When voters in 2012 approved a $482 million school construction bond for Portland Public Schools, they expected part of the money would be used to upgrade seismic standards and address deferred maintenance issues at some of the district's existing school buildings.

While the $158 million modernization project that recently wrapped up at Grant High School accomplished those goals, it also helped address another problem at the school — that of inequality among students resulting from the outdated design of the nearly 95-year-old building.