No further cutbacks for Portland schools this fall
Published: Monday, August 30, 2010, 7:52 PM Updated: Monday, August 30, 2010, 7:59 PM
The superintendent and school board of Portland Public Schools plan to spend $6 million from reserves, rather than cut more teachers, freeze employee pay or eliminate school days, in the face of continuing state budget woes.
Robb Cowie, the school district's communications director, said this evening that Superintendent Carole Smith, school board co-chairs Pam Knowles and Trudy Sargent and board budget chairman David Wynde all have committed to spend down the district savings account by another $6 million. That means that, altgother, the district will spend $25 million more than it will take in to operate schools in 2010-11.
Board members had said for months they prefer to make long-term cuts than to put off hard choices and allow unsustainable spending levels for another year. But with the latest drop in state