A plan to merge two Portland high schools into one faced a lot of opposition Tuesday night.
The Enrollment and Facility Study Commission has said the proposal to reconfigure elementary schools, close a middle school and merge the city’s two high schools could save $2.8 million. One of the two high schools would be converted in a junior high school under the proposal.
But public comment from residents largely centered on their opposition to the possible merger of Deering and Portland High Schools.
Despite the opposition, residents acknowledged these two high schools are not at full capacity.
[Portland eyes plan to consolidate high schools after years of state funding cuts]
The Portland Board of Education has said they’ll only consider this plan if the school district faces a major budget shortfall, but the commission said the cost-savings could bring a lot of positive changes.
“We all have the same concerns about the level of change that our proposed recommendation would have,” said Pete Eglington of the Enrollment and Facility Study Commission.
The commission has to finalize its recommendation before sending it to the school board for a final vote.