A former Portland Public Schools employee in the Office of School Modernization filed a lawsuit against the district on Wednesday in Multnomah County Circuit Court, alleging PPS eliminated her job in retaliation for her blowing the whistle on irregularities in a bond management contract now referred to the Oregon Department of Justice for criminal investigation.
Kiesha Locklear, a former senior project manager at the district who was the principal project leader on both the Jefferson High School modernization and the Center for Black Student Excellence project, alleges in her lawsuit that the elimination of her job was the result of her speaking out against the hiring of a Texas-based contractor, Procedeo, to manage billions of dollars in school construction bonds. In the fall of 2025, Locklear, at the time still employed by the district, made a highly unusual decision to warn the public at two Portland School Board meetings of PPS’s engagement of Procedeo.
At a September 2025 board meeting, Locklear warned that Procedeo was making “impossible” promises when it said it could shave time and money off of the Jefferson project. In December, she termed the math behind the district’s $61.5 million contract with Procedeo “wild” and warned PPS was significantly overpaying the firm. Both of those concerns were among many that the district’s external bond auditor flagged in an explosive audit WW reported on last month.
Locklear’s lawsuit also makes reference to a decision by...
The rapper's agency said recent allegations shared online were fabricated, and filed a criminal complaint against the accuser. Rapper Yang Hong-won's agency has denied allegations that he cheated o...