Schools and education
Council decisions about schools and education: 12 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
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School board reviews two plans to close Portland schools
District staff showed the board how two proposed plans to shrink the number of schools compare. Scenario A would close 14 schools and Scenario B would close 11. Staff measured each plan by school size, walking distance, how students move from school to school, and how many students, including students of color, students in poverty and students with disabilities, would have to change schools.
Portland Public Schools · October 20, 2026 · No vote: this was an update to the board. The two scenarios are proposals only. The superintendent plans to recommend a plan on November 17, and the board plans to vote on December 15. · District 2, District 3, District 4
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Portland schools report which state standards they met last year
Each year the district must tell the public how it did on Oregon's school standards, called Division 22. For 2025-26, the district met almost all standards but fell short in four areas: instructional time, a diploma for veterans, school library and media programs, and buying class materials on the state's schedule. Budget-related furlough days put the district below the governor's instructional time order, and the state approved its plan to restore the hours by the 2027-28 school year.
Portland Public Schools · October 20, 2026 · No vote: this was a report to the board. · District 2, District 3, District 4
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Bond watchdog group says school building projects are on track
A volunteer community committee that watches how Portland Public Schools spends voter-approved bond money gave its regular report. It found the money is being spent only on allowed projects, there is enough to finish the promised work, and the rebuilds of Cleveland, Jefferson and Ida B. Wells high schools and the Grice-Adair Center are on schedule to open in fall 2029. It also noted an ongoing dispute with the contractor that built Benson High School.
Portland Public Schools · October 6, 2026 · No vote: this was a report to the board. · District 2, District 3, District 4
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Two plans would close 11 or 14 Portland public schools
District staff showed the board two proposed plans to deal with schools that have too few students. Scenario A would close 14 schools and change 38 attendance boundaries. Scenario B would close 11 schools and keep Stephenson, Rose City Park and Lewis open. Both plans also move language immersion programs, turn seven K-8 schools into K-5 schools, and shift some students to new schools.
Portland Public Schools · October 6, 2026 · No vote: this was an update to the board. These are proposals only, and no decision was requested. · District 2, District 3, District 4
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School board votes on autism services, legal and math software contracts
The board must approve any district contract over $150,000. This resolution covers two agreements with Reynolds School District and David Douglas School District to provide regional services for eligible people with autism. It also extends a legal services contract with the Miller Nash law firm and renews i-Ready math and reading licenses for grades 6 to 8 from Curriculum Associates.
Portland Public Schools · October 6, 2026 · The board was scheduled to vote at the October 6, 2026 meeting. The result will be in the minutes, which are not published yet.
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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Update on school construction paid for by Portland school bonds
District staff gave the board a progress report on school building projects paid for by voter-approved bonds from 2012, 2017, 2020 and 2025. New buildings for Jefferson High School and Cleveland High School are under construction, and Ida B. Wells High School is in design, with a groundbreaking set for November 13. Students at all three are expected to move into new buildings in the 2029-30 school year.
Portland Public Schools · September 15, 2026 · No vote: this was an update to the board. · District 1, District 2, District 3, District 4
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School board hears how Portland Public Schools will judge school closure and merger options
Staff explained how they will measure options for "rightsizing," which means changing which schools exist, their sizes and boundaries because many schools are under-enrolled. They showed the measures they will use, like school size, distance from home and which schools feed into which, plus an equity review for every option. Staff said that for eight years, money has been taken from high schools to support under-enrolled elementary, K-8 and middle schools.
Portland Public Schools · September 15, 2026 · No vote: this was an update to the board. Staff said no decision was requested. · District 3, District 4
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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.
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Board discusses draft plan to cut costs as enrollment falls
A board member, Engelsman, drafted a resolution asking the superintendent to save money and find new funding. Ideas include a hiring freeze on unfilled jobs until at least January 2027, no cost-of-living raise for salaries over $200,000, and cutting outside contracts not paid for by bonds by at least 10%. It also asks the district to look for empty properties to sell or lease, review top management jobs, and seek money from the City of Portland, The Fund for PPS and local businesses.
Portland Public Schools · September 15, 2026 · No vote: this was a discussion of a draft resolution. The board would need to vote on it at a later meeting for it to take effect.
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School board votes on paying about $210,000 to settle a claim
This resolution lets Portland Public Schools pay $209,999.98 to settle a disputed claim. The district's contracted lawyer must approve the final agreement. The material does not say who made the claim or what it was about.
Portland Public Schools · September 15, 2026 · The board was scheduled to vote at its September 15, 2026 meeting. The result will be in the minutes, which are not published yet.