Portland public school retired art teacher Paulla Dacklin had been volunteering as a docent at the Portland Art Museum for years. The 71-year-old remained active in her community by leading 30 tours a year for students of the Portland Public Schools.

She was not surprised when the museum stopped asking her to come in when COVID-19 hit. The schools were closed. But as the schools and museum reopened, her phone stayed silent. She began to wonder why. Finally, this August, an email went out to all museum volunteers. The 40-year-old docent program was being eliminated in favor of paid “learning guides” hired from local universities.