Portland school board presents $171.7 million budget, refers plan to finance committee

Superintendent Scallon presented Portland Public Schools’ proposed fiscal 2026 budget — a comprehensive plan of $171,700,000 that he said aligns to the district’s five‑year strategic plan and includes targeted investments in literacy, special education, multilingual learning and high‑school music programming.

The budget presentation set the tax impact up front: the superintendent said the proposal would raise the school portion of property taxes by 5.31%, or 42¢ per $1,000 of assessed value. Using the district’s median homeowner assumption of a $500,000 assessed value, Scallon said that would raise that homeowner’s school taxes by $210 a year, about $17.50 a month.

The district’s proposed spending covers three operating streams: preK–12 instruction ($160.8 million), adult education (about $5 million) and food service ($5.6 million). Scallon said the increase is driven largely by salary and benefits ($8.9 million in the budget) and a combination of priorities identified through the strategic‑plan process. He also told the board the budget assumes a 0.75% staffing vacancy rate, a 6% placeholder for health-benefit cost growth and a preliminary property valuation of $15.32 billion.

Why it matters: the proposal is the start of a multi‑step review process. The school board approves the local budget and then the city and voters take subsequent steps; the board referred the plan to its finance committee for detailed review and recommended public hearings in April ahead of an April 8 second read and vote and a June 10 public referendum date on the city calendar.

Details and priorities: Scallon said the FY26 proposal would pilot an early‑literacy education technician at Title I elementary schools (one technician per two kindergarten classes), add literacy specialists at two schools, expand district capacity for special education (roughly $400,000 in school‑based personnel plus about $1 million in department personnel), fund a contracted review of multilingual‑learner programs ($125,000) and delay the launch of the community‑school initiative to invest earlier in early‑childhood capacity in light of a 2028 state shift in responsibility for some early‑childhood special‑education services. He said the budget also proposes music staff increases at Portland and Deering high schools.

Revenue and reserves: Scallon said local property tax is the largest revenue source and the district intends to use $3.9 million of fund balance in FY26 (the budget book shows a projected fund balance drawdown and line items for one‑time costs). He noted the district’s pension bond payment ends after FY26 and that the elimination of that obligation will free about $2.67 million in future years.

Public comment: Dozens of public speakers responded during the public‑comment period. Student Representative Fitzgerald reported school‑level activities and accomplishments at Casco Bay High School. Several music staff and parents urged the board to add music teachers at Portland and Deering high schools; band director Audrey Cabral and Deering teacher Abby Hutchins detailed the number of ensembles and courses currently covered by a single teacher and urged expansion. Other speakers supported increased investment in special education and adult education, while some parents and staff described school‑level problems that they said should be addressed before asking for larger tax increases.

Board action: Chair Lentz moved to refer the superintendent’s FY26 budget to the finance committee for detailed review; the motion was seconded and carried on a roll‑call vote with all board members and the student representatives recorded in the affirmative. Chair Lentz announced the finance committee will begin review and public comment the following Monday and gave the committee a timeline of joint city/district meetings and public hearings through the April and May review period.

Next steps: The board instructed members to bring proposed additions or subtractions and suggested trade‑offs (tax increase, increase use of fund balance, staffing reductions) to the finance committee meeting for consideration. The finance committee will return a recommended amendment to the full board for action prior to the public referendum.