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Podcast: Cascade CounterPoint
Episode: QP Portland Public Schools Risky Real Estate Gamble
Description: On December 2, Portland Public Schools board voted unanimously to purchase the One North commercial building for $16 million to house the Center for Black Student Excellence, but the building’s purchase price is only the beginning. The building needs another $20 to $25 million in renovations and two to three years of construction. For the next three years PPS will own an expensive, mostly empty shell. While fostering student excellence should be the district’s priority, this plan is fiscally reckless and logistically flawed. In November, Cascade submitted an Analysis to the PPS Facilities Committee enumerating the risks asso...