Bond Measure 26-95: Portland Community College

[October 15th, 2008]

What’s the fuss? Enrollment is increasing, PCC needs new programs it can’t offer without additional space, and some equipment is outdated.

What’s the fix? A 20-year bond issue for $374 million to expand workforce training programs, renovate and expand existing buildings, and open new education centers. The cost would be 32.9 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, or about $66 a year for a house worth $200,000.

Here’s the deal: Portland Community College is bigger than every public college and university in Oregon combined, with 86,000 students.

Enrollment has increased 18 percent in the past decade. And last fall the waiting list for classes included nearly 10,000 students.

To cope with increased demand in traditional fields such as nursing and emerging fields such as renewable energy technician training, PCC needs new space for its expanding medical programs, automotive repair classes and science labs. It also needs additional childcare facilities and—yes—parking lots.

Voters approved PCC’s last bond in 2000, when the community college raised $144 million to rebuild the Cascade Campus, update the Sylvania Campus, and add new buildings and programs to the Rock Creek Campus and the Southeast Center on 82nd Avenue.

If approved, proceeds from the 2008 bond will be shared with PCC’s three campuses and the Southeast Center. It would also go toward leasing or building new outposts in Newberg, Sherwood and Willow Creek.

Although it’s tempting to forgo these updates as the economy sours, worker retraining and higher education will be even more important to displaced Oregonians in the months and years to come.

Video of WW endorsement interview (thanks to Portland Community Media)