Here's this week's update on the Spring Reopening for our elementary, middle, and high schools. Read more.
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The City Council held a first reading and public hearing on the Board of Public Education’s FY22 school budget on Monday, May 3 – and heard from nearly three dozen city residents strongly urging the council to support the budget in full as recommended by the Board, in order to advance equity.
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The Council's Finance Committee voted last week to require the Portland Board of Public Education to reduce its proposed $5.3 million increase in the budget by $1.5 million and only one resident during the public hearing voiced support for the reduction. The Council, which sets the bottom line of the school budget, will continue the public hearing on May 10, when it is also slated to vote on the budget. The school budget goes to voters on June 8. Here’s a Portland Press Herald story about the May 3 public hearing.
View the Board’s recommended budget on the Budget Development page on the district’s website.
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NEWS FROM HUMAN RESOURCES
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Remote Academy and Planning for the 2021-2022 School Year
 As we begin planning for the return to on-site school in the fall, staffing is front and center in everyone’s mind. We’ve had an incredible team working in our Remote Academy this year, and per our communications from last August/September, all Remote Academy employees will return to their previous positions when school resumes for the 2021-22 school year. The district is currently assessing student needs for fully remote learning for next year, and, as of now, we do not have a formalized plan for the number or types of remote employees who will be needed.
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FLEXIBLE WORK ARRANGEMENTS
In response to the pandemic, more than 300 employees requested and were approved for flexible work arrangements (FWAs) for this school year related to their own health concerns, health concerns or other risk factors of a family member, or based on childcare needs. All FWAs were revisited as part of our reopening of schools this spring because the district considers in-person attendance at school an essential function of all school-based positions. Any FWAs that are continuing this spring shall remain in effect only for the 2020-21 school year. As we move towards a “normal” school year in the fall, we do not expect to have the same level of flexibility with staff schedules and other work arrangements.
The health and safety of our staff and students remain our highest priority, and we continue to adhere to applicable federal, state, and local health and safety guidance for physical distancing, hygiene measures, and workplace configurations.
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2021 BENEFIT OPEN ENROLLMENT
Portland Public Schools 2021 Benefit Open Enrollment will run from May 1st to May 22
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Open Enrollment is your annual opportunity to update your benefits. This is the perfect time to:
- Assess your current benefit elections
- Compare and evaluate other benefit options available to you
- Assess your health care needs for the upcoming year
For more information, click here.
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2021 SUMMER PROGRAMS STAFF APPLICATION
 Click HERE for the link to the descriptions of our current summer programming and to access the application. Join us to help make this a challenging, relevant, and joyful summer of learning!
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EDUCATORS OF COLOR REFLECTION SESSIONS & STAFF SUPPORT SESSIONS
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As a reminder, the district is offering a series of support and healing sessions for BIPOC staff that are being hosted by Blanca Santiago, LCSW. There are sessions scheduled for both May and June. These sessions are intended to provide our BIPOC staff a safe space for connection and support. Use this link to register for the BIPOC staff support sessions.
We are also continuing to offer staff reflection sessions for the Educators of Color Report. All staff are encouraged to participate in these sessions, organized by the research team to talk about the contents of the report. Please use this link to register for the Educators of Color Report reflection sessions. Additional sessions will be added by the team if there is an ongoing demand.
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NEW HR TEAM MEMBERS!
Please join us in welcoming Mano Ali and Thuy Sullivan to the HR team. Mano has joined us as the District Office Receptionist/HR Assistant. Mano was previously an Office Secretary at King Middle School. Thuy is currently a part-time Parent Community Specialist with the Multilingual team. HR is looking forward to filling Thuys’s available time with work as an HR Specialist.
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The Portland Public Schools puts out a weekly COVID advisory each Friday. It includes the number of positive cases associated with our schools during the past week and any outbreak declarations or building closures as a result. Staff, families and staff at impacted schools are immediately notified of positive cases and closings, but the weekly advisory is an effort to keep the broader PPS community informed. The advisory is posted at the end of the day on Fridays in the District Spotlight section of the district's homepage. Here’s the link to the April 30th update. |
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FREE COVID RELATED TRANSPORT
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MANA and Maine DHHS are offering free transportation services for COVID-related needs such as testing, vaccine, and quarantine/isolation shelters. Please share with your networks.
