Rumors & Facts

PPS is changing how central office supports school leaders so principals are not left isolated. The district’s approach recognizes schools as the unit of change and principals as a primary lever for improvement. While the number of principal supervisors has decreased over time, PPS is focusing on alignment, coaching, supervision, and leadership development so principals can better support teachers, instructional teams, and students.

PPS is shifting its professional learning strategy to focus on depth over breadth. Rather than launching new initiatives, the district will use existing structures such as Professional Learning Communities and Instructional Leadership Teams for job-embedded professional learning. Instructional improvement will continue to center on district-approved, high-quality instructional materials, clear learning targets, success criteria, and formative data analysis within existing teacher meeting times.

PPS is maintaining the staffing ratios for special educators serving students who receive special education services at the same level as the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. The district remains committed to meaningful access to core instruction, rightful presence in the school community, and building student independence.

PPS agrees that students benefit from being in a learning environment with a high-quality teacher and that more time can support stronger outcomes. However, the approved budget prioritizes protecting the existing student experience from deeper reductions. Because nearly 80% of the operating budget is personnel, adding instructional days would require additional resources or deeper reductions elsewhere.

PPS has identified several root causes of chronic absenteeism, including students’ sense of belonging, engagement and rigor in instruction, family awareness of the impact of attendance, mental health needs, and transportation challenges for students attending outside their neighborhood boundary. The budget supports professional development in climate and culture, sense of belonging, and social-emotional learning. School teams are also required to use data-based attendance teams to identify students experiencing chronic absenteeism and implement interventions.

Student safety remains a top priority. PPS has seen declines in incidents at middle and high schools, including graffiti, theft, transient activity, and trespassing. The district is working to preserve essential safety services through strategies such as reallocating Campus Safety Associates based on criteria, adjusting schedules and locations to maximize coverage, cross-training staff, realigning responsibilities, and amending the private security contract through a zero-dollar amendment for asset protection and targeted support.

Bargaining sessions are private working meetings between the District and union negotiating teams, which is standard practice in labor negotiations everywhere, including in Oregon public education. PPS posts a summary after most sessions on the PPS Bargaining webpage so the community can follow general progress, while respecting the integrity of an active negotiation.

Entering mediation is a normal, expected part of public sector bargaining in Oregon, not a sign that talks have broken down. A neutral, state appointed mediator helps the parties work through remaining issues, and mediation results in an agreement in the large majority of cases.

PPS is navigating a real, multi year structural budget gap, and that context is shared during bargaining so the community understands the constraints involved. Discussing fiscal reality does not mean an agreement will not include compensation increases. The specifics of any wage proposal are worked out at the table and are reflected in each union's bargaining updates.

PPS bargains separately with five employee groups: PAT, PAT Substitutes, PFSP, SEIU, ATU, and DCU. Each group negotiates its own contract covering the employees it represents, and updates for each are posted separately on the PPS Bargaining webpage.

Collective bargaining is a negotiation process between PPS and each employee union, not a decision PPS makes alone. While compensation is one topic, bargaining discussions commonly also include articles pertaining to benefits, staffing, workload, leaves, safety, and other working conditions. Both sides bring proposals to the table and work toward agreement on each article introduced during bargaining sessions.

Portland Public Schools engages in collective bargaining with its labor partners as part of its commitment to supporting students, staff, and school communities. Bargaining is a structured, legally defined process in which the district and employee groups meet to discuss working conditions, compensation, and other employment related topics. These conversations take place over time and involve multiple steps, including proposal development, discussion, and review. For more detail on the process, visit the PPS Bargaining webpage.

Neither PPS nor the union can decide the outcome on its own. Both sides bring their own proposals, and any change to a contract requires agreement from both parties. If the two sides cannot reach agreement on an issue, a neutral, state appointed mediator, not the District, helps the parties work through it. Even after a full tentative agreement is reached, it must still pass two independent checks before taking effect: a ratification vote by union members, and approval by the PPS Board of Education at a public meeting. Public sector bargaining in Oregon is also overseen by the state Employment Relations Board, which applies the same legal framework to all parties at the table.

