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Portland selectmen adopt mill-rate resolution after splitting state education funds
Summary
The Board of Selectmen voted June 21 to adopt a mill-rate resolution that designates $200,000 of state supplemental education funding to the school budget and applies remaining funds toward property-tax relief; the board debated several allocation options before the voice vote.
The Board of Selectmen voted June 21 to adopt a mill-rate resolution that designates $200,000 of recently announced state supplemental education funding to the Portland school budget and applies the remaining funds toward reducing the townmill rate.
The decision followed public comment and extended selectmendiscussion about competing objectives in the state's supplemental funding: making up critical school shortfalls and providing property-tax relief. Several residents urged the board to prioritize tax reduction; the school superintendent and the board of education chair asked selectmen to reserve part of the funding to avoid staff cuts next year.
Board members considered three options that had been prepared in advance: (1) allocate a $200,000 specific amount to cover a projected school budget gap and apply the rest to tax relief, (2) split the education-designated portion roughly 50/50 (about $263,957 to schools), and (3) allocate $300,000 to schools with the balance to the town. After debate, the board coalesced around the $200,000-to-schools plan as the motion that was put forward and adopted.
Superintendent Dr. Charles Britain told the board the district will likely end the current fiscal year without a deficit but faces an estimated $146,000 insurance-driven shortfall in the 2026-27 school budget; he urged the board to avoid further staff cuts and recommended a split of funds. BOE Chair Laurel Steinhauser described the funding as the product of sustained advocacy and asked the selectmen to honor both purposes identified by the legislature: both school support and taxpayer relief.
Selectman commentary focused on two themes: fidelity to the state's dual-purpose guidance (close school gaps and provide tax relief) and transparent accounting so the town remains "squeaky clean" in reporting to state agencies. One selectman said the board would not approve more than $200,000 to the schools absent a stronger accounting justification; others said they could consider higher splits but only after ensuring proper reporting.
The motion adopted the resolution dated June 1, 2026 that reflects the $200,000 allocation to the Board of Education; the chair read the resolution into the record. The transcript contains the resolution text as read aloud, but some of the numeric mill-rate figures in the hearing record are garbled. The town clerkand tax collector will publish the official adopted mill-rate figure and the formal tax-impact notices in the town records and on the town website.
The board took the action by voice vote; minutes record that the motion passed with opposition recorded during roll (the transcript captures objections but does not list a full roll-call tally). The chair said the town will follow state guidance on reporting how the supplemental funds are spent and coordinate with the board of education on accounting and reimbursements.
What happens next: the town will publish the official mill-rate numbers in its municipal records and apply the allocated state funds consistent with state reporting requirements; the board and BOE will track spending and report on use of the supplemental education funding.
