Saco Voters to Fill Three School Board Seats on Nov. 3

Saco residents will decide three school board races in the Nov. 3 election, with contested votes in Ward 2 and Ward 6 and a single candidate on the ballot in Ward 4, the Portland Press Herald reported. Voting in Maine has already begun.

In Ward 2, which borders Scarborough, board vice chair Jennifer Preble is seeking a third straight term against Arianna Parks. Preble, a licensed social worker and former board chair, told the newspaper's voter guide she wants school programming matched to student needs, equity for students in poverty and balanced funding at a time when families are strained by costs. Parks, who works in special education, said special education students and staff need a stronger voice, and pointed to ed tech turnover and the subcontracting of special education staff.

Ward 4 member Kevin Roche is not running again. The only candidate there is Donald Pilon, a real estate broker who was Saco's mayor in 2013-15 and served four terms as a Democrat in House District 131. Pilon called educating Saco students "the most important charge" of city government.

Ward 6 pits board chair Sarah Truman, a photographer on the board since 2020, against Maureen "Moe" Cahill, an occupational therapist with 24 years in Cape Elizabeth schools. Truman's priorities include finishing the new elementary school, a balanced budget and staff raises.

This story was first reported by The Portland Press Herald.