South Portland board hears FY27 budget that models closing one elementary school and cutting about 78 positions

South Portland School Board members on a recent night heard a detailed FY27 budget presentation that administration said would hold the school portion of property taxes to roughly a 6% increase under the current model while requiring about $8.4 million in reductions.

Assistant Superintendent Johanna Prince, who presented the slide deck, told the board "the budget that we are presenting tonight represents 2,400,000 of investment into our school system above what we are expending in FY '26." She said the plan reflects a 3.3% overall spending increase inside a model that, because of revenue constraints and no available fund balance, would translate into an anticipated tax impact for the school portion just under 6%.

Prince and Superintendent Dr. Entwistle identified the major cost drivers: roughly $3 million in contractual wage increases and step/experience additions, projected health‑insurance increases, corrected electricity costs, urgent capital needs (including a large heating‑system and other work at Skillen and roof work at Dyer), the first payment on an athletic bond and a bus replacement. Prince said the district has drawn down its fund balance in prior years and currently expects no savings to use in FY27, meaning deeper reductions are needed.

Board member Feller summarized the personnel impact in blunt terms: "We're eliminating a proposed 78 roles, 42 teachers, 16 ed techs, 14 service custodial and transportation staff, 4 bargaining staff, and 2 administrators." Feller and other board members asked administration for alternatives including deeper across‑the‑board cuts rather than closing a building, and for clearer estimates of classroom student‑to‑staff ratios under the various models.

Administration said the modeling shows about 43% of the $8.4 million reduction target is tied to elementary‑school reconfiguration and facility savings, which is why the current plan includes a modeled closure of one elementary school (the slides and discussion used Dyer as the primary modeled closure in the plan presented). Prince said the district attempted to minimize layoffs by using vacant positions, retirements and resignations where possible and that any staff affected would receive notification and the opportunity to meet with a director or association representative.

Public comment that followed was substantial and almost uniformly urgent. Educators, union leaders and parents raised three central concerns: the speed and transparency of the process, the equity consequences of closing a school or of particular redistricting maps, and potential health and safety questions raised about Kaler Elementary because of nearby petroleum storage tanks. Sarah Gabe, president of the South Portland Teachers Association, asked the board to release the rubric and matrix used to score schools and said staff needed more clarity before notifications: "Are we really prepared to share notifications with staff?" she asked.

Several speakers urged the board and administration to seek additional one‑time resources or to ask the City Council for a higher tax guidance number to avoid permanent closures. Others cautioned that rushing could harm the district’s ability to implement reconfiguration well: "There isn't time to do this well," said Meredith Diamond, a longtime educator and administrator, describing the scale and speed of the proposed changes.

Board members were divided about timing. Multiple members said they wished to postpone major long‑term infrastructure or closure decisions until a permanent superintendent is in place; others argued failing to act could force still larger cuts if the referendum does not pass. Chair DeAngelis repeatedly reminded the room that the proposal must ultimately go to a June referendum by state statute and that the board is responsible to all residents.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda: acceptance of a $1,000 scholarship donation (approved unanimously). - Consideration and action to approve, as a first reading, the temperature standards for school facilities (motion moved and passed unanimously). - Policy B E D H (public participation at board meetings) (approved unanimously). - South Portland High School overnight field trip to the Maine Music Educators Association conference (May 14–16, 2026) (approved unanimously). - South Portland High School robotics trip to the Granite State qualifier (March 15) (approved unanimously).

What happens next

The budget as presented remains a proposal. Administration said it will continue to refine the plan and provide the board with more detailed breakdowns (for example, the projected student‑to‑staff ratios and precise facility‑savings calculations) and to notify impacted staff as required by contract if the board moves a path that requires position eliminations. The board will deliberate further, and any final budget the board adopts will be presented for voter approval in June.

Clarifying note: numbers and proposals above reflect the administration's slides and board discussion during this meeting; they are not final until acted on by the board and, where required, approved by voters.