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Portland Board chair outlines gains in equity, attendance and special education; district plans pre-K expansion
Summary
Sarah Lentz, chair of the Portland Board of Public Education, delivered the State of the Schools address outlining the district’s five-year strategic plan, reporting improved attendance and test scores, a 10% drop in suspensions, special-education investments, and plans to add roughly 60 pre-K seats next year as Maine transitions child development services to districts.
Sarah Lentz, chair of the Portland Board of Public Education, told the City Council Tuesday that Portland Public Schools is "continuing forward" on a five-year strategic plan that centers equity, achievement, the whole student, people, and systems.
"This diversity is our superpower," Lentz said, noting Portland is the largest and most diverse district in Maine and serves 6,244 pre-K–12 students across 10 elementary, three middle and four high schools. She highlighted that more than half of students are economically disadvantaged, nearly a third are English-language learners, about 20% receive special education services, and more than 8% are…
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