Noel K. Gallagher
Portland Press Herald
Portland, ME, United States
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Past articles by Noel:
Superintendent’s $118 million budget includes tax increase and the ‘Portland Promise’
Xavier Botana's spending plan would raise the school portion of Portland's tax rate by 5.4%, roughly $144 a year for a home assessed at $240,000. → Read More
Kennebunk school district will hire an investigator to probe racism complaints
Former Kennebunk High School social studies teacher Rosa Slack filed the complaint after a student came into her classroom with a Confederate flag draped over his shoulders. → Read More
Portland students join in global protest over climate change
Walk-outs and rallies are being held in multiple cities around the world to protest a lack of action on climate change. → Read More
Bill setting $40,000 minimum teacher salary divides Maine lawmakers along party lines
Majority Democrats on the Legislature's education committee support the measure, while Republicans, who are in the minority, back an amendment that calls instead for a statewide teachers contract. → Read More
Budget shortfall of $3 million expected at UMaine System
The staff is recommending that the system dip into reserves to help fund the budget, despite increases in tuition, enrollment and state funding. → Read More
Schools expecting more state money, but property taxpayers won’t see much relief
For years, districts pointed to the impact on property taxes; now they say other priorities will absorb higher subsidies. → Read More
Schools expecting more state money, but property taxpayers won’t see much relief
For years, districts pointed to the impact on property taxes; now they say other priorities will absorb higher subsidies. → Read More
Portland school board votes to double pre-K program over five years
The $3 million, expanded program will offer full-day classes and cover about half the 4-year-olds in Portland, or about 260 children. → Read More
Three bills aim to increase teachers’ starting pay from current $30,000
The base salary would be increased to at least $40,000 under any of the proposals, which also would require the state to make up the difference if districts didn't pay the minimum. → Read More
Committee unanimously approves bill forbidding “food shaming” in schools
The measure, which now goes to the full Legislature, prohibits schools from serving a second-tier meal or stigmatizing students who can't pay for lunch. → Read More
More than 200 people attend RSU 21 board meeting about racism complaint
The meeting was held in response to a race-based retaliation complaint a black teacher filed with the Maine Human Rights Commission. → Read More
Lawmakers say state should take back full cost of teacher retirement to ease burden on school districts
Rep. Michael Brennan, D-Portland, says reversing the budgeting change by former Gov. Paul LePage would provide 'one of the most direct forms of property tax relief.' → Read More
Bill would prevent schools from shaming students over unpaid lunch debt
Schools would not be allowed to withhold a hot meal, post a list of delinquent lunch accounts, stamp hands or offer a "lesser" meal, even if a student didn't have money or owed the school money for lunches. → Read More
Kennebunk superintendent defends response to racist incidents in schools
But a school board member and the former high school teacher's attorney question the accuracy of the administrator's post. → Read More
One person dead in Portland fire
One person died in an apartment fire late Monday afternoon, Portland police said. The fire at Burnham Hill Apartments, a three-story apartment complex at 609 Ocean Ave., has been extinguished. This story will be updated. filed under: Want the news vital to Maine? Our daily headlines email is delivered each morning. → Read More
Racially tinged incident at Kennebunk school grows into wider conflict
Rosa Slack, a former teacher at the school, files a complaint, saying the district retaliated after she accused them of not adequately backing her up. → Read More
State education funding projections bring good news for school districts
Preliminary figures based on Gov. Janet Mills' budget, released Friday, show relief for districts where state funding decreased last year. → Read More
Committee backs hybrid plan to expand pre-K in Portland schools
The school board's curriculum committee recommends 'Pathway 2," which would add five pre-K classrooms in district buildings and four more at community partner sites. → Read More
Paisley the bulldog laps up the attention at her welcome home party in Wells
The 8-year-old was missing for more than 10 days in January. → Read More
Noodle bar in downtown Portland robbed
The armed robber, described as a white man with facial hair, fled down High Street, police say. → Read More