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The entire PPS employee community gathered together on Wednesday, Aug. 28, in Merrill Auditorium to launch the 2024-2025 school year as one team, generating energy, inspiration, and a shared sense of belonging. The All Staff Welcome event also included a foundational overview of the district’s new strategic plan and priorities for the new school year.

The 2024-2025 school year officially gets underway for students in September, but schools are also holding open houses and other activities in August to welcome back students and families.

At its Aug. 6 meeting, the Board of Public Education approved the appointment of Darralynn Jones as Lyman Moore Middle School Principal and also of three assistant principals: Alberto Morales at Casco Bay High School, Kristin Rogers at Talbot Community School; and Rebecca Schouvieller at Deering High School. The Board also approved the appointment of Spencer Allen as Portland High School’s co-curricular director and was introduced to David Briley as a new teacher leader at Reiche Elementary School, a teacher-led school.

Three Portland Board of Public Education seats are up for election on Nov. 5: an at-large seat and the District 1 and District 2 seats. Only the at-large seat is contested on the ballot.

That seat is currently held by Board member Nyalat Billiew, who is not seeing re-election. Two candidates are vying for that at-large seat: Maya Lena and John Rousseau, both newcomers to Portland politics. Lena is a substitute teacher and artist in Portland and a PPS parent.

Families, students, staff and members of the community are invited to apply for the district’s newly created Community Advisory Committee on Attendance Boundaries for PreK-8 Schools.

The new committee will be evaluating whether, and how, the district should redraw the enrollment boundaries for some or all of its elementary and middle schools to achieve more equitable enrollment and demographic balance. Also, the committee will consider whether changes should be made to the district’s current middle school model to better reflect current and future enrollment and better promote equity and achievement.

The Portland Public schools will be operating various summer meal sites at 11 locations across the city of Portland this summer. All children and teens 18 years and younger can receive a nutritious meal free of charge to be enjoyed on site. Most sites will begin serving on Monday, June 24.

The Board of Public Education is expected to vote on June 18, to establish a new Community Advisory Committee on Attendance Boundaries for PreK-8 Schools. Community members will be invited to apply for the new committee, which will evaluate whether the district should redraw the enrollment boundaries for some or all of its elementary and middle schools to achieve more equitable enrollment and demographic balance. Also, the committee will consider whether changes should be made to the district’s current middle school model to better reflect current and future enrollment and better promote equity and achievement.

The Portland Public Schools family mourns the loss of a sixth-grade student in about a tragic incident that occurred June 16. Rachsombath “Rex” Rasmey, a beloved member of the King Middle School family, passed away in a drowning accident at the Presumpscot River. Rex’s smile, sense of humor and positive energy will be deeply missed.

The Pride Portland! Parade is on Saturday, June 15, starting at 1 p.m. from Monument Square in Portland. Come out and celebrate with the Portland Public Schools as our community joins the parade to march for acceptance, equality, and inclusivity.

Portland voters on June 11 resoundingly approved the Portland Public Schools’ $161.4 million budget for fiscal year 2025. The vote was more than 70 percent in favor of ratifying the FY25 budget.

“We are deeply grateful to Portland voters for approving our school budget for the 2024-2025 school year,” Superintendent Ryan Scallon and Board of Public Education Chair Sarah Lentz said in a joint statement. “In the face of daunting fiscal challenges, this budget is as responsive as possible to the needs of our students, staff and families, while also keeping in mind the concerns of taxpayers. The budget is grounded in equity, centers students, supports staff, provides additional resources to schools and is aligned to our emerging strategic plan. Thank you to Portland voters for demonstrating once again at the polls the value you place on a quality public education for our City’s children.”

Two Portland High School juniors, Harriet Mishkin and William Guerin, are already contributing to real-world scientific data. Under Dr. José Fernandez Robledo of Bigelow Labs, the students participated this school year in an experiment to test for the presence of transmissible neoplasia (cancer) in Mya arenaria, soft-shell clams from the Scarborough marshes. So far, they have found polluted water as a potential catalyst.

