The Portland Board of Public Education is scheduled to hold a public hearing and vote next week on an FY25 school budget to recommend to the City Council. The Board’s hybrid meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 9, beginning at 6 p.m. in person at Casco Bay High School and also virtually via Zoom. Joining information and the agenda will be posted on BoardDocs.

The latest version of the budget that the Board is considering is the Board Finance Committee’s Recommended Budget, approved by that Committee on April 1. The Finance Committee added the equivalent of 17 full-time positions to the Superintendent’s Recommended Budget that was presented March 5. However, while the Finance Committee’s budget adds more positions than included in the $161 million budget that the superintendent recommended, it doesn’t add to the 6.85 percent tax rate increase called for in the superintendent’s budget. That’s because additional savings/revenues now anticipated in the budget – lower costs for staff benefits than previously budgeted, reductions for FY25 in expenses for Maine’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave law and higher MaineCare revenue – will cover most of the additional positions the Committee voted to add. The Committee voted to use just over $313,000 from the district’s fund balance to cover the difference between the savings/revenues and the cost of the new adds. Here’s a summary detailing the Finance Committee additions and how they’re funded. 

The City Council and its Finance Committee will review the school budget before taking a final vote on it on May 20 to send to Portland voters on June 11. Go to our FY25 school budget page on our website for more budget information and a detailed budget calendar.