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Board approves $1.83 billion bond, adopts phone policy and other measures in 7-0 session
Summary
Portland Public Schools Board of Education approved a package of resolutions including a $1.83 billion general obligation bond measure, a districtwide student device policy and resolutions on board leadership and immigrant-student protections. Several items drew extended public comment and board discussion before unanimous or majority votes.
Portland Public Schools’ Board of Education voted on a slate of resolutions at its Jan. 7 meeting, approving a proposed $1.83 billion bond measure for the May ballot and adopting several districtwide policies and organizational actions.
The board voted unanimously to send the bond measure to the May special election. The board also approved a resolution adopting a student use of personal electronic devices policy (5–2), an operating agreement with the Albina Vision Trust (unanimous), a resolution affirming the rights of undocumented students and protocols for Immigration and Customs Enforcement access to schools (unanimous), and elected their chair and vice chair by voice votes.
The meeting included sustained public comment on multiple items: a robust discussion and many public speakers on the proposed bond and its designs for Cleveland and Ida B. Wells high schools; repeated testimony from Native students and parents urging a Native Student Success Center and related investments; student and parent testimony for and against a districtwide, all-day phone restriction; and parents and community members urging explicit protections and training for immigrant families.
Votes at a glance
- Resolution 7038 (general obligation bond measure, proposed $1.83 billion): approved to appear on the May ballot (vote: 7–0; student representative recorded an unofficial yes). The bond package as proposed invests in high school modernizations, deferred maintenance, technology and curriculum, and contingency/administration allowances.
- Resolution 7029 (student use of personal electronic devices in schools): adopted (vote: 5–2). The policy directs phones to be “off and away” during instructional time districtwide; the board approved an implementation pathway that leaves some details—exceptions and operational mechanics—to district administrative directives.
- Resolution 7030 (affirm rights of undocumented students; ICE access protocols): adopted (vote: 7–0). The resolution updates a 2016 policy with more-specific references to federal and Oregon law and directs trainings and coordinated messaging with community partners.
- Resolution 7024 (authorize operating agreement with Albina Vision Trust regarding PEC property and relocation planning): adopted (vote: 7–0). The resolution authorizes staff to finalize a working relationship with Albina Vision Trust while district staff continue to develop minimum criteria for a replacement headquarters and warehouse site.
- Resolution 7025 (election of board chair) and Resolution 7026 (election of board vice chair): both approved by voice vote (recorded as 7–0 with student representative indicating yes).
- Consent agenda (resolutions 7031–7037 and routine items): approved (vote: 7–0).
Why this matters
The bond referral is the most consequential item on the agenda: if approved by voters in May, it would fund full modernization of remaining high schools and large capital, technology and deferred-maintenance investments. The student device policy is the most visible policy-change affecting classroom operations this school year. The resolution on immigrant-student protections responds to community urgency ahead of an anticipated federal administration change and instructs a district-wide training and public information effort.
What the board directed next
District staff were directed to continue community engagement and return to the board with implementation details: updated, third‑party cost estimates and possible cost-reduction options for the two high-school modernizations that drew the most public attention; an implementation plan and administrative directives for the student-device policy; and a training timeline and outreach plan tied to the undocumented‑student protections resolution. The board also authorized continuing negotiations with Albina Vision Trust while district staff develop minimum criteria for a new headquarters/warehouse site.
Ending note
Board members and staff said they expect follow-up reports and committee briefings in the weeks before the May election; they also noted that public input will continue to shape design and implementation decisions.
