Two Portland-area school districts say they are down to a stark choice on the May 19, 2026 primary ballot: raise local property taxes or brace for major cuts to classrooms. Riverdale School District 51J and Canby School District No. 86 are asking voters to approve five-year levies that district leaders say would help preserve teachers, school days and programs as inflation climbs and state funding stays mostly flat.
Riverdale seeks rate increase to keep teachers in classrooms
Riverdale’s Measure 26-263 would replace the district’s expiring levy with a five-year local option tax set at $1.67 per $1,000 of assessed value, projected to raise about $7.53 million over five years. According to Multnomah County Elections, the district estimates that losing the levy would cost more than $1 million in 2026-27, which it describes as roughly equal to seven teacher positions or around 21 school days. The district says those local dollars help keep class sizes small and pay for programs such as its International Baccalaureate offerings…..