PORTLAND, Maine — The school board for Portland Public Schools overwhelmingly approved a $161 million budget Tuesday night for the next school year.
Before the board voted, some residents expressed concern about the budget raising their taxes.
"I own a home in Portland and I'm here to protest the large tax increase the school board seeks to impose," one resident said.
The budget calls for a tax increase of 6.64 percent. For the average homeowner, this would result in an increase of more than $180 a year.
However, it would reinstate some positions that were initially slated to be cut in an earlier proposal.
"There is a group of ed techs that has been added back, several educators, key positions like a technology coordinator and a clinical coach," school board chair Sarah Lentz said.
Lentz said positions still need to be eliminated, and with any cuts, students will be impacted.
"I do think we’ve tried to mitigate that as much as possible and be as thoughtful as we could to really think about the impact of the reductions we’re making within this budget," she added.
The city council is expected to vote on the budget in May. Voters will have their say in June.