PPS’ Risky Real Estate Gamble
This week, Portland Public Schools will vote on purchasing the One North property for $37 million to $41 million to house the Center for Black Student Excellence. While fostering student excellence should be the district’s priority, this plan is fiscally reckless and logistically flawed.
PPS faces a $50 million budget shortfall, yet we’re committing to a property with a $271,000 annual operational deficit. When board members questioned this gap—money that could fund teachers or educational assistants—proponents dismissed concerns. One called it a “drop in the bucket.” Another complained that questioning the finances “doesn’t feel very fair.”
For taxpayers facing cuts, such resistance to basic financial scrutiny is unacceptable.
The $16 million building needs $20 million to $25 million in renovations and 24-30 months of construction. We’ll own an expensive, mostly empty shell for over two years. Worse, staff couldn’t confirm whether the central atrium can be preserved while meeting building code for classrooms.
We’re buying a property without knowing its final usable square footage.
Most critically, the center will operate primarily after school, weekends, and summers—yet the district doesn’t run buses during these hours. When asked how students from East Portland would access the center, staff called transportation a “puzzle piece we’ll have to figure out.”
There’s a better solution: integrate the center into the Jefferson High School reconstruction already planned. This eliminates costly conversions, cuts delays, and saves millions.
The board has a mandate to spend $60 million on Black student excellence. It doesn’t have a mandate to spend it foolishly.