Parents and teachers pushed back against $40 million in proposed Portland Public Schools budget cuts at a packed meeting at Grant High School on Tuesday, April 29.

The cuts proposed by PPS Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong to close the shortfall in the next budget could eliminate 200 jobs.

“We have been seeing educators cut year after year after year after year,” said Angela Bonilla, head of the Portland Association of Teachers.

Elementary schools are proposed to be scaled back by $2.5 million, middle schools by $2.4 million, K-8 schools by $1.2 million, and high schools by $4.9 million. The plan also includes reducing central office services and contracts, potentially saving $15 million.

In addition to staff reductions, the prosed cuts would reduce five language access services, including the International Baccalaureate Program at the elementary level. Parents and teachers alike opposed those and other proposals.

“All parties really need to come together as a community in spite of our differences and our ideas,” said Beaumont Middle School teacher Diane Brennan.

The PPS school board members said they didn’t believe they could declare a state of emergency to request additional school funds from the state.

The budget deficit is attributed to rising costs, limited state funding, declining enrollment, and the end of federal pandemic relief funds.

“If we could keep every single person we absolutely would, and we still need to figure out the $40 million deficit,” Armstrong said. “We had to look at function and where we can make some reductions.”

The budget must be balanced before it takes effect on July 1. The PPS board is scheduled to vote on it on June 10.

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KOIN 6 News is a news partner of the Portland Tribune and contributed to this story. Their full story can be found at koin.com.