Portland's senior citizens cannot afford PPS modernization bonds

From a letter to the Oregonian (December 8, 2010):

I don't know about you, but around here we have what's called a budget. We also have needs, and sometimes they come in multiples. It adds up, and it all needs to be addressed, but since we aren't the school board, we don't have the wherewithal to tackle it all at one time. We prioritize, we schedule and we take on each need in turn.

Why is it that our Portland Public Schools can't do the same thing? Yes, everything they've asked for needs to be done, to the tune of $548 million. Is there a reason they can't fix our schools in steps, the way normal people with normal financial situations do?

I realize that $2 per $1,000 doesn't sound like a lot. But a quick look at our property tax statement shows we're already paying $575 a year, just for "bond issues and misc. taxes." Adding that $2 would bump us up to $1,463, and that's before adding in the bond issues passed in the recent election. For this two-senior household, it's a lot, and I don't think we're unusual.

Let me suggest that PPS manage its needs the way actual people do: in steps. Give us a bond for the first three critical needs, take care of them, retire that bond, then go on to the next. The district might find a more receptive group of voters.