City government
Council decisions about city government: 3 decisions.
October 2026
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Bond audit finds schools delivered but $762,000 overpaid to consultant
An outside auditor reviewed how Portland Public Schools spent school construction bond money from July 2024 to June 2026. Bonds are voter-approved borrowing for building and fixing schools. The audit found the district has kept its promises to voters and finished more projects than planned, but also found weak money controls, spending that should not have come from bond funds, and more than $762,000 overpaid to the outside firm now hired to manage the bond program.
Portland Public Schools · October 20, 2026 · No vote: this was a report to the board. · District 2, District 3, District 4
September 2026
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School board responds to audit of school construction bond spending
An outside audit of Portland Public Schools' construction bond program made ten recommendations to the school board. A bond is money voters approve for building and repairing schools, paid back through property taxes. In its draft answers, the board agrees with all ten, including hiring an extra internal auditor paid with bond money, yearly reviews of bond spending, clearer rules for how board members oversee the bond, and posting answers to board members' unanswered questions online.
Portland Public Schools · September 29, 2026 · The board was scheduled to vote on this resolution at its September 29, 2026 special meeting. The result will be in the minutes.
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Board discusses asking for a review of central office leadership structure
A draft resolution would direct the superintendent to study how many people each central office leader manages, called a "span of control" assessment. The draft says rising costs and falling enrollment mean the district should check that money goes first to students. Findings would be reported to the board at a public meeting by December 2, 2026.
Portland Public Schools · September 15, 2026 · No vote: this was a discussion of a draft resolution. The board would vote on it at a later meeting.