Questions People Are Asking
These questions are drawn from what 30 community stakeholders are actually asking about the FY27 school budget. Every question here has at least one answer grounded in public meeting records and budget documents.
Transportation: The Biggest Open Question
27 transportation-related questions, claims, and non-answers have been tracked across the entire budget process. The reconfiguration vote passed — but no attendance boundaries, bus routes, or school assignments exist yet. The superintendent promised a timeline by ~April 10.
See the full transportation analysis →Programs & Classes 7
What classes and programs are being cut at the middle school and high school? Is the pre-K expansion protected, or are the staff who run it being cut? Are positions that support students with disabilities and IEPs being cut? How does switching to semester-long classes affect a high school student's college application? What classroom supply budgets and non-staff resources are being cut? Who will handle behavior crises at schools if all behavioral support staff are eliminated? What happened to computer science classes at the middle and high school?
How Decisions Get Made 6
Has the district had serious financial audit problems? Who will be the next superintendent? Why does South Portland spend more per student than similar school districts? Are the teachers' unions negotiating over how the layoffs are handled? Is this school year ending in a deficit, and what does that mean for next year? Will there be a real chance for public input at the April 14 budget workshop?
Equity & Fairness 5
Has the district gotten a legal opinion on whether closing Kayler is allowed under civil rights law? Are English learner students losing teachers because fewer kids showed up during immigration enforcement? Are the budget cuts falling harder on schools with more low-income students and students of color? How is the district making sure federal education money is spent correctly? Will immigrant students who missed school due to immigration enforcement be counted fairly in enrollment numbers?
School Closures 4
How much will it cost to bus students to new schools if one elementary school closes? Did the district study keeping all five elementary schools open instead of closing one? Has enrollment actually been falling, or has it recently started to level off? Does Skillin Elementary have a large repair bill that could bring it back into the closure conversation?