Former Portland ed tech sentenced to 22 years for sexually abusing student

portland public schools

Published
May 15, 2023

Former Portland ed tech sentenced to 22 years for sexually abusing student

Benjamin Conroy, 34, took responsibility for the crime at his sentencing Monday, saying he was "tortured" by the harm he caused.
Published
May 12, 2023

Former Portland teacher met with student while under investigation for child pornography

Travis McCutcheon, 53, has been a teacher in several Maine districts since 1992. He was most recently working in a special education program at Portland schools until February.
Published
May 11, 2023

Former Portland teacher arrested on child pornography charges

Travis McCutcheon, 53, worked at Lyman Moore Middle School until February and at Lyseth Elementary School until 2019, as well as Lisbon Community School and Westbrook Middle School.
Published
March 29, 2023

Maine schools to receive $42 million in additional state funding after miscalculation discovered

Many, but not all, districts around the state will receive more funding. The Portland school district, the state's largest, will receive $3.6 million more than it initially expected.
Published
March 28, 2023

Student injured in Portland school bus crash

Police say the bus was stopped in a left-hand turn lane when it was struck from behind by a tractor-trailer Tuesday morning.
Published
March 26, 2023

Maine school districts confront COVID-19 funding cliff

Across-the-board expenses are rising just as federal pandemic relief is running out. Educators see a 'perfect storm of financial pressures' that will challenge schools for the next two years.
Published
March 10, 2023

Surge of asylum seekers means children wait weeks to be screened for school enrollment

The district has shifted some staff responsibilities and is working to hire an additional staff member to help try to keep up with the influx of new students, many of whom are multilingual learners who often need substantial support.
Published
March 7, 2023

Former Portland ed tech could receive 15 to 30 years for abusing 6-year-old student

Benjamin Conroy's defense attorneys are requesting he serve 18 years, while prosecutors are pushing for 25 after he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing an autistic student.
Published
February 17, 2023

Man tried to coax student away from Reiche Elementary School area, police say

The man approached the student near the Portland elementary school Wednesday morning and may have been in the area the previous day, according to police.
Published
January 14, 2023

Low-key Portland support group pulled into national culture war

An affinity group for Portland school employees of color had been free from controversy until a Virginia-based conservative group lodged a federal discrimination complaint.