Flyers and translations: English, French, Kinyarwanda, Lingala, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili
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Will You Lead a Wellness Group?
We’re looking for people to lead wellness groups and get paid extra to have extra fun! Here are the wellness groups we’d like to offer: Walking Group, Book Club, Pickleball, etc.
If you’re interested, please email Stacy Nightingale at nights@portlandschools.org
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FREE, FUN YOGA - MAY SIGNUP
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Who wouldn’t want to make new connections with colleagues across the school district while starting to feel better and healthier at the same time?
Meet your yoga instructor, Kaylin Kerina, coming to us from Deering High School –
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⇒ Sign up for Mindfulness Yoga Sessions: CLICK HERE
⇒ Sign up for Cardio HIIT Yoga Sessions: CLICK HERE
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Have You Considered GARDENING?
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 Gardening is one activity that sprouted, bloomed, and grew into an even more popular individual, family, and school venture last year amid the pandemic. No matter where you live, it’s possible to enjoy the health and wellness benefits of gardening. What kind of garden to grow? Some enjoy vegetables, fruits, and herbs, while others might prefer flowers, shrubs, and landscaping or “yardscaping.” Regardless, these activities are beneficial to all aspects of your health. If you’ve never tasted garden-fresh food, you’ll be amazed by the sweet, juicy, robust flavors and vibrant textures. There’s absolutely nothing quite like fresh-from-the-garden foods, especially if you grow them yourself — which you can do! Read more in The Almanac.
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PPS AFFINITY GROUPS - LAST REMINDER
 PPS is launching affinity groups for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ staff to have an opportunity to reflect, process and connect with colleagues with shared experiences. See this announcement to learn more and for those who identify to sign up.
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MAINE INITIATIVES: RACIAL JUSTICE & ... VIRTUAL SERIES
 Join Maine Initiatives for an important conversation about the racial justice policy and advocacy work happening in Maine. See this announcement to register for the event taking place on May 10th 5:30 - 7 p.m. |
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STAFF FEEDBACK ON THE EQUITY POLICY
Over the last year a PPS Workgroup has created a draft Equity Policy for PPS. We are seeking feedback from staff on the policy before the next version moves to the Board committee. Sign up to join a feedback session.
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Here is SKILL SHARE - a series of short, less-than-10 minute videos by teachers for teachers to lift our collective practice to teach in a remote or hybrid setting in the areas of technology, engagement, student discourse, effective feedback, and essential standards. Looking for past Skill Shares? Here are the Skill Share Archives.
Please look for more Skill Share videos in the Tuesday Bulletins to come, and email Jesse Robinson at robinj@portlandschools.org to check in before you make one about the process and what you’d like to share! We provide a basic template, will pay you $150 for your time, and provide video editing support for those who want it. All ideas/strategies/skills are welcome! Thanks!
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CYBERSECURITY CAMPAIGN: Preventing and Responding to a Ransomware Attack
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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has shared the following resources for preventing and responding to a ransomware attack. Ransomware is a form of malware designed to encrypt files on a device, rendering any files and the systems that rely on them unusable. Please see this tip sheet and the video below to learn more.
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PATHS will be hosting their Landscape and Gardening Spring Plant Sale on May 8th, 2021, from 10 AM to 2 PM. The Plant Sale will take place outdoors at PATHS, and masks and physical distancing will be required. To learn more about what will be available or to pre-order your plants, click here. We hope to see you there!
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GOOGLE CHAT REPLACING HANGOUTS
 All PPS students and staff will be transitioning to Google’s newest enterprise-grade collaboration product, Google Chat, which is replacing Hangouts. Chat has a modern user interface, team rooms that support better team collaboration, emoji reactions to make work fun, and bots to help you be more productive, and much more. Learn more about the transition here.
