The report of a consultantThe issues surrounding the district’s impending $1.83 billion bond measure were brought into sharp relief by looking at plans for the reconstruction of three high schools in Portland Public Schools.
Even after accounting for inflation, the estimated construction costs for renovating Cleveland, Wells, and Jefferson high schools are significantly more than those for rebuilding two other local campuses, according to Julia Silverman of The Oregonian/OregonLive. Even though the projects have site-specific issues that call for additional funding, especially Cleveland in its constrained Southeast Portland location, the analysis found a number of multimillion-dollar design flaws that have raised each project’s costs significantly—some estimates easily surpass $400 million. The Jefferson project, which has become more costly due to delays, would be largely covered by the 2020 bond’s proceeds. However, the three campuses together might potentially receive $1.1 billion of the planned bond, making them the most costly high schools in the nation.
That’s not a distinction that will sit well with a disgruntled and tax-weary population. Additionally, people who have become disillusioned with the promises made by state and municipal elected officials will not be persuaded by vague pledges to keep prices as low as possible.
However, the district has an opportunity to reorganize thanks to the support provided by Cornerstone Management Group, which the board sought last year. Three months remain until the bond issue is put to a vote in Portland, giving time to refine its design and provide a more detailed explanation of what voters might anticipate. In addition to allowing additional monies from the proposal to be used for HVAC upgrades, new roofs, and other comparable upgrades at other elderly schools in the district, it would demonstrate to voters the district’s dedication to cost containment and providing value for taxpayer dollars.
PPS chief of staff Deborah Kafoury stated that district school modernization staffers are already drafting potential ideas and would ask the board for advice on how to proceed at a meeting on Tuesday. Board members must to call community advisory groups back together right now and instruct PPS employees to examine the design for potential cuts while still creating outstanding structures that facilitate education in the twenty-first century. In order to support the initiative that will be presented to voters in May, they need also be ready to talk about and debate the tradeoffs.
The Cornerstone report identifies a number of areas where the district can begin, as Silverman said. Of these, it is estimated that all three schools will be roughly 7% to 10% bigger than the PPS 2022 reconstruction of Lincoln High School and 5% to 8% bigger than the newly constructed Beaverton High School. According to the calculations, reducing the square footage to comparable levels would contribute to cost savings of almost $24 million per. Additionally, the group suggests looking into why PPS is paying more for a general contractor to handle construction than Beaverton did for its high school.
However, board members will need to talk more deeply about their principles in other areas. For instance, all of the renovations involve pledges to pursue certification for fulfilling the LEED Goldarray of environmental criteria. Avoiding the certification process, which the district claims can cost tens of thousands of dollars per school and essentially amounts to a seal of approval, is a simple method to save money, little as it may seem in the big picture.
The board should also think about whether the most cost-effective, ecologically friendly path is the best one for more significant cuts. This includes discussing the relative merits of schools with more costly all-electric facilities against those that utilize electric power in conjunction with gas that emits greater emissions. Having that open dialogue helps voters grasp the reasoning and demonstrates the tradeoffs to the public, regardless of their final decision.
The district should also reevaluate the use of mass lumber instead of steel and concrete, which emit a lot of emissions and will cost Cleveland and Wells a total of $11.8 million more. Would it be more equitable and environmentally friendly to use that money to upgrade some of the district’s primary and middle schools? On increasingly hot school days, the lack of cooling systems in many schools results in oppressive learning environments. During their 2023 walkout, educators highlighted the inadequate facilities at all of the district’s schools. According to Kafoury, the area has $1 billion in unfinished upkeep.
In a similar vein, certain of the facilities included in the district’s 2017 high school recommendations, known as educational requirements, merit further examination. According to the rules, every high school must include a 2,100-square-foot teen parent center with places for newborns, toddlers, and naps. For the 2023–2024 school year, however, the state education department reported that only 55 pupils in the entire district were receiving help through a pregnant/parenting program. Over the past 20 years, the state’s overall trend line has been falling, notwithstanding annual fluctuations in that amount. Is constructing a center the only option for helping those students?
Importantly, the schools face building challenges unique to each location, and the analysis does not provide an apples-to-apples comparison in certain areas. The research points out that those expenses give little leeway. However, for this reason, the board, community, and district must be prepared to go as far as they can with a sharp pencil.
It is understandable that some members of the school community are disappointed about the possibility of reversing the vision they have presented. There would have been time for a more deliberate procedure if the Cornerstone report had been released two months earlier when it was expected to be finished. The goal of passing this bond issue and updating the district’s final three unrenovated high schools, however, must be the center of attention.
Without a doubt, voters are feeling the burden of the several bonds, levies, and specialty taxes they already pay; the district has the chance to approve a blockbuster bond without raising the current tax rate; and these schools are in dire need of reconstruction. The district shouldn’t take the chance of favoring the first two without taking the third into account.
-The Editorial Board of Oregonian/OregonLive
