Portland Public Schools Bond Discovers Its Ceiling

Poll finds that a slim majority of voters support the bond that would provide up to $556.5 million to fix high schools.

By Rachel Monahan

There's a limit to local taxpayers' generosity, after all.

Portland Public Schools is likely to ask voters in November for a new bond of no more than $556.5 million to rebuild Benson, Lincoln and Madison high schools.

New polling data from DHM Research shows voters balk at larger amounts and, when shown their annual payments, barely support that figure. Only 51 percent supported paying $400 a year for a home assessed at $200,000.

That rate could give the district enough to pay off a $556.5 million bond over eight years, PPS projections from 2015 show.

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