For the first time, multilingual Portland students are able to become Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) through an after-school class, thanks to a partnership between Portland High School Extended Learning Opportunities, Saint Joseph’s Rehabilitation and Residence, and the Boys and Girls Club.

Portland High School, one of the oldest operating public high schools in the United States, held its 203rd graduation exercises on Wednesday, June 5, at Merrill Auditorium. The late morning ceremony included remarks by Portland Superintendent Ryan Scallon and Portland High Principal Sheila Jepson, speeches and musical performances by students and the presentation of awards and diplomas.

The last day of school for students this year will be Friday, June 14, 2024, and the last day for teachers will be Monday, June 17, 2024. 

Those end dates reflect an extension of the school year by two days due to the inclement weather "snow days" that the Portland Public Schools called on Monday, March 25, and Thursday, April 4, following storms and power outages.

More than 40 Portland Public Schools employees have retired or will soon retire this school year. The retirees were honored by the Portland Board of Public Education and the district in a ceremony on Tuesday, June 4. Those recognized have served throughout the district and held a wide variety of roles in service of students and families. 

The school budget for the next school year goes to Portland city voters on Tuesday, June 11. Please make sure to make your voice heard by casting your vote. Everyone’s participation is crucial in ensuring the best for our schools and students. Every vote counts to get our budget for the 2024-2025 school year approved! Go to the City of Portland’s Elections & Voting page to learn more and find your polling place.

The Portland Public Schools accepts funding through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. As part of ESEA, Portland is required to provide reasonable opportunity for public comment on the consolidated application and consider such comment prior to the submission of the application. Portland is accepting public comment on the ESEA application through June 30, 2024. Here’s a description of proposed programming. Here is the Feedback Form to share your thoughts about the application’s goals and priorities.

High school commencement ceremonies for the Portland Public Schools Class of 2024 will all take place at Merrill Auditorium. Ceremonies for Portland, Deering and Casco Bay high schools will take place on June 5 and 6, and Portland Adult Education will hold graduation exercises on June 27.

Baptista Muanda, a rising junior and a student in the Make It Happen program, is the 2024 recipient of the Portland High School Step Up Award, a monetary award that helps free recipients from after-school and weekend jobs so they can participate more fully in extracurricular activities and expand their horizons.

The City Council voted unanimously on May 20 to approve the 2024-2025 school year budget recommended by the Portland Board of Public Education. The vote now sends the budget to City voters on June 11. The budget includes strategic funding for increased student mental health, reading support, special education and school climate, as well as increased rigor in the classroom, while maintaining funding for athletics, extracurriculars, and class sizes. It also is cognizant of Portland taxpayers in the face of unique fiscal challenges, including the loss of more than $9 million in federal COVID relief funds. The budget totals $161.4 million in local and non-local funds. The Council’s vote was on the $154 million local portion of the budget.

The Portland Public Schools recently was recognized with the School of the Year Award from the Maine Environmental Education Association. PPS was among the honorees at the MEEA Annual Awards Ceremony on May 10 that were selected for representing "the many diverse ways educators, students, school staff, organizations, and businesses contribute to Maine’s thriving environmental education ecosystem."

The public is invited to the opening reception of the annual Portland Public Schools Student Art Show at City Hall on Friday, May 3 and also to view artwork from the middle school Make It Happen Art Competition, on display at Central Office during the first Friday Art Walk May 3.

At its meeting on April 25, the City Council's Finance Committee voted to recommend to the full City Council the FY25 school budget that the Board of Public Education approved on April 9.

The proposed school budget for the 2024-2025 school year is now in the hands of the City Council, which sets for the bottom line of the school budget. On Monday, April 22, the Council voted to receive the $161.4 million fiscal year 2025 school budget that the Board of Public Education approved on April 9.

The Portland Board of Public Education voted on April 9 to approve a $161.4 million FY25 school budget to recommend to the City Council. The Board’s budget centers students by including strategic funding for increased student mental health, reading support, special education and school culture support at the school level. It also supports increased rigor in the classroom, and maintains funding for athletics, extracurriculars, and class sizes. The Board will present its recommended budget to the City Council on April 22. The Council will vote on the school budget on May 20 and send it to voters on June 11.