Portland Public Schools

On May 13^th, please VOTE on the Portland School Budget!

On Tuesday May 13th, for the first time ever, Portland residents will be asked to go to the polls and vote on the proposed budget for our city’s elementary and secondary schools. The referendum process is required by State law and will cost $35,000 per election to administer. The budget will not be approved until a majority of voters say “yes.” Elections must be held as often as necessary – at taxpayer expense – to achieve a “yes” vote from the public.

2008 represented a collaborative, detail-oriented budget process. This year’s school budget process was detailed, thorough, and collaborative.

Ø The school budget process started earlier than ever and involved more collaboration between city and school finance staff than ever before.

Ø The school budget presented in February by the Superintendent was more detailed than ever before. City Councilors applauded the “transparency” of the budget.

Ø For the first time, the school budget review process was jointly conducted by the Finance Committees of the School Committee and the City Council. This new collaboration led to better understanding, a more detailed review, and a better budget.

Ø Following its detailed review, the School Committee discovered new opportunities to responsibly reduce costs and voted to cut $1.4 million from the Superintendent’s proposal. This was later endorsed by the City Council’s Finance Committee.

The 2008 School Budget is Lean.

· It eliminates 48 locally-funded staff positions to reflect declining enrollment.

· It increases the school tax rate by under 2%, well below the rate of inflation

· It repays half of last year’s fund balance shortfall.

· It streamlines operations, uses resources efficiently, and involves more shared services with the City and neighboring communities.

· There are no gimmicks in this budget, and prior accounting problems are corrected.

The 2008 School Budget is Responsible. The 2008 school budget continues the commitment of the Portland Public Schools to meet the needs of its student body and to encourage innovation. The budget continues the programs needed to educate our students for the 21^st century and maintains quality programs in the arts and athletics. Were the budget to be cut further, the reductions would need to come from teachers and extra-curriculars.

Click here for more information about the Portland Public Schools fiscal year 2009 budget.

Please help us invest in Portland’s future. Please VOTE on the School Budget.