One of the Portland School Board’s longest-serving members is facing a challenger for her District 3 seat this November, while two other people are running unopposed for two at-large seats.

Laurie Davis – who is seeking her third three-year term on the board – is running against Bill Linnell, a semi-retired carpenter and fisherman who served on the Cape Elizabeth town council in the early 1990s.

Both Davis and Linnell have experience working with older and alternative learners. Davis works at University of Southern Maine helping first-generation and low-income students be successful in college. Linnell was a longtime volunteer and a Jobs for Maine’s Graduates instructor at Long Creek Youth Development Center, a South Portland facility for juvenile offenders.

The nine-member school board oversees a $104 million budget for a 16-school district with about 6,800 students.

“I deeply believe that education is the thing that changes people’s lives and communities,” Davis said about her decision to run again, adding that she wanted to see the Hall School renovation project through and provide “stability” on the board. “This is about serving the community in education for me. It’s not about politics.”

Linnell said he decided to run after seeing Davis offer lukewarm support for a $70 million bond to renovate four elementary schools. Davis, who was one of two board members opposing the measure, has said she supported renovations, but did not believe the proposal would be approved.

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“In Portland, the time for ‘nuances’ is well past,” Linnell said. “These schools should have been fixed 20 years ago. Children who suffered through these buildings are now registered voters with kids of their own. It’s time for District 3 to be represented by a leader who is willing to stop talking about it, and take action.”

District 3 covers the Libbytown, Stroudwater, Nason’s Corner, Rosemont and University of Southern Maine neighborhoods.

Davis said she would continue to focus on student achievement, something she said she has tried to keep front and center during her time on the board.

“I make sure it’s part of the conversation,” she said, adding that she has also been an advocate for adult education.

“Not all of our students are achieving at the levels they need to be successful,” she said. “I want to make sure all of our students are really ready for college or a career.”

As for opposing the bond, Davis said she wanted to see the final recommendation from the city’s ad-hoc committee that is investigating the details of the proposal. She said she would be “surprised” if they supported the $70 million bond with no changes, but if they did she would consider changing her position.

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“If you can give me better information, better data, a better argument, I can change my mind.” Davis said. “I’m not inflexible and ideological.”

Linnell said he has been active in public service and working with children for decades, from teaching to volunteering as an assistant soccer coach.

“I enjoy public service. School board seemed to be a natural fit,” he said. A recent tour of an elementary school opened his eyes, he said.

“I saw that clearly the schools are in tough shape and they need an overhaul,” Linnell said. Aside from the bond, Linnell said he would push to expand pre-K education in the district, and promote programs to keep teenagers “positively engaged” in school.

“I think the early years are absolutely critical. We need to give them the best chance of succeeding in elementary school,” he said.

Linnell is endorsed by the Portland Education Association, which represents more than 700 teachers; school board members John Eder and Holly Seeliger and Portland State Rep. Ben Chipman.

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Davis is endorsed by five school board members (Sarah Thompson, Pious Ali, Jenna Vendil, Stephanie Hatzenbuehler and Marnie Marrione;) three city council members (Spencer Thibodeau, Ed Suslovic and Justin Costa;) and local State Representatives Richard Farnsworth and Erik Jorgensen.

Also on the ballot are candidates for two at-large seats, both for three-year terms.

Incumbent Anna Trevorrow and Roberto Rodriguez are running for the seats, three-year-term at-large seats. In 2013, when Trevorrow was elected, there were six people running for the two at-large seats.

Trevorrow said her top priorities were working on the ad-hoc committee on the school renovation bond, supporting new superintendent Javier Botana, ongoing contract negotiations and working toward universal pre-k. She is an assistant clerk for the Maine Superior Court and has served as state chairwoman of the Green Independent Party.

Rodriguez, a physical therapist assistant, moved to Portland in 2011 from Miami. He said he wanted to be involved in public service, which was part of the reason his family moved to Maine.

“It is a positive way to be involved with the community,” said Rodriquez, who served in the National Guard when he was in Florida. He has been a volunteer for three years at Lyseth Elementary School, and credits Pious Ali with “planting the seed” that he should run for school board.

Rodriguez said he was interested in working on the “constant challenge” of improving outcomes for students, addressing socio-economic inequities and continuing outreach into the larger community.

 


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