Portland Public Schools remains committed to clear communication regarding the outcomes of its negotiations with labor unions. Each bargaining unit, ATU, DCU, PAT, PFSP, and SEIU, has its own page with its current labor agreement and related Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) and Letters of Agreement (LOAs), publicly available for review. Collective Bargaining Agreements can be found on the PPS Employee and Labor Relations page.

Bargaining updates reflect progress at the time they are shared. Because negotiations are ongoing, proposals discussed in one update may be revised, withdrawn, or agreed to differently in later sessions. The PPS Bargaining webpage is the primary source for the most current, official information for each bargaining unit.

In most cases, bargaining does not directly affect day to day school operations. Any changes to staffing or schedules would depend on agreements reached through bargaining, as well as separate district level decisions, and families would be notified of any change that affects their student.

If bargaining results in a change that impacts students or school operations, PPS communicates directly with families about that change, separate from the general progress updates posted on the bargaining webpage.

PPS welcomes questions and feedback from families and community members throughout the collective bargaining process. Submitted questions may help inform future updates to this page, and can be submitted through the form on the PPS bargaining webpage.

PPS recognized early that multi-year reductions would be necessary to address a deep structural deficit caused by several years of relying on one-time funds and rapidly escalating operating costs. The FY 2026-27 approved budget was developed without relying on one-time resources and was built using recent spending experience to create a more sustainable financial foundation. PPS is also preparing for a projected $65 million budget gap in 2027-28 and will continue using lessons from this year’s process to improve future budget planning.

PPS worked throughout the budget process to inform the Board and school communities. The district also identified areas for improvement, including giving the Community Budget Review Committee more time to review future proposed budgets. To strengthen transparency moving forward, PPS plans to hold quarterly CBRC meetings so members can stay informed and ask questions throughout the year, not only during budget season.

Despite budget reductions, PPS’s core academic priorities have not changed. The district remains focused on the four longitudinal goal areas in the District Continuous Improvement Plan: attendance, literacy, mathematics, and 9th grade success. These goals remain the district’s accountability priorities through June 2028

PPS continues to invest in strategies that support student outcomes, including grade-level, standards-aligned materials and instruction for every student, professional development for building leaders and educators, instructional coaches, academic interventionists, and principal supervisors. PPS has also seen academic performance return to pre-pandemic levels in English Language Arts and exceed pre-pandemic levels in mathematics as of the 2024-25 school year.

PPS has a long-term plan for the PERS Rate Stabilization Fund. The fund is designed to accrue slowly through property tax revenue and be used when PERS rate pressure creates significant fiscal strain. Using the fund balance in this budget was a deliberate decision to provide rate relief during a period of financial pressure, and PPS will continue accruing funds so the balance can rebuild over time.

Cost savings were not the sole reason PPS shifted to a program management model for capital projects. The shift was designed to bring in expertise to coordinate contractors across multiple major projects happening during a similar timeframe. The goal is to complete projects on time, within budget parameters, and in alignment with what voters approved through the 2012, 2017, 2020, and 2025 bonds.

The increase in contract costs is largely connected to capital project funds as PPS begins three high school modernization projects and other bond projects. There are also increases in the general fund for student transportation and property services, which were underbudgeted in 2025-26. PPS continues to evaluate contract services as they are invoiced and paid to ensure value, and some services require itinerant support or specialized expertise that employees do not have.

Modernizations and school improvements are primarily funded by the School Improvement Bond Program. School Improvement Bond Program funding is dedicated to school improvement and modernization projects as described by voter-approved ballot language that Portland voters passed. Legally, this funding must be spent on projects that are covered by the ballot language.
 
Bond program funding is separate from the fund that supports PPS's operational expenses. Bond-funded projects do not 'compete for' or 'divert' funding that that would otherwise contribute to PPS's other budget priorities. Learn more.

The 2025 bond begins a renewed multi-year, multi-bond plan to address seismic deficiencies at schools. Following Resolution 7109, approved by the Board of Education May 6, 2025, we are using a transparent, data-driven process to seismically retrofit the highest-risk buildings and/or building elements first.

