Community advocates asked the Portland Public Schools Facilities Improvement and Oversight Committee on Dec. 9 for clearer, equity-focused explanations of how schools were chosen for seismic work under the district's 2025 bond.

John Dwyer, representing Safe Structures PPS, told the committee that Jackson Middle School has a risk score of "9.8" and enrollment over 700 yet was not prioritized for seismic work. He said only one Title I school appears among the nine initial retrofit selections and asked the district to explain why higher-risk Title I campuses were left out. "Current and future Jackson families deserve a clear explanation for this decision," Dwyer said.

Dwyer also cited the bond accountability committee's earlier language saying the 2025 bond measure seismic scope "was to fully fund 8 to 10 schools," and warned that rising costs could make that promise difficult to meet. "A $100,000,000 is not nearly enough to address all the schools that need seismic work," he said, urging the district to pursue grants and other funding.

Elijah Prost, a parent and member of several community groups, asked the board for a district-level plan to make every school safe for a major earthquake and whether the district would investigate state, federal or philanthropic funding if a future bond is a decade away. Prost said, "Is this safe and acceptable for our children?" when noting many nearby elementary and middle schools have scores above 8 on a 10-point scale.

In response, the committee said staff will provide regular updates on seismic projects. The committee also said it will hold regular check-ins on seismic work (staff noted every-other-month check-ins will begin next month) and that staff would provide more reporting on project status and decision-making to build community confidence.

What happens next: The committee asked staff to continue reporting and to make audit and selection materials available in advance of the board's January meetings so members and the public can review how selections were made.