A trio of school replacements and a renovation to create a new Center for Black Student Excellence (CBSE) will create job opportunities for minority-owned contractors and subcontractors.

Voters in May 2025 gave Portland Public Schools the green light to issue up to $1.83 billion in bonds to pay for new Jefferson, Cleveland and Ida B. Wells high schools as well as updates of other buildings to hold the CBSE, and other work. Construction is expected to begin soon after a five-year delay.

PPS awarded a five-year, $61.1 million contract to Procedeo, a construction program management company based in Grapevine, Texas, to oversee the projects. Procedeo will base its local operations in the One North development at 25 N. Fremont St. Space there and at 3506-3514 N. Vancouver Ave. will be used for the CBSE.

Procedeo has partnered with NAMC-Oregon to focus on advancing equitable participation, transparent engagement and meaningful access to opportunity throughout the life of the bond program, Procedeo President Brian Johnson said.

“Working alongside PPS, contractors and community stakeholders, Procedeo will help ensure that all contractors, designers and related professionals are informed, prepared and positioned to participate in both the construction process and the broader planning conversations that shape these projects,” he said.

Nate McCoy, NAMC-Oregon’s executive director, said the partnership combines Procedeo’s deep expertise in program management and delivery and NAMC-Oregon’s long-standing relationships with the contracting, workforce and community-based ecosystems, including services in technical assistance and community engagement.

“Together, we are aligning technical oversight with intentional equity, workforce and business inclusion strategies to ensure the PPS bond program delivers both high-quality facilities and lasting community benefit,” McCoy said.

Johnson described the projects as historic investments in public education infrastructure in Portland because, beyond delivering modern, safe and inspiring school facilities, they support local jobs, strengthen small and minority-owned businesses, and reinforce schools as community anchors.

“The bond improves learning environments while also creating economic opportunities that extend well beyond school walls, benefiting families, neighborhoods and the regional workforce,” he said.

The projects will integrate career technical education by connecting students to real-world exposure in construction, engineering, architecture and skilled trades, Johnson said. Through site visits, classroom presentations, mentorship opportunities and hands-on learning experiences, students will be able to see how academic concepts translate into viable career paths.

“These experiences help demonstrate that high-quality, well-paid careers exist right in their communities,” Johnson said, adding that other engagement will be encouraged as well.

“Architects, engineers and designers involved in the bond projects will have opportunities to share their career journeys, explain the design process, and involve students in problem-solving exercises related to real school projects,” he said. “This engagement helps students envision themselves in design careers while fostering a culture of mentorship within the profession.”

During the projects, Procedeo will prioritize clear, consistent communication with students’ families through community meetings, school-based events, multilingual materials and accessible project updates, Johnson said.

“Engagement efforts are designed to explain not only what is being built, but why these investments matter over the long term for student success, neighborhood vitality and economic opportunity,” he said. “By keeping families informed and involved, the project builds trust and ensures that community voices remain central to the bond’s success.”

Procedeo’s services for each project will include fiscal and budget management, development and maintenance of the project management plan, project scheduling, project controls, management of contingencies, design and engineering review, preconstruction, construction phase oversight, and occupancy and post-occupancy services.

Procedeo will receive base compensation of approximately $55.1 million, which represents 4 percent of the estimated remaining budgets for the three school modernizations combined, CBSE construction, and administrative oversight of the Office of School Modernization, which is administering the bond projects.

The contract includes an additional $6 million incentive for the three school projects to be completed on time. They are scheduled to be built and completed simultaneously. Rather than have three firms manage the projects separately, PPS opted to lean on one firm for accountability and advance the projects collectively.

Placing management of the billion-dollar-plus bond program under one firm also will reduce price escalation, according to PPS Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong.

In addition to the Jefferson, Cleveland and Ida B. Wells high school projects, the 2025 PPS bond program will prioritize seismic improvements at eight to 10 schools most at risk during earthquakes. A reserve fund will be established for replacing major systems, such as HVAC, and emergency and unplanned projects.

Any remaining funds, including cost savings from the high school projects, will be used to update or replace leaking or deteriorating school roofs, mechanical systems, plumbing, electrical systems, fire alarms and sprinklers, safety and security systems, elevators, site elements, exterior enclosures as well as other work.

In addition, athletic facility upgrades will be done at Roosevelt, Lincoln, Franklin and Grant high school, and West Sylvan Middle School. Athletic hub facilities will be created at Jackson Middle School and the Marshall campus. Physical education spaces and high school performing arts and theater facilities will be updated as part of the most recent round of bond funding.

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The Portland Design Commission on Thursday got a second look at plans to replace Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School with an approximately 291,000-square-foot building on the site’s south side.

The new building is planned as part of an effort to modernize the campus, at 1151 S.W. Vermont St.

