GPISD outlines $200 million bond package with four propositions; district says 90% would be covered by industry

GPISD Superintendent Dr. Michelle Cavazos told the Portland City Council on April 1 that the school board has called a bond election seeking roughly $200 million to fund renovations, new facilities and equipment across the district, with four separate propositions on the ballot and election day set for May 3.

Cavazos said district leaders developed the package after a yearlong review that included facility condition assessments, enrollment projections and a stakeholder committee of about 60 community members. “We started on that far left and it's been a 12 month process to get to here,” she said, describing the reviews that led to the proposals.

The largest measure, labeled Proposition A in the district presentation, bundles renovations and additions at the high school, a career and technical education (CTE) facility targeted at high-wage, high-demand career pathways, deferred maintenance and safety and security upgrades. District officials said some projects listed under Proposition A include repurposing the current TM Clark natatorium and bus and equipment replacement cycles.

Proposition B is an athletic-focused item and includes a reimbursement resolution tied to an all-purpose indoor practice facility. Proposition C would fund technology replacement and infrastructure. Proposition D would fund a visual and performing-arts center of more than 1,000 seats and related academic spaces; district staff presented a conceptual site on the high-school practice fields and called the auditorium images illustrative only.

Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Dr. Ishmael Gonzalez explained how the district expects to pay for much of the package: by using interest-and-sinking (I&S) dollars tied to industry property values and a reimbursement resolution that shifts certain eligible costs back into maintenance-and-operations (M&O) temporarily. “A reimbursement resolution is essentially, [a] transfer of funds... back into our annual operating budget,” Gonzalez told the council. He also described the district’s exposure to the state’s school finance recapture rules and said the district expects to be sending an increased amount back to the state in coming years under current law.

Gonzalez and Cavazos said the district’s industrial tax base gives it capacity to issue bonds without raising the tax rate; they asserted the district could, in theory, borrow more than the $200 million discussed without increasing the district’s tax rate but that leaders were focusing on identified needs. Gonzalez stated that if the bond package passes, “90% of [the cost] would be paid from business and industry,” while the district would use bond proceeds for items such as SRO expansion (school resource officers at more campuses), an emergency access road and safety equipment. The presenters also said earlier bond projects have included a new elementary school, a new middle school campus, and other major capital work.

Superintendent Cavazos said the district distributed an information sheet and a QR code for voters; she announced early voting starts April 22 and provided an election-day date of May 3. The end date for early voting listed in the materials was not clearly stated during the council presentation.

Council members asked clarifying questions about the reimbursement resolution and recapture. Councilman Sutton asked whether a reimbursement would reduce the district’s future recapture burden; Gonzalez replied it would not eliminate recapture but could temporarily reduce the district’s M&O outlays that otherwise would be subject to recapture rules. The board president, Tim Flynn, and other district leaders answered detailed finance questions from council members during the discussion.

The district did not ask the council to take an action on the bond; the presentation was for information and public engagement, and district staff made one-page informational packets available to council members and the public.

Why it matters: The bond would fund major capital work that district leaders say is linked to enrollment growth and aging facilities and would affect long-term debt capacity and district operations. The funding mechanism the district described — relying on industry-generated I&S revenue and a reimbursement resolution — is central to how the school says it would avoid raising tax rates while financing large projects.

What’s next: The district’s info sheet lists early-voting availability at the community center and the board’s called election on May 3. District staff encouraged the public to use the QR code on the materials for further information and questions.