How we selected schools for 2025 bond funding 

PPS utilized the Seismic and Seismic Risk Assessment report prepared by Holmes Engineering, to identify the schools that have the highest-risk scores and building elements (such as Unreinforced Masonry), in a prioritization calculation to address the highest-risk schools efficiently in alignment with Board direction.

Assessment: Holmes scored each "building part" at every school across the district based on its age, construction type and specific seismic vulnerabilities. See the Seismic and Seismic Risk Assessment.

Weighted scoring: We ranked schools using a formula that weighted the seismic risk scores 90%, facility condition scores 5% and student enrollment 5%.

Equity was factored into the prioritization formula as an adjustment to a Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) and Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) school’s facility condition score, allowing the team to incorporate equity while aligning with board direction to prioritize the highest-risk schools.

Strategic selection: Using the resulting ranks as a data-driven baseline, we selected projects for the 2025 bond based on constraints such as construction feasibility and phasing, swing site availability, budget and ability to have the highest impact on reducing the overall district seismic rating and risk, therefore reducing the risk districtwide for our students.

Depending on the building, we will use either full-campus retrofits or targeted fixes for high-occupancy areas like gyms or exits, or targeted fixes for specific deficiencies like unreinforced masonry (URM).

A school’s lack of presence on the list does not represent a lower priority.

Our seismic work is not over. High-risk schools not included in this cycle will be prioritized for future investigation, planning, and funding. This work is ongoing.

Since the 2012 bond, we have, or plan to, strengthen seismic resiliency through modernizations, full or partial seismic retrofits and roof-level seismic work at over 65 schools, including 26 of PPS’s 36 schools that have had Title I status in the last five years. This effort will continue beyond work funded by the 2025 bond.

Learn about ongoing seismic retrofit projects.
 

An all-new structure is being constructed as part of the Cleveland Modernization. We carefully considered preserving all or part of Cleveland’s exterior throughout the planning and design process, beginning in 2019. This process involved frequent and meaningful engagement with the Cleveland community, alumni representatives, the Design Advisory Group, students, families and staff.

Community members expressed a desire for an approach that retained historic character to some degree, though they ultimately prioritized factors that could only be achieved through new construction. Cleveland community values included staying on budget, optimizing indoor spaces for better teacher, student and staff experiences, creating welcoming and accessible outdoor open spaces, and building a resilient, energy efficient school.

In recognition of Cleveland High School’s significance, we are engaging with various organizations to identify appropriate mitigation strategies, including the CHS Alumni Association, the State of Oregon Historic Preservation Office, the Architectural Heritage Center, and the City of Portland Historic Landmarks Commission. 

We are also taking action to document and reuse various historic elements of the existing structure:

• We are working with the City of Portland’s Commercial Deconstruction Pilot Grants program
• The project will use salvaged materials from the current structure on the Franklin Street-facing side of a wall that will honor Clevleand’s historical significance
• The historic Cleveland Kimball Theater Organ will be removed and stored by trained specialists. We are seeking a new home for the organ

Learn about the Cleveland Modernization.

The planning and design of this project was viewed through the lens of the values outlined in the district’s Climate Crisis Response Policy. Our design team conducted a full carbon analysis, which confirmed that a new structure offers the best long-term carbon footprint reduction.

Upgrading the original building to meet modern seismic codes would’ve required significant amounts of steel and concrete, effectively cancelling out the carbon savings of preserving the old shell.

The new building will feature LEED certification, all-electric systems, and green-energy technology that could not be achieved through retrofitting the old structure.

Learn about the Cleveland Modernization.

Portland Public Schools designs career and technical education (CTE) spaces in alignment with approved pathways that can be fully supported over time, both in terms of funding and access to qualified, licensed educators.

As part of the modernization process, decisions about which CTE spaces to include are made in coordination with school leadership and guided by factors such as:

• Alignment with state-approved pathways
• Availability of licensed educators
• Long-term operational funding
• Space and program requirements

At Ida B. Wells, woodshop aligns with Oregon’s construction pathway, while metal fabrication aligns with a separate manufacturing pathway. Each pathway requires specific staffing, equipment, and long-term program support.

