Murmurs: Parent Group Amps Pressure for Seismic Updates

PARENT GROUP AMPS PRESSURE FOR SEISMIC UPGRADES: Advocates for Safe Structures PPS, the parent group pushing for seismic improvements across Portland Public Schools’ portfolio, say the district missed a key Sept. 1 deadline to prioritize schools for retrofits. In May, the Portland School Board passed a resolution that set aside key funds for seismic work in the district’s $1.83 billion school bond, part of a last-minute push to help pass the bond. That resolution charged the superintendent to develop a plan by Sept. 1 that would “outline a multiyear schedule or sequence for retrofitting the identified high-risk buildings,” including cost estimates and how the district planned to fund it. That date came and went. District spokeswoman Valerie Feder says it became apparent that the seismic