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Portland Public Schools finance committee: May finances steady, grants added and central finance staffing adjusted
Summary
Finance Director Lisa Back told the committee that through May the district had collected $129.2 million (about 88% of budgeted revenues), reported three FY27 grant awards totaling new program support, and said two central finance positions will be vacant July 31 while recruitment proceeds; the committee was notified of a public input window on ESEA allocations open through July 6.
Portland Public Schools Finance Director Lisa Back reported to the committee on June 22 that, through May, the district had collected $129.2 million in revenues, about 88% of budgeted receipts across funds and roughly 88% for the local fund and 82% for grant funds. "We are really right where we would anticipate being for the local fund," Back said, noting one-twelfth of local tax revenue remains to arrive and that grants can lag while the state approves invoices.
Back said expenditures through May were approximately 91.2% of budgeted spending, close to the pro rata expectation of 91.7% for 11 months. She flagged that May included a three-payroll month and that contracted services — driven in part by special education — have been higher than personnel in recent months, so staff are watching June activity closely.
On grants, Back said the district received three awards that will help FY27 programming: a 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant for after-school and summer programming at Rowe and Talbot, $54,000 from the United Way of Southern Maine for the Talbot Community School model, and $22,000 from the United Way of Southern Maine to support Portland Adult Education workforce development. She also said the district submitted a renewal application this week for the Student Homelessness Prevention (SHP) grant and that the ESEA (Title) allocation application is due Aug. 1; a public input period on ESEA funding is open through July 6.
Back told the committee there are some outstanding invoices the district expects the state to approve, including for CTE and Title-related claims, and characterized the current revenue shortfall in grant funds as a timing issue rather than a structural shortfall. "We have an outstanding invoice for CTE that the state hasn't yet approved," she said.
On staffing, Back said two central finance roles will be vacant as of July 31 — the director of accounting and the purchasing manager — and the district is actively recruiting replacements. The committee has posted a controller position and is actively reviewing applicants; the proposed budget and financial analyst position will be paused for a few months while the district reassesses workload and hiring needs. Back also said the adult education finance position has been moved into central finance to support early childhood special education and adult education workloads.
Why it matters: The committee’s review shows the district is close to budget pacing with short-term timing risks in grant revenue and some upward pressure on contracted services. Pending grant awards and the ESEA public-input process will affect how federal Title funds are allocated across programs for FY27.
The committee did not take formal action on budgets or staffing at the meeting; it moved on to other agenda items and will discuss some items further at the business meeting the next day.
