Joanna Hou

1 week ago | wweek.com | Joanna Hou

A new resolution drafted by three Portland School Board members would outline a process for how money from the district’s proposed $1.83 billion bond would be spent on seismic upgrades for schools. The draft comes five weeks after WW reported that 19 of the district’s schools, at all grade levels, are built with unreinforced masonry and could collapse on kids during a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake.

2 weeks ago | wweek.com | Joanna Hou

On May 20, voters who reside within Portland Public Schools’ boundaries will be tasked with electing four candidates to a seven-member School Board. School Board seats are volunteer positions, but these elected officials hold critical fiduciary responsibilities managing Oregon’s largest school district. “The PPS Board is charged with overseeing an almost $2 billion budget,” says Board Chair Eddie Wang.

2 weeks ago | wweek.com | Joanna Hou

Portland Public Schools Board member Julia Brim-Edwards released a statement Tuesday calling for the district and the School Board to hold public discussion around the bond measure appearing on ballots that arrive in Portland mailboxes tomorrow. She said the public deserves more information, particularly on what seismic upgrades the bond will fund. The $1.83 billion bond has been the subject of much workshopping since the School Board initially referred it to voters on Jan.

2 weeks ago | wweek.com | Joanna Hou

Portland Public Schools officials have spent months debating how to trim the price tags on three high school rebuilds included in the $1.83 billion bond going to voters in May. A new memo shows the fretting did not translate into cutting all possible costs. District officials told the School Board on April 8 that they could trim between $33 million and $67 million off the grand total. That’s, at best, less than 5% of total costs and would still put budgets for Cleveland, Ida B.

2 weeks ago | wweek.com | Joanna Hou

More than 95% of members in Portland State University’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors voted Tuesday to ratify a new contract with the university. The 1,172-member body approved the contract with more than 70% of members participating in the vote, says David Kinsella, the PSU-AAUP vice president for collective bargaining.