South Portland School Board authorizes superintendent to file Kahler school-closing report amid heated public opposition

The South Portland School Board voted to authorize the superintendent to file a school-closing report with the Maine Commissioner of Education for Kahler Elementary, saying the closure would allow elementary grade reconfiguration and help close a budget shortfall.

The motion, moved by Member Smith and seconded by Member Dowling, directs the superintendent to file under Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A §§4102–4103 and contemplates the closure to be effective in the 2026–27 school year. The board recorded the motion as passed after members voting in favor outnumbered the opposition; one member spoke in opposition during the roll call.

Why it matters: The board said reconfiguration and a possible building closure are part of an FY27 budget plan intended to reduce recurring costs and stabilize the district’s finances. Assistant Superintendent Johanna Prince told the board the elementary proposal includes facility savings of roughly $378,000–$400,000 from taking a building offline and said the overall elementary savings in the full proposal are substantially larger. “We feel prepared to execute on either plan that the board should select,” Prince said as she outlined timelines, stakeholder engagement and operational tasks needed for a transition.

Public reaction: More than two hours of public comment featured parents, teachers, students and union leaders who urged the board to slow the process, provide more data and preserve student-facing positions. Connie DeSanto, president of the district support-staff union SPESPA, said members were “deeply disappointed at how rushed this budget process has been” and warned that cuts to instructional supports and special-ed services would harm students. A parent, Sierra Bowler, asked why reconfiguration was being treated as inevitable when, she said, research and models have not been fully explored: “It’s almost as if they are forced to be gambling with our children’s future,” she said.

Details and contested numbers: Speakers disputed both the scale of savings and whether closure is the best option. Parent Bill Newton and others noted that closing Kahler was estimated to save about $400,000—a figure Prince confirmed represented some facility savings—while arguing that number is small relative to the district’s budget and not sufficient alone to justify a school closure. Several educators and parents also raised concerns about cuts to arts and related-arts supports, including a proposed elimination of a percussion ed-tech role that multiple commenters said directly affects 50-plus students and the district’s music program.

Process and next steps: Board members debated procedural options, including whether to present multiple budgets to the city council or ask the council for greater one-time support to avoid closing a school. The board also placed a motion on the floor to select one of two grade-configuration options to take effect in 2026–27 and moved to adopt the FY27 superintendent’s budget as the board’s proposal to the city council; those items were discussed but not fully resolved before the meeting was adjourned. The board scheduled a follow-up meeting for Thursday and will meet with the city council on the 7th to continue negotiations.

What wasn’t decided: The board authorized the filing of a school-closing report but did not finalize which grade-configuration option to adopt or complete the final budget adoption vote during the session. Specific reassignments of students and staffing details were described as to-be-determined in the required school-closing report; the board’s motion called for “a brief explanation of how students will be shifted” but did not specify individual school assignments.

Context: Assistant Superintendent Prince emphasized equity as a goal of the reconfiguration discussion and described a plan of stakeholder meetings, surveys, and a transition committee. Commenters and some board members argued the district needs more transparent data (enrollment studies, program-by-program impacts and clearer timelines) and broader community involvement before making structural changes.

The board’s authorization to file the school-closing report is the first formal step under state law toward a potential closure; community members and some board members said they will continue pressing for alternatives, additional data and more public engagement at the next meetings.