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MEMO SHOWS HIGH SCHOOL COSTS REMAIN STUBBORN: 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. Wells and Jefferson high schools at close to half a billion dollars each. It’s also on the low end of an estimate from Feb. 11, when School Board members said they’d be interested in saving money by reducing square footage, reevaluating the need for teen parent and health centers, and finding alternatives to LEED Gold standards. At the time, PPS chief operating officer Dan Jung said he tentatively hoped to shave between $20 million and $40 million from each project. But an April 18 written update to the School Board explaining the cost savings that PPS officials did find shows that even as square footage was reduced, two of the three high schools will still have teen parent centers and all three will have health centers. On top of that, there’s no mention of alternatives to LEED Gold certifications. In the new memo, Jung wrote that the team is still working on finding additional cost savings by evaluating insurance requirements in contracts and finding alternatives to structural and mechanical systems. But the memo revealed another challenge: Redesigns with savings in mind have, in some cases, cost the district more. “Some costs have increased, including design fees to make changes,” Jung wrote, adding that because projects were paused, construction will be delayed and could escalate costs.
SANCHEZ SEEKS TO CLOSE CHARGING LOOPHOLE: The Oregon Legislature’s Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response heard testimony earlier this month on a bill that would include preschools in the definition of “school” when charging drug crimes committed near schools. Rep. Tawna Sanchez (D-Portland) introduced the bill after Donald Sharma, owner of the Stop N Go Mini Mart next to Dawson Park in Northeast Portland, was arrested March 4 and indicted on charges of drug possession, manufacturing and dealing. Drug charges were dropped, however, stemming from the mini mart’s close proximity to the Arc-en-Ciel preschool just down the block. That’s because preschools are not included in the definition of “school” when determining proximity-related drug charges. Sanchez hopes to change that. A handful of parents from Arc-en-Ciel submitted testimony in support of the bill, as did law enforcement officials. Arc-en-Ciel parent Allea Martin wrote in a letter to the committee: “I am interested in anything that we as a community can do to improve the safety of this area, which continues to be threatened by the operation of an open air drug market.”
LEWIS SEEKS CLACKAMAS COUNTY SEAT: Metro Councilor Christine Lewis has applied to fill the seat left vacant on the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners after Melissa Fireside resigned amid charges she stole $30,000 from an 83-year-old Lake Oswego man. The four remaining commissioners will pick Fireside’s replacement from dozens of applicants, including perennial candidate for state treasurer Jeff Gudman. Lewis’ bid for commissioner was first reported by the Wilsonville Spokesman. Councilor Lewis represents Metro District 2, which includes Gladstone, Lake Oswego, Milwaukie and West Linn. Reelected in 2022, Lewis is considered a strong contender for president of the Metro Council when Lynn Peterson finishes her second term in January 2027. Compared with that position, a switch to county politics would be a step down, at least in pay. The Metro president earns the same salary as an Oregon circuit court judge—currently $185,508. That number could go up if a bill aimed at raising judicial salaries passes in the Legislature this session. Clackamas County commissioners are paid $130,213. Lewis, a 2007 graduate of Reed College, says she is seeking the county job because it’s full time, unlike her Metro gig. “I spend a large amount of my time working on things in tandem and collaboration with Clackamas, like housing services, transportation, and projects like Willamette Falls Locks,” Lewis said in an email. “What I wish for most for the county is stability and thoughtful leadership. I believe I would bring that plus competence and pragmatism.” The candidate selected for the Clackamas County vacancy will serve until December 2026. An election that November will determine who serves through the end of 2028.
LAWMAKERS SPAR WITH BOLI: A spirited dialogue continues between two state lawmakers, Sen. Dick Anderson (R-Lincoln City) and Rep. Vikki Breese Iverson (R-Prineville), and the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries over the agency’s prevailing wage determinations for subsidized affordable housing developments. After an Oregon Journalism Project report on whether such determinations are unnecessarily adding substantial costs to such projects (“A Little Off the Top,” WW, April 2), the lawmakers wrote to BOLI Commissioner Christina Stephenson asking her to use her statutory discretion to reduce such costs. Stephenson replied that her agency’s determinations correctly followed Oregon law. The lawmakers then sought an opinion from the Legislative Counsel Office. In an April 15 opinion, deputy legislative counsel Sean Brennan wrote: “[Stephenson] does in fact have the power to consider alternative definitions for residential construction that are not strictly limited to the two categories listed in the statute.” In other words, Brennan says the labor commissioner has more leeway to reduce costs than she thinks. BOLI spokeswoman Rachel Mann says the agency has consulted with its own attorney and reviewed the legislative history of the relevant laws and determined it is acting appropriately. Says Mann, “We are confident in our analysis and application of the law.”