Saco superintendent warns district could see about 150 new students after nearby motel is designated for refugee families

The Saco superintendent told the school board that the Comfort Inn in Saco is slated to host up to 100 rooms for refugee families beginning June 1, and that 95% of those families are expected to come from Congo or Angola. He said the district currently has limited information but is preparing for a likely enrollment surge.

“If all 100 rooms are filled, it would be easy to expect that we could have a surge of a 150 students into our school department in the fall,” the superintendent said, noting that Catholic Charities will be the lead agency coordinating the relocation and that the district will need to work this summer on registrations, grade-level placement and space planning.

The superintendent told board members the state has designated about $500,000 in educational resettlement funds for all Maine districts; he emphasized that those funds are for the entire state and do not necessarily cover local needs. The district is constructing four classrooms at Young School that could be made available for additional students.

Board members and district staff said they will seek more information from the Department of Education and York County, and that they expect to continue conversations with Catholic Charities to understand how many school-age children will arrive and when. The superintendent said the district expects clearer information by mid-July and will update the board as planning proceeds.

The district will also coordinate with the city council and may schedule additional school committee meetings over the summer if enrollment projections change.