolution 4214, a $320,000 revenue contract for the StarBase program, an educational program funded by the Department of Defense. Students in Starbase get 25 hours of so-called science, math and technology instruction at local military bases. A growing number of Portland parents and community members strongly oppose the StarBase program, because it is used as a recruitment tool by the military and heavily targets low-income youth. They are urging the Board to vote down this contract. "We oppose the militarization of our children through a science curriculum," says Jessica Applegate, mother of two PPS students. "This program is funded out of the Department of Defense recruitment budget and takes place on military bases." UPDATE: The StarBase discussion has apparently been pulled from tonight's School Board agenda. The discussion is being postponed till the next School Board meeting on February 22 or March 8. You will be kept informed. Related Article Click Here Related Article Click Here
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