Dear Portland Public Schools families, staff, and community members,  

It is an honor to join the Portland Public Schools community. Throughout the selection process, I had the opportunity to engage with students, families, staff, and community members. While everyone answered the “what should I know about Portland Public Schools” question differently, they all expressed a faith in the school system that was exciting.

Even though my official start date is July 1st, I have already begun to engage members of the Board and central office and look forward to hearing from the broader community. My transition plan is focused on learning from each of you about the great things within PPS that we should build on and where we can do better. I call these first three months my “listen and learn phase.” We will share more information on the website about how you can engage in the listen and learn through town halls, focus groups, and surveys, as well as in more informal conversations. 

The first of many opportunities will actually take place on June 26th from 4:00 - 6:00 pm for a Playground Meet and Greet at East End Community School with Portland families. If you are available, please stop by for informal conversations. We will plan to gather in the playground weather permitting, but if it does rain we will convene in the cafeteria. 

I will be conducting other listen and learn sessions with staff and community groups throughout the summer and the beginning of the new school year.

In October, I will share with the Board and the community the trends that come from the listen and learn sessions as we then engage in a review of our strategic plan and the development of an aligned budget. 

It is my expectation that these three phases – (1) listen and learn; (2) strategic planning; and (3) aligned budget – will serve to organize our larger systems work in the District this year.

• Listen & Learn: Meet with community and staff members to learn what is working well and potential areas of opportunity. 

• Strategic Plan: Community members, Board members, school and central office staff build on trends to develop a 5-year strategic plan and aligned budget.

• Budget: The budget is aligned with the strategic plan. Cross-functional planning teams build out actions for school year 2024-2025.

This crucial work cannot be done alone and I look forward to partnering with the Portland community in this effort.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful summer, and I look forward to working together with you toward our goal of ensuring that all Portland Public Schools students graduate prepared and empowered for college and career.

Best, 

Ryan Scallon, Ed.D., Incoming Superintendent