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A new resolution drafted by three Portland School Board members would outline a process for how money from the district’s proposed $1.83 billion bond would be spent on seismic upgrades for schools.
The draft comes five weeks after WW reported that 19 of the district’s schools, at all grade levels, are built with unreinforced masonry and could collapse on kids during a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake. Since then, seismic safety has become an increased concern for some families as they debate whether to cast their vote for the bond, which does not specify how much money would go to seismic upgrades.
In its current form, the bond has $190 million allocated for deferred maintenance projects across the district, though there is no specific breakdown for how much of that money would go toward seismic retrofits. District leaders have indicated there could be an additional $176 million to $208 million committed to elementary and middle school projects if there is spillover from three planned high school modernizations.
On Tuesday, board member Julia Brim-Edwards released a public statement in which she wrote the district had only ever committed $5 million to $10 million toward seismic upgrades, a number advocates said was nowhere near enough. She called for more. (To retrofit all the URM buildings in the district, a document first revealed in March by WW shows, would cost close to $126 million.)
The resolution, drafted by Brim-Edwards and board members Herman Greene and Gary Hollands, declares that the retrofitting of high-risk school buildings is “an urgent district priority.” It directs the superintendent to develop and present a comprehensive Seismic Risk Reduction Plan that would identify facilities in need of repair and prioritize them based on objective risk factors and equity considerations. The plan would outline a schedule for repair no later than Sept. 1.
The resolution would also commit 2025 bond funding to seismic retrofits. If approved, it directs the district to set aside $100 million for emergency projects to address “imminent risk” but that seismic upgrades should be the next highest priority.
“Beyond the funds needed for that reserve, there shall be a default presumption that the first and highest use of funds available to address critical repairs and improvements at middle and elementary schools is to mitigate the seismic deficiencies at the 8-10 schools assessed to pose the greatest risk of injury or death in a significant seismic event,” it reads.
If passed, the resolution would quell some deep concerns for parents who’ve advocated for seismic safety. In recent weeks, those parents have been advocating for more seismic funding in the bond, sharing WW‘s reporting on social media to rally support.
Some worry that the district could not go out for another bond for eight to 10 years if this one passes, effectively shutting down any solution for what they see as a life-or-death situation.
“It’ll mean many years after that before construction can be started and completed,” Per Olstad, a parent at Beverly Cleary K-8, one of the schools most at risk of collapsing, tells WW. “The entire next generation of students would have to keep going to these unsafe schools. That’s just not fair to ask of the students and families.”
At a Tuesday budget community forum at Grant High School, a number of parents from Beverly Cleary K-8 joined Olstad in testimony, outlining their concerns about safety to the School Board and district leaders.
“Even a moderate earthquake…could cause mass casualties,” John Dwyer, a parent of a third grader and kindergartner at Beverly Cleary, said at that meeting. “I’m here to remind the School Board and community that PPS has a moral obligation to protect students and staff. This risk has been known about for at least 13 years, and yet there is no timeline keeping our kids and staff safe at the highest-risk schools. It’s unacceptable.”
At that meeting, PPS Superintendent Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong said the district signed a contract in late 2024 with an engineering firm to complete a high-level assessment to identify seismic deficiencies and rough costs to correct outstanding problems.
“We feel like that is an essential step in the process of defining the scope of work we have in front of us for all of our facilities,” she said. “Once we have that, we can begin to allocate funds.”
Brim-Edwards says she, as a parent, felt the request for a commitment to seismic upgrades was “very reasonable.” She says she is looking forward to the vote on Tuesday and thinks this resolution would strengthen the district’s bond package.
“Specifics versus generalities matter,” she says. “This resolution provides an opportunity for the board to make that commitment and to assure parents that this bond will commit funds for the seismic repairs at the highest-risk schools.”
Olstad, the Beverly Cleary parent, says the resolution is the first good news he’s heard around seismic safety in some time. He says he and other parents would feel much more ready to support and actively campaign for the bond if the board approved it.
“We feel very encouraged, we’re very excited for the board to vote and approve this resolution on Tuesday,” Olstad says. “We know that this is still a step in a much longer path, it is really good news that they are prioritizing the resources to address a very meaningful commitment to the elementary and middle schools that need this work.”