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Podcast: Cascade CounterPoint
Episode: QP: Trust is Earned, Not Given
Description: The Portland School Board (PPS) wants voters to approve a construction bond measure of $1.8 billion in May. If approved, the measure would authorize the Board to impose taxes on all properties within the district to pay the principal and interest on bonds for the next 30 years. The total cost of debt service would likely be $3.5 billion or more.
In any bond campaign, advocates are saying to voters, “trust us.” Should we trust the school board?
No.
Voters approved a $1.2 billion school bond measure in 2020, which allocated $311 million to rebuild Jefferson high school. Four year...