Manning of Oregon Public Broadcasting said that "Commissioner Erik Sten’s idea is to create a direct connection between opposite ends of Portland, both geographically – and financially." In June 2008 the Portland City Council approved taking $19 million from the Downtown Portland River District urban renewal area to the David Douglas area to build an elementary school and community center. The Portland School Board expressed its opposition to the plan. Several former Portland Development Commission employees and members filed a lawsuit challenging the fund transfer. In 2009 the city government won the legal dispute. In 2010, as the school district planned to reduce its $98 million budget by $7 million, it considered eliminating middle school sports teams traveling outside of the school district to compete against other schools, except those in track and field. The district also planned to end summer school for lower grades except for kindergarten, sixth grade, and ninth grade, as those three levels are years involving students transitioning. Demographics As of September 2012 the district had 10,650 students. Of them, 75% participated in free or reduced lunch programs, and the participation rate reflects the poverty of students within a school district. Almost 25% of students were English language learners. The average size of a Kindergarten class was 33 students, and the average size of a high school physical education class was 50 students. In 2010 the district had over 4,700 elementary school students. As of 2009 the school district had over 10,000 students. 70% of its students qualified for free or reduced lunches. As of that year almost all of the district schools were filled to capacity. The student population had increased by 35% in a 10-year period until 2009. In the 2009 school year, the district had 479 students classified as homeless by the Oregon Department of Education, or 4.5 percent of students in the district. In a ten-year period ending in 2007, the student population had increased by 36%. Many of the families who moved to David Douglas were low income students that were forced to move from outside of the district due to gentrification. In 1964 the district was one of the largest school districts in the State of Oregon. In February 1986 the district had 6,000 students. Curriculum As of 2010 David Douglas has an extensive music program, with 26 district employees teaching music. In the district each elementary school student takes