Thornton Academy, Saco school district reach contract agreement

 Thortnton Academy in Saco on June 10. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer) Thornton Academy and the Saco School Department have reached a deal. The Saco School Board unanimously approved the contract at a meeting Tuesday night nearly a week after negotiations became public and over 100 people attended a school board meeting. Thornton is a town academy, a private school that serves public school students through a 200-year-old agreement with the city of Saco. The two groups have been in the midst of negotiating the next contract, and both groups had said they want to maintain their long-standing relationship despite their points of disagreement. [](https://w2pcms.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/IMG_9637.jpg) People packed the Saco School Board meeting last Wednesday night. Thornton Academy leaders had encouraged parents to attend the meeting amid contentious negotiations over a new contract between the board and the private school that has served Saco students for 200 years. The two sides announced on Tuesday that they had agreed to a new five-year contract. (Drew Johnson/Staff Writer) The agreement for Thornton Academy to be Saco’s high school [appeared to be at risk](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/10/thornton-academy-saco-school-department-at-odds-over-contract/) following public statements from school and district officials on the contract negotiations last week, with the current contract ending June 30. However, it turned out that there were just two major sticking points remaining, which was explained in detail at the well-attended school board meeting. Related [Thornton Academy, Saco school department at odds over contract](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/10/thornton-academy-saco-school-department-at-odds-over-contract/) The contract had previously been approved by the academy’s board of trustees, according to the statement. The private school and school district announced the agreement in a joint statement posted to Thornton Academy’s social media page Tuesday evening. Advertisement “While there were challenges along the way, the outcome of these contract negotiations provides a foundation for continued partnership in support of Saco families today and into the future,” the joint statement says. “Negotiations are rarely easy, but we were able to accomplish a great deal for Saco students — securing stability in our continued partnership between Thornton Academy and the Saco School Department, and ensuring free lunch for all Saco students, PK-12.” Both sides had been at odds over the length of the contract. The academy wanted a five-year deal due to its master and financial planning schedules — and the history of five or 10-year deals — while the school district wanted a three-year deal with an option for two additional years to provide some flexibility. The two settled on a five-year deal, ending June 30, 2031. Another sticking point had been language around superintendent’s agreements, which allow students to change schools. Previously, the headmaster was responsible for such agreements, which allow students to change schools. However, even though Saco now has its own superintendent (the city was at one point part of a regional school unit), Thornton Academy still wanted to have a say. Superintendent Jeremy Ray explained at the board meeting last week that the school and district had yet to come up with a way to deal with situations when the superintendent and headmaster disagree on whether a student should go to a different school. Advertisement School board Member Sarah Truman said at Tuesday night’s meeting that the new language around superintendents’ agreements seems “fair.” “These agreements never allow Saco students full choice,” she said, and the language reflects it being “a team decision.” “If no decision is reached, the students will stay,” Truman added. Free school lunches for all Saco students, which are also secured in the contract, had previously been a subject of dispute. While the district was adamant that provision be included, Thornton Academy insisted on maintaining independence from federal funding. The academy ultimately decided to foot the bill for the lunches, and the two parties agreed on that item in early June, according to the district, prior to negotiations spilling into the public eye. “As we move forward together, we do so with gratitude and renewed purpose,” the joint statement says. “This agreement provides the stability needed for both the school department and the academy to focus our attention where it belongs — on our students and the excellent education that Saco families have come to expect from Saco’s public schools and Thornton Academy.” Copy the Story Link Tagged: [education](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/education/), [thornton academy](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/thornton-academy/) [](https://www.pressherald.com/author/drew-johnson) [Drew JohnsonStaff Writer](https://www.pressherald.com/author/drew-johnson) Drew is the night reporter for the Portland Press Herald. He previously covered South Portland, Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth for the Sentry, Leader and Southern Forecaster. Though he is from Massachusetts,. [More by Drew Johnson](https://www.pressherald.com/author/drew-johnson)