Students walk into South Portland Middle School in 2023. Drew Johnson / Sentry

South Portland school staff critiqued the proposed cuts of specific positions they believe the school district cannot go without at a school board budget workshop on Monday.

More than 20 South Portland school employees received layoff notices earlier this month as the district looks to cut $5 million from the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget.

The director of curriculum, instruction and assessment position, social-emotional learning teachers, social workers, library ed techs and a percussion ed tech were the proposed cuts that received the most pushback on Monday.

The plan to replace the director of curriculum is to pool the experience of other administrators and staff members in the district to take on the role.

However, Sarah Gay, president of the South Portland Teachers Association, is concerned about the loss of the dedicated position.

“I cannot speak strongly enough of the value of a clearly defined, well-managed, centralized core curriculum,” Gay said at Monday’s workshop. “I do appreciate the expertise, the perspectives, the value that is added by our administrators as far as their curriculum experience, but it is not their specialty, and to have it become their specialty is not an overnight process.”

Abigail Anderson, a vice president with the teachers association, said cutting that position “removes the rudder from the ship.”

“It’s not a classroom teacher or a building principal’s job to align curriculum vertically across 13 grades,” Anderson said. “Our curriculum coordinator has been incredibly impactful for teachers and students in this district and eliminating the one academic position in the central office speaks volumes as to what is truly important, or not important, to this district.”

Anderson also took issue with cuts to three social-emotional learning teachers and a social worker.

“A mental health coordinator and the remaining social workers will not be able to offer the same services to these students,” Anderson said. “The students that will be most impacted by these cuts are some of the highest need in our district.”

Maeve, a South Portland seventh grader, took to the podium at Monday’s budget workshop to talk about her experience with the district’s percussion ed tech.

“Back in sixth grade, I was given the chance to join the honors band and I was obviously excited, but I was also nervous because I’d only been playing for about a year,” she said. “When the day of the festival came, I was ready because of the percussion ed teach who helped me – and the honors festival wasn’t the only time he stepped in to help percussionists like me … Honestly, I have no idea where the percussion section would be without him.”

Craig Skeffington, high school band director of 31 years, said the position has been in the district’s budget for nearly 40 years.

“Andrew (Hodgkins) has his jazz studies degree, he also has a master’s in elementary music, elementary education,” Skeffington said.

Hodgkins’ expertise and experience in the district makes him an invaluable member of the staff who can step in wherever he is needed within the music department, Skeffington said, including covering his own role as band director when he is absent.

Cidney Mayes, a fifth- and sixth-grade librarian and digital literacy teacher, expressed concern over the elimination of ed tech positions in the library. She said the remaining staff will have to focus on the library’s most basic functions rather than providing students and teachers with resources.

“Our libraries provide so much more than books to children. We teach collaboratively with teachers ensuring students acquire coding skills, science knowledge, media literacy research and AI technology skills and facilitate intervention programs,” Mayes said. “Last quarter, the high school facilitated an intervention program that moved about 30 students from (in) danger of failing to passing. The high school librarian did that.”

Superintendent Tim Matheney said the district is looking to hold onto the percussion ed tech position for another year.

“We are exploring the possibility of tapping a reserve account designated specifically for the music program that may extend this position for an additional year,” Matheney said. “That account would get us through one year and then we’d have to reassess this position one year from now.”

In response to the loss of the director of curriculum, Matheney recognized the challenge it poses but emphasized he believes the district is equipped to overcome it.

“We have broad expertise, talent and experience when it comes to curriculum instruction and assessment and they’re sitting right out there,” he said, gesturing to administrators in the audience. “When we think about providing the same quality of professional development, moving the needle on our math curriculum, I can’t underestimate the fact that it will be hard, but we have the people who can do it.”

Anderson said the teachers association realizes cuts are needed but believes some of the proposed cuts will be detrimental to students.

“The SPTA is not arguing that cuts don’t need to happen. We understand the plight of taxpayers in this current market – we are some of the taxpayers in this current market,” Anderson said. “What we’re fighting for is cuts that happen in a way that will meet the diverse needs of our students over the long term.”