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The Portland Public Schools’ Multilingual and Multicultural Center will host Beyond Borders: A Conference on Migration and Integration on Sept. 27 at the University of Southern Maine.

Portland Public Schools Custodial Supervisor Steve Reed has written a poem to send a welcome back message from custodians for the 2023-2024 school year. “I thought that it might give teachers and other staff some insight into how we feel about them and our students,” Reed said.

All City Management Services is looking for “local superheroes” to become crossing guards serving Portland Public Schools students.

Julia Hazel, the district’s director of BIPOC career pathways and leadership development, is a recipient of the 2023 Maine Black Excellence Awards, presented by The Third Place on Aug. 13. Hazel received the Compass Career Award, which recognizes individuals who accomplish a standout achievement in their workplace or sector. 

Shoshana Hoose, an ESOL teacher at Portland Adult Education, recently received the Maine Adult Education Association’s Outstanding Teacher Award.

Portland Adult Education (PAE) hosted its 175^th graduation ceremony on June 22 at Merrill Auditorium. There were 65 graduates in the Class of 2023. PAE has been educating Portland adults since 1848.

As an inclusive, welcoming school district, the Portland Public Schools will participate in the Pride Portland! Parade on Saturday, June 17.

“As has become our tradition, the Portland Public Schools will join in the parade to celebrate our LGBTQ+ staff, students, families and other partners and all their contributions to our schools and community,” said Interim Co-Superintendents Melea Nalli and Aaron Townsend. “Unfortunately, there have been an unprecedented number of bills targeting LGTBQ+ rights throughout the U.S. this year. It is important that our district participates to reiterate our commitment to supporting our PPS LGBTQ+ community.  We will once again have a float entry in the parade – a yellow school bus! – and we invite staff, students, families and other supporters to join us in marching.”

Co-Superintendents Aaron Townsend and Melea Nalli and Board of Public Education Chair Sarah Lentz issued statements of gratitude in response to  city voters’ overwhelming approval June 13 of the Portland Public Schools’ $143.8 million budget for fiscal year 2024.

Juneteenth falls this year on Monday, June 19. That day will be a paid holiday for all regular district employees. Portland’s public schools and district offices will be closed on Monday, June 19, in observance of the holiday.

Juneteenth National Independence Day is the nation's newest federal holiday. It was signed into law on June 17, 2021, by President Joe Biden. Maine also designates June 19 each year as an official state holiday.

The Portland Public Schools' network now has been restored as of late morning, Monday, June 12. Internet and phones should now be operating normally. The IT department will continue to monitor services.

More than 40 Portland Public Schools retiring employees were honored by the Portland Board of Public Education and the district in a ceremony on Tuesday, June 6. Those recognized have served throughout the district and held a wide variety of roles in service of our students and families. The 2022-2023 school year retirees include administrators, teachers, educational technicians, administrative assistants and secretaries, transportation employees, custodians, a guidance counselor, a speech therapist, a payroll manager, an academic enrichment specialist and the district’s facilities director. The retirees have collectively given nearly 1,000 years of dedicated service to the Portland Public Schools.

Since 2015, the Portland Public Schools has had a "float" in the Pride Portland events - a yellow PPS bus!  As a welcoming, inclusive school district, we proudly affirm and stand with our LGBTQ+ students, staff and families.

This year Pride events are on Saturday, June 17. The parade kicks off at 1 p.m. and the entire PPS community is welcome to participate! Students, staff, Board of Public Education members and families can all come march with PPS in the parade, and either walk in front of the bus or ride the bus! Wear your PPS gear if you have some – from any school – to represent PPS.

The Board of Public Education voted unanimously June 6 to appoint Dr. Ryan Scallon, currently an assistant superintendent in the School District of Philadelphia, as the next superintendent of the Portland Public Schools, beginning July 1. The Board selected Scallon, who holds a doctorate degree in education, following a six-month nationwide search.

Following a nationwide search, the Portland Board of Public Education has selected Dr. Ryan Scallon, currently an assistant superintendent in the School District of Philadelphia, to become the next superintendent of the Portland Public Schools. Scallon, who holds a doctorate degree in education, was one of two finalists for the position. The Board is scheduled to vote on Scallon’s appointment at its June 6 meeting. His official start date will be July 1.

Portland Adult Education, a leading provider of adult educational programs and workforce development initiatives, is pleased to announce the launch of its Renewable Energy Careers: Introduction to Solar Installation and Heat Pumps Program. This pre-apprenticeship program – developed in partnership with ReVision Energy, Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS) and Portland Adult Education (PAE) – prepares multilingual adults to enter (or re-enter) the field of renewable energy as a viable and sustainable career path.