The current considerations around metal and wood shop programming are largely tied to teacher licensure and program requirements. The current instructor holds a unique dual endorsement in both Construction Technology and Manufacturing Technology, which allows them to teach both wood and metal. This is not typical across our system.

In order to sustain both areas long-term, we would need either a teacher who already holds both endorsements or someone who can meet the requirements to obtain them, which includes significant industry experience. That creates real constraints when planning program offerings within modernization efforts.

While we recognize the value the manufacturing pathway adds to our students and workforce, the construction pathway is a state and regional priority, and programs exist in all of our comprehensive high schools. These decisions are grounded in ensuring that programs are staffed appropriately and aligned with state licensing requirements so students can receive consistent, high-quality instruction.

Learn about the Ida B. Wells Modernization.

The five-year program management contract is not being spent all at once. As of the end of May, $4.56 million had been spent.

PPS is committed to balancing necessary school modernization with environmental sustainability and community heritage.

Due to the tight urban footprint of the site and the structural needs of the project, a number of mature trees surrounding the site have been removed, including those along Powell Boulevard. Site preparation is currently underway in strict compliance with our approved tree removal permit from the City of Portland.

To honor the site's history and minimize environmental impact, we are preserving three trees along Franklin Street and milling approximately 15 of the removed trees into dimensional lumber to be used in the new structure, including a dedicated allocation for student Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.

240 trees and thousands of new shrubs, sedges, ferns, and groundcover will be planted on site or in the public right-of-way as part of the completed modernization project. This will be a significant increase in the amount of trees and vegetation than the lot contained pre-construction. 

We appreciate the community’s understanding as we build a safe, state-of-the-art learning environment for our students.

Bond-funded capital improvement projects, past or planned, are not an indication of a school's status in rightsizing conversations. A facility's condition is one of many factors being considered.

Bond projects are initiated in alignment with budget guidance, and district initiatives and priorities. Many ongoing bond projects were initiated before the launch of the rightsizing effort.

While PPS is reviewing school facilities, boundaries, and enrollment patterns as part of long-term planning, the district does not intend to balance the implementation-year budget on savings from school closures or consolidations. Any changes would include a transition period with extra support for students, staff, and communities. Changes would begin in fall 2027 after a public process, a Superintendent’s recommendation, and a Board vote.

PPS’s rightsizing work is guided by four principles: creating sustainable, well-resourced schools; supporting safe and healthy learning environments; maintaining a strong network of neighborhood schools while balancing educational options; and using the PPS Equity Lens to center students most impacted by inequities.

PPS is consolidating frequently asked questions that apply to most, if not all, of the PPS community and will update the information every other week, if needed. Questions are being gathered from multiple sources, including Board engagement session feedback, Slido responses, sticky note feedback, community and administrator Google forms, and the rightsizing project email inbox. Questions that apply to a smaller subset of the community are being answered more directly on a one-on-one basis. These items can be found on the PPS Rightsizing page. 

Utilization rates account for special programs by removing seats in rooms used by those programs from the standard school utilization calculation. For example, at Creston, classrooms used by Columbia Regional and MECP PreK programs are not counted as available for standard Creston school programming, and the associated student stations have been removed from the utilization calculation.

Implementation planning is included in the rightsizing work plan. The timeline is designed to align decisions with budget, staffing, school choice, and school transition activities, such as 6th grade information nights. PPS will develop implementation plans through the process and in partnership with affected communities, principals, and partners.

For elementary schools, “full-time specials” refers to reducing the number of itinerant staff serving multiple school sites, not adding every special subject to every student’s schedule every day. PPS’s core program guide includes 90 minutes per week of PE and 45 minutes per week each of library, music, and visual arts. At the middle school level, students are required to take at least three quarters of PE, and schools should support sequential programs of study in areas such as music, visual arts, world language, and mathematics.

Some Spanish Dual Language Immersion programs are open only to neighborhood students, including James John, Rigler, Scott, and Sitton, so those seats are not available to students outside those neighborhoods. Other programs, such as Cesar Chavez, reserve half of their seats for neighborhood students. Kindergarten families on lottery waitlists receive information about programs with transfer openings, and PPS also follows up in Spanish with families of native speakers who did not receive an offer to a Spanish DLI program