Testimony in Favor of Equity-Focused Portland School Budget

Mayor Snyder and Councilors,

My name is Marpheen Chann and I’m a resident of 25 Rackleff Street and I’m here to urge you to pass and put this budget, with no cuts, on the June 8th ballot.

Disparities and inequities have long existed in our schools here in Portland, Maine, and across the country, before the pandemic. 

The pandemic has exacerbated those disparities and has shined a light on the need to start addressing these issues. We’ve seen how people of color disproportionately occupy frontline, service jobs. We’ve also seen how families of color experience disproportionate loss of family incomes as our downtowns and businesses closed or reduced their hours and staff. Black, Latino, and Asian families are also more likely to experience food insecurity.

In the midst of this, families of color were also shouldered with the burden of having to turn their homes into virtual classrooms and and we’ve seen the barriers to accessing highspeed and consistent broadband and the necessary devices like laptops and mobile hotspots  - an issue that me and my fellow members of the Maine State Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights have explored over the past year and will be publishing a report on soon. 

All of this disruption and instability has had a deep impact on the social-emotional, cognitive, and academic outcomes of students of color all over the country and here in Portland.

These are the problems we are facing today, in the here and now. In fact, they are the problems we’ve been dealing with for decades. 

A $2.9 Million investment in equity will not solve all of these problems, but it’s the first step. It gets the ball rolling.

To remedy the past and to break down barriers and help level the playing field, it’s not free. It’s going to cost money. It’s going to hurt a little - just like when you spend thousands of dollars to fix a leak in the roof or go in and get a tire change or realignment. We are all used to spending money to prevent a problem from becoming a bigger problem that will cost more down the road. It’s called adulting. 

One final note. This week happens to be Teacher Appreciation Week. So thank you to all our teachers. 

I urge Mayor Snyder and Councilors to put this budget as passed by the School Board , with no cuts, on the ballot on June 8th and let the voters decide. Thank you. 

-Marpheen Chann