The City Council voted unanimously on May 15 to approve the FY24 budget recommended by the Portland Board of Education. The vote now sends the budget for the 2023-2024 school year to Portland voters on June 13. The budget balances fiscal constraints with reinvesting in core operations such as finance and human resources, while also investing in student-facing staff to support all students, including many newly arrived multi-language learners. It also is mindful of the tax burden on Portland residents during a time of high inflation.

After a nationwide search, the Portland Board of Public Education has narrowed the pool of applicants for the position of superintendent of the Portland Public Schools down to two finalists. They are Eric Moore, currently senior advisor to the superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools, and Dr. Ryan Scallon, who is an assistant superintendent in the School District of Philadelphia. Scallon holds a doctorate degree in education and Moore is on track to earn his doctorate in education later this year.

Now that the field has been narrowed down, key stakeholders, including members of the Portland Board of Public Education, staff, students, parents and other community members, will interview them on May 17 and 18. The interviews with students, parents and community members will be live-streamed and recorded for public viewing.

On Thursday, April 27, the City Council’s Finance Committee voted unanimously to recommend the Portland Board of Public Education’s $143.8 million school budget for the 2023-2024 school year to the full City Council. Members of that Council committee praised the collaborative way the district and Board worked with councilors to craft the FY24 budget and said they appreciated the efforts to meet student and staff needs while reining in costs.

On April 24, the Portland Board of Public Education presented its recommended $143.8 million school budget for the 2023-2024 school year to the City Council. Board Chair Sarah Lentz and Interim Co-Superintendents Aaron Townsend and Melea Nalli, who jointly made the presentation, told the Council that the budget is a fair and responsible one at a time of daunting fiscal challenges. “This budget reinvests in core operations such as finance and human resources, while also investing in student-facing staff to support all of our students, including our many newly arrived multi-language learners,” they said. “Within this budget, we’ve also done our best to anticipate and plan for the FY25 budget, when the district will no longer have access to federal COVID money and will likely face decreased funding from the state level. This budget does all that while simultaneously being mindful of the tax burden on Portland residents in a year when inflation is higher than most can remember.”

The Portland Board of Public Education voted unanimously on April 11 to approve a $143.8 million FY24 school budget to recommend to the City Council. The Board’s budget will enable the district to maintain its Portland Promise gains for the 2023-2024 school year, support students and staff and improve operational effectiveness, while being cognizant of Portland taxpayers. The Board will present its recommended budget to the City Council on April 24. The Council will vote on the school budget in May and send it to voters on June 13.

On Tuesday, March 21^st the Maine Legislature’s Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services will hold a public hearing on LD 937 - Resolve, to Establish the Commission Regarding Foreign-trained Physicians Living in Maine.  This bill would establish a commission to look at ways that Maine could help facilitate and support foreign-trained physicians who are living in Maine to use their skills and training as a doctor.

The $141.3 million Portland Public Schools superintendents’ recommended school budget for the 2023-2024 school year has three key priorities: It maintains the district’s commitment to its Portland Promise goals of Achievement, Whole Student and People – all centered on the fourth goal of Equity; is responsive to the needs of all students, especially students newly learning English; and improves operational effectiveness in such areas as finance and human resources. The FY24 budget balances challenging fiscal constraints, including a significant reduction in state aid and inflation, with increased costs to support staff and students, while being cognizant of taxpayers. It would increase the school portion of the tax rate by 7 percent, adding about $15.60 per month to the tax bill of the average homeowner.

The Spinglass Management Group has completed its audit of the Portland Public Schools’ payroll practices and issued a report. The report reflects many of the payroll problems – with systems, staffing and processing – that the district has already shared since the beginning of its payroll issues this fall. The report also details significant strides the district has made to stabilize systems, enter into an agreement to outsource payroll functions, and increase payroll staffing. Additionally, it outlines the work the district continues to do to resolve outstanding concerns.

New Mainers Resource Center, Portland Adult Education and the Daniel Hanley Center for Health Leadership have come together to host a remote conference: Fulfilling Potential: Foreign Trained Physicians – A Pathway Forward for Maine on January 19^th, from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm.

Alma Advisory Group, the professional search firm that the Portland Board of Public Education hired last month to aid in the search for a new superintendent, met with the Board and the Superintendent Search Committee earlier this week. Alma made a presentation as it worked with the Board and the Search Committee to define the scope of the work, the search timeline and community engagement in the search process.