Voters in four Portland-area school districts will decide in November whether to approve nearly $893 million in construction bonds, funding projects ranging from roof and heating-system repairs to the replacement of an aging elementary school. Hillsboro, North Clackamas, Reynolds and Gladstone are each asking voters to authorize 20-year bonds. The requests come as household costs are rising and amid long-running debate over how communities should pay for school infrastructure. Oregon provides limited state help for major construction projects, leaving districts largely dependent on local bonds approved by voters. The largest proposal is Hillsboro’s $430 million bond, the district’s first since 2017. More than half—$226 million—would fund work at every school, including roofing, seismic improvements, heating and ventilation systems, plumbing and playgrounds. Other projects include technology, athletic facilities, buses and cafeteria kitchens. If approved, the Hillsboro bond would cost an estimated $552 annually for a home with an assessed value of $300,000, at a rate of $1.84 per $1,000 of assessed value. The district says it could also receive $6.1 million in state matching funds. The proposal has support from education and civic leaders, including the Hillsboro Professional Fire Fighters’ Union. The Taxpayers Association of Oregon opposes it, citing declining enrollment and local property-tax burdens. The bond arrives as Hillsboro faces scrutiny over property-tax incentives for data centers. Those facilities are receiving about $84 million in incentives on their 2026 property taxes, according to figures reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive. The school bond would add to local capital funding, but it would not itself change the data-center incentives. North Clackamas is seeking $245 million for upgrades that include heating and cooling systems, boilers, windows, kitchen equipment, elevators and accessibility improvements. The district estimates the bond would cost about $676 a year for a home with the district’s average assessed value of $285,255, at $2.37 per $1,000. It, too, would qualify for $6.1 million in state matching funds if voters approve the measure. The district serves nearly 17,000 students across communities including Milwaukie and Happy Valley. No organized opposition had emerged, and the proposal has backing from local officials and businesses. In the Reynolds School District, which serves about 9,000 students in eastern Multnomah County, a $162.5 million bond would rebuild Glenfair Elementary School, a 72-year-old building, and pay for roofs, plumbing, electrical work and accessibility improvements elsewhere. Reynolds High School would get a turf field and bleachers; its football team currently plays home games at Mount Hood Community College. Reynolds estimates the bond would cost $386 a year for a home assessed at the district median of $238,630. The district could receive an $8.1 million state grant if the bond passes. The last Reynolds bond, approved in 2015, won by just 300 votes. This proposal has support from school principals, the teachers’ association and local state lawmakers, with no organized opposition reported. Gladstone, a district of about 1,600 students, is seeking $55.3 million—less than the $70 million bond voters rejected in May 2025. The reduced proposal drops items such as kitchen upgrades, paint, furniture and technology. It would fund roof, plumbing and heating repairs, new windows and boilers, and playground and athletic-field improvements. Approval would make the district eligible for $10.2 million in state matching grants. The district says the new bond would lower the bond rate from the $4.28 per $1,000 of assessed value residents currently pay on an expiring bond to $2.83 in the first year. That would be about $691 annually for a home assessed at $244,000. Supporters say rejecting the measure could leave Gladstone vulnerable to absorption into a neighboring district, whose existing bond costs residents might then have to help pay. Former City Councilor Greg Alexander has opposed the measure, calling for more transparency about how previous bond funds were spent. Only Reynolds plans to replace an entire school building. The other proposals focus primarily on maintenance and upgrades—work that districts say is necessary but that, in Oregon, generally depends on voters agreeing to local property taxes.