PORTLAND, Maine — The Portland City Council on Monday night heard the State of Schools address from Sarah Thompson, the chairwoman of the Portland Board of Public Education.
Thompson says the biggest challenge for schools in Maine’s largest city is rebuilding Hall Elementary School. It was damaged in a fire three years ago.
The district showed off positive results for third-grade reading scores, but pointed out black or economically disadvantaged third-graders trailed other groups.
“That’s important to know because third-grade reading ability is a key indicator of future academic success,” Thompson said.
The school board says a survey that went out to parents showed that over 90 percent of Portland parents indicated that they felt the schools were safe.