School closures in Portland

The student body population in the Portland School district has been steadily dropping over the last decade or so, as families with school age children head for the burbs. Some individual school populations are causing those schools to reach the point where the money coming in won't support certain activities or services, or much needed maintenance.
So the superintendent Vicki Phillips makes a plan to close some schools. This, of course, makes some people angry.

Superintendent Vicki Phillips on Monday unveiled a sweeping proposal to close four small elementary schools and two small middle schools in the next 18 months while expanding Ockley Green Middle School and Jefferson High School. Phillips said improving the district's academic performance was her primary motivation, though the district's budget picture also is a factor.

Academic performance was her primary motivation. Yeah, sure, whatever.
The reason that people are really upset is that Phillips didn't really think this through, and the parents of the schools say that they had no input into this process.
But beyond that, I think that tough decisions need to be made, and Phillips has at least moving in SOME direction. There are some interesting ideas on the table, like creating k-6 and 7-12 (or k-8 and 9-12) schools, eliminating the middle school altogether.
Here's a suggestion though. While you are making tough choices with students because you are having budget problems, PSD is running out of room in it's central office complex. That's right: the student population is decreasing, but the bureaucracy is increasing. And you wonder why there is a budget problem?