Superintendent recommends $179.9M budget and 7.3% school tax increase; community urges retaining counselors and social workers

At a March 10 Portland Board of Public Education meeting, Superintendent Scallon presented a recommended FY27 budget of $179,900,000 and outlined the districtproposalto raise the school portion of property taxes by 46¢ per $1,000 of assessed value (a 7.3% increase). He said the budget is aligned to the districtstrategic plan, responds to declining enrollment and a roughly $4.1 million reduction in state funding and funds expanded early childhood programming that the superintendent said would be fully reimbursed by the state.

"The overall budget is $179,900,000," the superintendent said during the presentation, and he described four priorities: investments tied to the strategic plan (curriculum and equity work), use of a portion of fund balance to temper property-tax impact, operating reductions tied to enrollment declines, and continued efforts to increase MaineCare billing where feasible.

The recommended budget includes additions and reductions listed by the superintendent: a $4.0 million expansion of early-childhood services (stated to be fully reimbursed by the state), investments in high-quality math instructional materials and a halftime position for local Black history curriculum; proposed reductions include six central-office positions (one IT role, an enrollment specialist, HR analyst, 1.5 family-and-community specialists, two bus drivers, and a TV3 manager), reductions to some vacant school-based positions and proposed school-level reductions partly driven by declining secondary enrollment (the superintendent listed a proposed reduction of about 4.5 teachers, some counselors and social-worker FTE changes among items under consideration). The administration also budgeted $600,000 for a Maine PERS pension-audit engagement.

During nearly two hours of budget-related public comment that followed, counselors, social workers, teachers, union leaders and parents pressed the board to avoid cuts to student-facing positions. Melissa McStay, a Portland Public Schools social worker of more than 20 years, told the board reductions would harm students who rely on counseling and social-work teams to address barriers to learning. "We need increases in this type of support, not reductions," she said. Colleen Demers, a school counselor, described a recent forced reassignment and said a 0.5 counseling cut proposed for Portland High would remove a trusted adult and increase risk for students with acute needs.

Union and school staff speakers described on-the-ground consequences: increased caseloads for counselors and social workers, difficulty meeting legally required IEP services without ed techs, and higher risks to students facing trauma and instability. Multiple speakers urged the board to redirect dollars from other central-office additions or to use more of the districtfund balance to preserve frontline roles.

Board members asked clarifying questions about MaineCare revenue potential, the pace of the pension-account audit with MainePERS and the structure of proposed central-office additions (including a civil-rights officer requested in a prior board resolution). The superintendent warned the board that the state funding formula's interaction with rising local property valuation and falling enrollment had produced a multi-year funding challenge that helps explain the proposed tax increase.

The board voted by roll call to refer the superintendent's FY27 proposed budget to the finance committee for detailed review and possible amendments. Member Opperman moved the referral and Member Bryden seconded; all voting members present supported the referral.

What happens next: the finance committee will review the proposal, hold public hearings and return recommendations to the full board. The superintendent noted public engagement sessions and additional hearings are scheduled through April and that the board expects to take a first reading of the recommended budget on March 31 and a second reading and potential vote in April.