Portland school leaders defer CBSE deliberation after concerns about short public notice

Portland Public Schools officials on Nov. 10 presented due-diligence materials on a proposed purchase tied to the Center for Black Student Excellence (CBSE) but agreed to bring deliberations to the full board on Nov. 18 after committee members and community representatives said the item had been noticed too late for adequate public participation.

The Facilities Improvement and Oversight Committee was told the materials were posted before the meeting and that the session was intended as a "high-level" due-diligence update, not a final deliberation. John Franco, senior chief of operations, said the district was following a September direction from the board and that "today is just a sharing of the due diligence that we have, and it's posted already."

Several committee members and community speakers said the timing prevented advocates from attending. Board Vice Chair Michelle DePass asked that the CBSE item be removed from today's agenda, saying it had been "noticed at 12:50 today, which is in violation of our public meeting notice" and noting a May 25 letter signed by 35 community organizations urging broader participation. Erin Fraser, executive director of the Center for Black Excellence, told the committee the CBSE due diligence for 1 North is complete and that the district is "well positioned to move forward on closing on the CBSE," while acknowledging she had limited time to prepare remarks.

Per committee discussion, some directors said they would prefer a full-board discussion and broader community presence before any substantive deliberation. Director Virginia LaForte and others said staff had been placed in a difficult position by shifting scheduling and that the committee could receive a high-level update while reserving formal deliberation for the Nov. 18 board meeting. After discussion the committee agreed to present the due-diligence update to the full board on Nov. 18 so that "the community could be here."

What happened next: The Facilities committee did not take a formal vote on the transaction at the Nov. 10 meeting; the committee chair and members committed to bringing the matter to the Nov. 18 board meeting for deliberation and any vote.

Why it matters: The CBSE has been a multi-year community effort; advocates and some directors said the optics and equity implications of discussing the project without broad community notice would damage trust. Staff and board leadership said today’s presentation was limited to due diligence and that the board retains legal oversight of any final real-estate transaction.

Next steps: The board will review and deliberate the CBSE due diligence at the Nov. 18 full board meeting; the committee noted it will continue to coordinate public notice to ensure community participation.