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At its Sept. 20 meeting, the Portland Board of Public Education voted unanimously to approve a new three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Portland Education Association, The new contract shows trust and collaboration on both sides, with educators and the district working towards a common goal of student success. The contract begins this school year and runs through the 2024-2025 school year.

At a ceremony in Brunswick Sept. 15, four Portland Public Schools educators were presented with the 2022 Education for the Common Good Award by Bowdoin College. The four recipients of this year’s award are Superintendent Xavier Botana; PPS Director of BIPOC Career Pathways and Leadership Development Julia Hazel; Portland High School Assistant Principal Alberto Morales, and Executive Director of Human Resources Barbara Stoddard. They were recognized for their work to transform conditions for educators of color in the district

To kick off the NEA Big Read: Portland, ME, a city-wide discussion of immigration using the adult novel INFINITE COUNTRY that is taking place this fall, the Portland nonprofit I’m Your Neighbor Books and USM’s Department of Literacy, Language, and Culture delivered 1,200 children’s books to the Portland Public Schools – texts that will extend the conversation from kindergarten to grade 12. I'm Your Neighbor uses children’s books and stories to welcome immigrants, sharing books that help all students to better understand the perspectives of others and learn to value diversity.

The Portland Public Schools unveiled its new mobile makerspace on Sept. 14, prior to its launch with students the following week. The PPS Mobile Makerspace is a mobile lab that will provide a collaborative setting for making, learning, exploring, and sharing, using high-tech to no-tech tools. It will provide every PreK-5 student in the district with at least one design/innovation/engineering experience each year. The makerspace will travel between schools to engage and empower students to explore, create, and solve meaningful problems in the STEM fields

Rippleffect, a nonprofit that promotes youth development and leadership through adventure, on Sept. 13 officially announced the Rippleffect Outdoor Center (“ROC”), a central piece in Rippleffect's vision to provide equitable access for all Maine youth, starting in Portland’s backyard. 

The Portland Public Schools has worked with our medical team to develop COVID-19 protocols for the new school year that reflect federal CDC recommendations.

With the aid of a grant through the Maine Community Fund, East End Community School (EECS) was able to send four BIPOC staff to the Model Schools Conference this month, to further develop their leadership skills.

On National Read Across America Day, March 2, each of the 410 students at East End Community School received a book to take home, thanks to the generosity of Pam Leo of the Book Fairy Pantry Project and Islandport Press of Yarmouth.