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Portland schools board commits to seismic upgrades in 2025 bond, creates ongoing oversight
Summary
The Portland Public Schools board unanimously approved two resolutions committing 2025 bond resources to priority seismic retrofits of high‑risk elementary and middle schools and set up regular committee tracking and public engagement to guide implementation.
The Portland Public Schools Board of Education voted unanimously May 6 to make seismic safety a binding priority of the district’s 2025 school‑modernization bond and to require regular public reporting and committee oversight of retrofit planning.
The board adopted Resolution 7109, titled “Urgent need for seismic retrofitting of high‑risk school buildings,” and Resolution 7110, which directs the School Facilities Improvement and Operations Committee to meet regularly and report findings and engagement back to the full board. Both measures were approved 7–0. Student representative Kensevy indicated a strong yes.
Why it matters: the district’s oldest elementary and middle schools include unreinforced‑masonry construction and other seismic deficiencies that engineers say would put students and staff at disproportionate risk in a major earthquake. Directors and community speakers told the board that investing bond funds now would reduce that risk and provide…
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