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 associated with the One North purchase. The Oregonian editorial board repeated some of Cascade’s concerns.

Portland Public Schools faces a $50 million budget shortfall, yet they’ve committed to purchasing property with operational deficits for an undefined program. When board members questioned this gap—money that could fund teachers or educational assistants—proponents dismissed concerns. One called it a “drop in the bucket.” Another complained that such questioning “doesn’t feel very fair.” For taxpayers facing cuts, such resistance to basic financial scrutiny is unacceptable.

There is a better solution: to integrate the center into Jefferson High School’s construction. This eliminates costly conversions, cuts delays, and saves tens of millions of dollars.

The board has a mandate to spend $60 million on Black student excellence. It doesn’t have a mandate to spend it foolishly.

Read the full commentary at www.cascadepolicy.org