May 14, 2021
Dear Portland Public Schools families, staff and community members,
I’ll focus this letter on the impact of several new developments this week on the Portland Public Schools. Those developments are the City Council’s approval of our proposed 2021-2022 school budget; the Food and Drug Administration’s authorization of vaccinating 12- to 15-year-olds; and the governor’s new directives regarding gathering limits and physical distancing, effective May 24.
I am deeply grateful to all the community members who advocated in support of our equity-based budget. Those powerful voices helped convince City Councilors on May 10 to vote to approve the Board of Public Education’s recommended $125.2 million FY22 school budget and reject an amendment to reduce it. The budget, which has advancing equity as the central goal, contains key investments to address achievement and opportunity gaps for students who are English language learners, have disabilities and are economically disadvantaged. It now goes to you and other Portland voters at the polls on June 8 – or you can vote absentee if you prefer. We are hopeful that our Portland Public Schools community will recognize the importance of these investments and continue to support the work of the district.
In other good news, Gov. Janet Mills this week proposed adding $187 million in education funding to the state’s new two-year budget, increasing the state’s share of school funding to 55 percent, a mandate approved by Maine voters 17 years ago. This change, if approved by the Legislature, would be a historic milestone. The School Board and City Council will need to approve how any additional state revenue that we receive as a result is used.
Also this week, the FDA authorized the use of the Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds. Close to 20 percent of positive cases in Maine are people under the age of 20. Opening vaccination opportunities to 12- to 15-year-olds will help enhance health and safety in our schools, both through the end of this school year and for our planned full reopening this fall. Our high school nurses have been working diligently to encourage students who are 16 and older to get vaccinated. We encourage families of younger high school students and of middle school students – and even families of any age-eligible elementary school students – to get your students vaccinated now too. Please see our Health Updates to learn the latest information about vaccination clinics. The more students and staff who get vaccinated, the fewer people who will have to interrupt their learning or teaching to quarantine if they are close contacts with someone who tests positive. And the safer our entire school community will be this school year and as we move toward our planned full reopening for this fall.
As you have most likely heard, Gov. Mills announced yesterday that the state is going to loosen most COVID-19 restrictions as of May 24, now that 70 percent of Mainers have received at least one shot. Mills plans to remove capacity limits as well as physical distancing requirements in outdoor settings and many indoor venues. She also said the state would soon update physical distancing mandates for Maine schools, but the Maine Department of Education has not yet announced any changes to its mandated health and safety protocols for schools. We will use any new guidance from MDOE to make decisions that would be the best fit for our schools. We are continuing to require masks for all, both in PPS buildings and on PPS grounds (i.e. outside), pending any changes by the MDOE.
I’ll also remind everyone that the Board is slated to vote on Tuesday, May 18, on proposed new start and end times for the 2021-2022 school year. Here is the document summarizing the changes that we shared last week. The new times build off this year’s schedule changes and begin to shift our secondary schools to a later start.
Finally, our summer programming planning work is moving ahead. Here is the summer offerings presentation we made to the Board on May 4, and we’re continuing to add more opportunities to the roster. We will begin the process of reaching out to families with more detailed information over the next couple of weeks.
We have just one more month before the last day of school for students on June 15. Even though we’re all excited about the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions for those who are vaccinated, please remember that many of our students aren’t vaccinated yet and many others are ineligible. We still have members of our school community testing positive each week, with unvaccinated close contacts having to quarantine. It remains important for everyone to continue to follow required health and safety protocols, including masking and physical distancing, so that we can successfully conclude this school year. We continue to look at these last few weeks as a great learning opportunity for how we can open schools fully this fall.
Sincerely,
Xavier Botana, Superintendent
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SCHOOL BUDGET NEWS
The City Council voted on May 10 to approve the $125.2 million school budget proposal for the 2021-2022 school year, after voting down a controversial amendment to reduce the budget. The equity-based FY22 school budget now goes to city voters in a referendum on
June 8. The Council's vote followed a public hearing on May 10 and also on May 3, during which the overwhelming majority of speakers supported the budget.
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The Portland Board of Public Education approved the budget on April 13 and then the Board's budget went to the City Council, which approved its bottom line. The budget contains about $2.9 million in initiatives to advance equity. Board Chair Emily Figdor characterized the budget as "an absolutely critical investment to address the inequities in our school district." Learn more budget details on the Budget Development page on the district’s website. Here are a couple of news stories this week on the budget, one from Channel 13 and another from the Portland Press Herald.
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HEALTH AND SAFETY UPDATES
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HEALTH AND TRAVEL UPDATES
This link has the latest information on clinics and vaccine opportunities, travel guidelines, distancing, use of masks, cleaning, and COVID-19 testing.
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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 typically 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 May 14th update.
