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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.

Following the Dec. 16 resignation of Superintendent Xavier Botana, effective this month, the Portland Board of Public Education at its Jan. 3 meeting appointed assistant superintendents Melea Nalli and Aaron Townsend to be interim co-superintendents until a new superintendent is selected by June. Dr. Abdullahi Ahmed, currently co-principal at Deering High School, will take on the role of interim assistant superintendent for the transition. The team will move fully into leadership after Jan. 13.

Portland Board of Public Education Chair Sarah Lentz presented the 2022 State of the Schools address to the City Council and the public on Monday, Dec. 19. The City Charter requires that the Board chair deliver an annual address to the Council on the state of the public education system in Portland.

The Portland Board of Public Education voted on Friday, Dec.16, to accept the resignation of Superintendent Xavier Botana, effective January 31, 2023, or the starting date of an interim superintendent, whichever is first. Botana had planned to retire in June 2023, but he cited the district’s continuing payroll issues as the reason for his stepping aside now to let new leadership bring closure to the payroll challenges.

One new member, two returning members and five student representatives were sworn in at the Portland Board of Public Education’s Dec. 5 Inauguration ceremony. The Board also voted for Sarah Lentz to be the Board’s new chair for the coming year and for Abusana “Micky” Bondo to be vice chair.

Current Board Chair Emily Figdor was informally tapped last month by fellow Board members to lead the Board again for a third time in the coming year. However, Figdor has now decided not to accept the demanding role again, and instead will support at-large Board member Sarah Lentz for the position and District 1 Board member Abusana "Micky" Bondo for vice chair when the Board votes for new leadership at its Dec. 5 Inauguration ceremony.

Since late yesterday, a PPS network outage has affected Portland High School, King Middle School, East End and Reiche elementary schools and Portland Adult Education. We had expected to get the system back in place today, Thursday, Nov. 17, but we have not been able to make that happen. As a result, Portland High and King will learn remotely on Friday, Nov. 18, and there will be NO school in person or remote at East End and Reiche schools. PAE will hold classes as usual.

The Maine Department of Education announces that PAE, Maine’s largest adult education provider, is the recipient of a total of $1,480,500 in grants for three Strengthening Maine Workforce projects.

The Foundation for Portland Public Schools (FPPS) has just completed its 14th annual teacher grants program cycle. Seventy-six teachers, ed techs, librarians, and others have been awarded grants totaling $59,261. These grants will benefit thousands of students – from preK through Portland Adult Education – in 15 schools across the Portland Public Schools (PPS).

Three seats are up for election to the Portland Board of Education on Nov. 8: two at-large seats and the District 3 seat. Only the District 3 seat is contested on the ballot. Portland voters will also vote on Question 5, which would allow the Board to set the bottom line of the school budget before sending to voters for a final say.

The Portland Board of Public Education on Oct. 18 approved another community representative to serve on the Superintendent Search Committee. The appointment of Lucy Shulman, a Portland resident who is an adjunct instructor at Portland Adult Education, brings the number of community representatives on the committee to eight. The Board approved the appointment of the seven other community representatives at its Oct. 11 meeting.

The Portland Public Schools’ Gerald E. Talbot Community School and Portland Adult Education are among the recipients of more than $10 million in grants that United Way of Southern Maine (UWSM) is awarding this year to a variety of programs and innovative initiatives across Southern Maine.

The nonprofit Friends of Portland Adult Education has received $60,000 from Bank of America to enhance Portland Adult Education’s workforce training programs and student career services. The donation will expand employer partnerships and create tailored opportunities for Maine’s multilingual populations that will promote racial equity and strengthen Maine’s economy.

Portland Adult Education (PAE) hosted its 174^th graduation ceremony on June 16 at Merrill Auditorium. There were 73 graduates in the Class of 2022. PAE has been educating Portland adults since 1848.

Portland Adult Education (PAE) will have a new executive director as of this summer: Abbie Yamamoto, who is currently executive director of the Maine Association for New Americans.

Portland Adult Education and Hannaford Supermarkets recently launched the New Mainer Hannaford Retail Leadership Internship, a unique program that attracts and recruits foreign-born candidates with professional backgrounds to gain experience working in retail leadership and potentially fill leadership positions at Hannaford stores in southern Maine.