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NOMINATIONS BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE 2021 MAHPERD TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2021 Maine Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (MAHPERD) Teacher of the Year awards. The deadline is May 30. Learn more here. |
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Jake Giessman To Be New Deering AP
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Jake Giessman has been selected as the new assistant principal at Deering High School. His new role officially begins July 1. Jake, who holds a doctorate in educational leadership, will be stepping into the role held by Interim Assistant Principal Jim Moses, who is retiring. The Board of Public Education approved Jake’s appointment at its May 4 meeting.
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Jake has been interim principal of the PPS Remote Academy since January of this year, moving from his position as assistant principal at Lyman Moore Middle School. He joined Moore as assistant principal in 2015. His previous experience includes being director of a gifted and talented program and coordinator of summer school programs at a school district in Columbia, Mo.; head of school at the Academy Hill School in Springfield, Mass.; and a teacher in Connecticut. In addition to his doctorate, received from Johns Hopkins University, Jake holds a specialist degree in educational leadership from the University of Missouri, a master’s degree in environmental studies from the University of Montana, and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Harvard University. Read more.
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District Has New Transportation Director
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Joel Thoits is the Portland Public Schools’ new director of transportation. Joel began his new role on April 26. He is replacing outgoing director Eric Wood, who is leaving the post at the end of May.
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Joel most recently has been the district’s operations manager but began with the district in 2012 as a bus driver. “Joel was selected from a competitive field of applicants based on his deep understanding of the department’s work and his long term commitment to the district,” said Superintendent Xavier Botana.
Botana thanked Eric Wood for his service. “Eric has done an amazing job leading the department for the past two years,” Botana said. “He leaves us to move back to his home in the Midwest, but will be overlapping with Joel through the end of the month to help with the transition. We wish Eric the best in his future endeavors.”
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'DAY OF DIALOGUE' FOR SCHOOL LIBRARIANS
 School Library Journal (SLJ) is holding a free virtual event on May 20. Described as “the most anticipated librarian gathering of the Spring 2021 publishing season," the SLJ Day of Dialogue is fully virtual and free to attend. The daylong program of author panels and in-depth conversations will keep you informed, inspired, and provide insight into industry trends as you work to grow and diversify your collections.” Learn more and register here.
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SEASONAL WORK WITH MAINE STATE GOVERNMENT
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 With summer vacation approaching, your students and staff may be looking for seasonal work. Maine State Government has a variety of seasonal positions, many of which involve working outdoors in our state parks- including Lifeguards (ages 16+), Customer Representative Assistant I, and Assistant Park Rangers. Openings are statewide- from Mount Blue to Cape Elizabeth, Georgetown to the Allagash. More information can be found here, under the Parks and Recreation heading.
Please feel free to share this information with any interested parties and reach out to Jessica Crosby with questions.
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Thinking about Education Starting at Birth
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
7:00-8:30pm
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Starting at Zero is a film that explores the power of investing in high-quality early childhood education so that all children and families have the opportunity to thrive and attain the American Dream. What’s the status of early childhood education in Portland and in Maine? Why is birth-to-5 education critical in the development of children? How can families bring their voice in developing quality early childhood education programs?
A panel of experts and practitioners will discuss these questions and other questions from the audience. Please see the instructions below to access the film:
- Click HERE to be taken to a brief Mailchimp form that you must complete and submit.
- This will lead to a page on the startingatzerofilm.com website.
- There, enter the password that is provided after completing the form.
- The page will load with the video player and instructions for an optimal viewing experience.
- We have been told that by the time of our screening the narrative will be subtitled in Spanish, Portuguese, and French languages
This event is co-sponsored by Starting Strong and Maine Association for the Education of Young Children.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://zoom.us/j/95791138178
Event flyer: Acholi, Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Somali, Spanish, Vietnamese
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Send us your feedback, suggestions, questions, and contributions to the PPS Staff Resources page. Contact us at communications@portlandschools.org.
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