The project was first presented to the Design Commission in September 2024. The biggest change from then is that the track-and-field element, previously oriented north to south, is now proposed to remain where it is due to budget constraints.

The project is valued at $349 million, according to Portland Permitting & Development. Bora Architecture & Interiors designed the project for Portland Public Schools. The project team also includes KPFF (civil and structural engineering), Rivero Design (civil engineering), NBZ Consulting Engineers (structural engineering), and Walker Macy (landscape architecture).

The existing school will remain operational during construction, because it sits upon a hill away from the buildable area.

The new school will include a theater, band and choir rooms, a cafeteria and commons, and a media center as well as classrooms and science labs, art rooms, shop spaces, a variety of specialized learning environments and administrative offices. A community health clinic may be included in the project if a service provider can be identified, the applicant’s narrative states.

Planned site improvements include a new track and field with grandstand and support buildings, new baseball, softball and soccer fields with associated site structures, new tennis courts, reconfigured parking areas, and new pedestrian pathways. The existing swimming pool, run by Portland Parks & Recreation, will remain. Facilities associated with Rieke Elementary School will also remain.

The main entrance would be on the building’s east side. Another entrance on the south side would lead to a potential health clinic. Commissioner Thomas Eldridge said the main entry does not strike him as such. Commissioners suggested adding more signage to indicate the main entry.

The site plan is extremely constrained in creating a direct north-south link by the existing locations of the track and field and pool, which push the north-south connection significantly eastward. A north-south path is thus proposed east of the pool, the city staff report states.

“The north-south connection is a really important connector,” said Tanya Paglia, a city planner for Portland Permitting & Development.

Commissioners agreed that the path should be wide. They asked the team to provide more details at the next design advice request (DAR) hearing.

Building materials and composition are still being decided, but thin brick tile in an alternating pattern is being considered as the primary cladding. Commissioners agreed that the color of the brick may be too dark, acknowledging that the shade is popular right now but may not be in the future.

“I think the kind of pathway through the building from the entry to the commons is so beautiful with the use of wood on the inside,” Commissioner Sarah Vaz said. “I love the general concept of having bark on the outside, wood on the inside. It’s just not feeling very bark-like right now.”

Vaz suggested the project team work with the school’s design advisory group and community members to determine the color of the brick, if the team hasn’t already.

Commissioner Zari Santner asked the project team to address bus and parent drop-off locations, including near the grandstand, before the next DAR hearing.

A third DAR hearing will take place on Feb. 19, 2026. The project will require a Type III conditional use review and a Type III design review. The design team plans to submit a design review application in March.

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Portland Public Schools has selected Procedeo, a construction company based in Grapevine, Texas, to manage the school district’s bond program encompassing the modernizations of three schools (Jefferson High School, Cleveland High School and Ida B. Wells High School) as well as creation of the Center for Black Student Excellence.

The school board voted 5-2 in favor of the $61.1 million contract on Tuesday night, with board members Virginia La Forte and Stephanie Engelsman voting no.

The district continues to face costly and significant delays in its capital projects, Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong said, adding that the Center for Black Student Excellence (CBSE) project is set to advance after a five-year wait. The board approved a $16 million purchase of the One North property at 25 N. Fremont St. and 3506-3514 N. Vancouver Ave. for the center.

Placing management of the billion-dollar-plus bond program under one firm will reduce price escalation, Armstrong said.

Portland Public Schools (PPS) issued a request for proposals on Oct. 7. They were due Oct. 30, and three national firms submitted proposals. Two firms advanced to interviews held Nov. 14. The school district issued a notice of intent to award to Procedeo on Nov. 17.

The scope of work for this contract includes full project management services for the three high school modernizations and a renovation to suit the CBSE. It also includes administrative oversight of all bond projects in the program, said Sharon Toncray, chief legal officer at PPS.

Procedeo’s services for each project will include fiscal and budget management, development and maintenance of the project management plan, project scheduling, project controls, management of contingencies, design and engineering review, preconstruction, construction phase oversight, and occupancy and post-occupancy services.

Procedeo will receive base compensation of approximately $55.1 million, which represents 4 percent of the estimated combined remaining budgets for the three school modernizations, CBSE construction, and administrative oversight of the Office of School Modernization.

The contract also includes a $6 million incentive for the three school projects to be completed on time. The projects are scheduled to be built and completed at the same time.

Rather than have three different firms manage the projects separately, Armstrong said, the district wants to lean on one firm for accountability and advance the projects collectively.

The contract will be in effect for five years. PPS has the right to cancel the contract at any time with 30 days’ notice.

Board member Christy Splitt asked to postpone the vote to allow the school district to perform cost analyses of other school districts’ capital projects. But Armstrong said no comparable situation exists in another school district in Oregon.

La Forte and Engelsman also expressed concerns in the absence of a cost analysis and the lack of transparency.

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