Board Preliminary Budget Workshop

Note: Transcripts are generated from video auto-captions. While highly accurate, they are non-official and do not meet State Archivist record-keeping requirements.

• 0:00
  Call to Order

  Chair DeAngelis calls the South Portland Board of Education meeting to order.
• 0:00
  Roll Call

  The superintendent conducts the roll call of board members.
• 0:00
  Motion to Amend Agenda

  The board moves to amend the agenda to add a public comment period, which was omitted from the original agenda. The motion passes unanimously.
• 0:01
  Chair's Opening Remarks (Ms. DeAngelis)

  Chair DeAngelis opens the meeting with a public apology to two members for her conduct at the previous meeting. She also thanks the student representatives for their commitment to the board.
• 0:02
  Superintendent Search Update (Ms. DeAngelis)

  The Chair announces key dates for the superintendent search process. A public workshop with the search firm Zeal is scheduled for December 22, and a community forum for public input will be held on January 22.
• 0:05
  FY27 Budget Workshop Presentation (Dr. Prince)

  Assistant Superintendent Dr. Prince begins the FY27 budget presentation, outlining the goals for the evening. The primary objectives are to review district demographics and financial context to help the board provide guidance for the first budget draft.
• 0:10
  Budget Development Timeline (Dr. Prince)

  Dr. Prince presents the four-month timeline for the FY27 budget process. The administration will develop the Superintendent’s Budget in January, followed by board workshops, presentations to the City Council, and a final citizen vote in June.
• 0:12
  District Enrollment & Demographics (Dr. Prince)

  Dr. Prince reviews 10-year trends showing that district enrollment is at its lowest point, following a post-pandemic spike. The data also highlights a significant increase in the percentage of students in special education and shifts in multilingual populations.
• 0:16
  Staffing Ratios Overview (Dr. Prince)

  The presentation shows how the ratio of benefits-eligible staff to students has changed over time alongside enrollment. Dr. Prince notes this is not a class-size metric but a total staff overview, reflecting more complex student needs and enrollment volatility.
• 0:18
  Property Tax Composition (Dr. Prince)

  Dr. Prince explains that the school budget constitutes the largest portion of a resident's property tax bill, at over 60%. She reminds the board that their decisions have the biggest impact, but that city and county costs will also affect the final tax rate.
• 0:25
  FY27 Budget Forecast Scenarios (Dr. Prince)

  Dr. Prince presents five budget scenarios, highlighting that even a flat budget (Option A) would require a 3.1% tax increase due to decreased revenue and depleted fund balance. Maintaining current services and staffing (Option D) would necessitate a 17.1% tax increase.
• 0:34
  "Big Ideas" for Financial Sustainability (Dr. Prince)

  The administration proposes four large-scale ideas for long-term savings, each estimated to save between $500,000 and $1.5 million. The ideas include reconfiguring elementary schools, implementing a single start time at the middle school, and finding service unit efficiencies.
• 0:39
  Board Discussion on Budget Guidance

  The board begins its deliberation on the budget forecast and the proposed "big ideas" to provide guidance to the administration for the initial FY27 budget draft.

  • 0:49 Mr. Feller
    Member Feller states that he would like to see an Option A budget presented to force difficult conversations about priorities. He also suggests exploring savings from solar panels, bus route efficiency, and a hiring freeze.
  • 1:06 Mr. Dowling
    Member Dowling expresses that tax increases in Options C, D, and E are too high for the community to bear. He indicates he is leaning toward a target somewhere between Option A and Option B.
  • 1:10 Mr. Smith
    Member Smith argues that if the board is unwilling to tackle major structural changes like reconfiguration this year, it must seriously consider a higher tax increase like Option C. He warns that aiming for Options A or B without structural change will lead to damaging cuts to students and schools.
  • 1:17 Ms. DeAngelis
    Chair DeAngelis advocates for exploring all creative options, including using Metro for high school students and reconfiguring elementary schools. She states that a double-digit tax increase is untenable and supports a target between Option A and B, closer to A.
  • 1:30 Ms. Richardson
    As the only board member with children currently in the district, Member Richardson pushes back against aiming for Option A, calling it punitive to students. She argues the board's focus should be on what is best for students and that deep cuts will harm their learning experience.
  • 1:33 Alex Davison
    Student Representative Davison counters that a quality education comes from people and creativity, not just resources. He suggests that wasteful spending, such as under-enrolled classes, exists and that a lower budget option is feasible if resources are pooled more efficiently.
• 1:25
  Budget Cut Amounts Clarified (Dr. Prince)

  To provide context for the board's discussion, Dr. Prince clarifies the dollar amounts that would need to be cut from the status quo budget to reach the lower options. Reaching Option B would require a $4.1 million cut, while Option A would require a $7.8 million cut.
• 1:39
  Public Comment

  The board opens the floor for public comment on the budget, with one member of the public choosing to speak.

  • 1:41 Sarah Gay
    Sarah Gay, President of the SPTA, requests more detailed staffing data, including historical instructional staff-to-student and administrator-to-student ratios. She urges the board to avoid a process that pits staff against each other to defend their jobs and offers the union's collaboration in providing information.
• 1:44
  Final Board Guidance

  Chair DeAngelis summarizes the board's discussion, concluding that the consensus guidance is to target a budget between Option A (3.1% tax increase) and Option B (6.4%). The Superintendent confirms they will use a 6.5% tax increase as the starting point for building the initial budget proposal.
• 1:45
  Adjournment

  With no further business, the board votes unanimously to adjourn the meeting.