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PORTLAND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS RECOGNIZED FOR UN GLOBAL GOAL IMPACT
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From the award announcement: "30 students from Portland High School are being recognized for community service as National Award earners and as inspirations for other students to get involved in their community...This award program has been designed to elevate and expand the awareness of youth leaders contributing time and talent to drive positive progress toward global issues." Read more about the students and their impact here!
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DHS SENIOR WINS NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP
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Aidan Blum Levine, a senior at Deering High School, has won a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship. Aidan, who is planning on a career in materials engineering, is one of just 11 Maine students selected as $2,500 National Merit Scholarship winners this year. The students are among 2,500 such Merit Scholars chosen from a nationwide talent pool of about 16,000 outstanding Finalists in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program. Learn more here.
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SPANISH EDUCATOR IS 'TEACHER OF THE YEAR'
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José Iván Sabau Torrelo, fifth-grade teacher in Lyseth Elementary School’s Spanish Immersion program, has been selected as Teacher of the Year 2021 by the Ministry of Education, Embassy of Spain. In recognizing Sabau Torrelo, the Ministry of Education cited an “outstanding” mystery-solving gaming project involving multicultural cooperation that he created for his students. Read more about this recognition here.
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OUTSTANDING SENIORS CHOSEN FOR PRINCIPAL'S AWARD
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Each year, Maine high school principals nominate one senior from their schools to receive an MPA Principal’s Award. The award, sponsored by the Maine Principal's Association, is given in recognition of a high school senior's academic achievement and good citizenship. The 2021 MPA Principal’s Award winners from the Portland Public Schools’ three high schools are: Audrey Watson, Portland High School, selected by Principal Sheila Jepson; Emma Carleton, Deering High School, selected by Co-Principals Abdullahi Ahmed and Alyson Dame; and Yusur Jasim, Casco Bay High School, selected by Principal Derek Pierce. Learn more about these outstanding students here.
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ABSENTEE VOTING HAS BEGUN FOR JUNE 8th SPECIAL ELECTION
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The City of Portland is holding a special municipal election on Tuesday, June 8 for Portland voters to vote on our equity-based FY22 school budget and on City Charter commissioners. Get voting information here. Learn details of the school budget here. We encourage members of our Portland Public Schools community to vote!
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CONFRONTING COVID-19 RELATED HARASSMENT IN SCHOOLS AGAINST AAPI COMMUNITY MEMBERS
 The U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Justice recently released Confronting COVID-19-Related Harassment in Schools, a fact sheet for students and families. You may find this resource on the Office for Civil Rights website in English, Chinese-simplified, Chinese-traditional, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese, with additional translations expected later this month. This information is to help ensure that students and families are aware of their rights in school settings and of how to access help if needed, including from the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Education and the Civil Rights Division in the Department of Justice.
As President Biden wrote at the start of his presidency, in his Memorandum Condemning and Combating Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States, “The Federal Government should combat racism, xenophobia, and intolerance against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and should work to ensure that all members of AAPI communities — no matter their background, the language they speak, or their religious beliefs — are treated with dignity and equity.”
This resource is one part of the U.S. Department of Education’s work to counter racism and ensure equity and equal opportunity for all.
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EMERGENCY BROADBAND BENEFIT
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The Federal Communications Commission has launched a temporary program to help families and households struggling to afford Internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Emergency Broadband Benefit provides a discount of up to $50 per month toward broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers.
Eligible households can enroll through a participating broadband provider or directly with the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) using an online or mail in application.
You can learn more here, or by calling 833-511-0311
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NEWS OF PPS' OUTSTANDING OUTDOOR LEARNING PROGRAM SPREADING IN U.S., WORLD
The Portland Public Schools great outdoor learning program has made news across the nation – even in Hawaii! See this Hawaii Tribune Herald story: "Let’s keep teaching outdoors."
Word of our program is also now spreading around the world. See this story from the Hindustan Times.
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VACCINATION STORY FEATURES PPS NURSE
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TEACH PORTLAND APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE
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 The Portland Public Schools is excited to be offering the Teach Portland program this summer! Teach Portland is a summer program that seeks to build interest in the teaching profession and increase the diversity of teachers in Maine. Teach Portland provides an opportunity for participants to experience teaching firsthand in one of our summer learning classrooms, to receive a stipend for participating in the program, and to access optional professional development activities. Read more and access the application here.
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JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS AT THE PORTLAND SEA DOGS
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The Portland Sea Dogs are looking to hire staff for this summer in their concessions department. This is a great opportunity for students ages 15+ looking for a summer job or even their first job, no experience necessary! Click here to learn more and apply.
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EDUCATION IMPORTANT FROM BIRTH
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If you missed the Portland Public Schools May 11 Parent University that featured 'Starting at Zero,' a film that explores the power of investing in high-quality early childhood education, watch here on YouTube. Find more resources from the event here.
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