Superintendent Ryan Scallon sent a letter on Aug. 26 to the Portland Public Schools community welcoming everyone back to the new school year and providing helpful information and resources for families as students return to school. Read the superintendent's letter:

August 26, 2026

Dear PPS Community,

I hope you are as excited as I am for the new school year. Students in grades 1 to 12 start on Monday, August 31, and our Pre-K and Kindergarten students start the next day, Tuesday, September 1.

Come Meet Your Child's Teachers. Schools are holding back-to-school events this week and during the first couple of weeks of school. These events are the best way to meet the principal, the teachers and the staff who will work with your child this year, and to see your child’s classroom and ask questions face to face. Days and times are different at each school, so please check with your child’s school for the schedule.

Getting Our Schools Ready. Our buildings did not sit empty this summer. Custodial and facilities crews cleaned, repaired and reset classrooms in all 17 of our school buildings, and our Food Service team served free meals at 12 sites across the city starting July 6, so that children and teens could eat well all summer. Teachers and staff ran summer learning programs, including the Wayfinders program with Maine Audubon, which used nature and STEM activities to help students build math and reading skills. Thank you to everyone who did this work. Our schools are ready because they made them ready.

Welcoming Our Staff Back. Our full staff returned on Monday, August 24, and the next day more than 1,300 employees gathered at Merrill Auditorium for our all-staff welcome event. The theme was Belonging. Believing. Achieving. Those three words describe what we owe every student: a school where they feel they belong, adults who believe in them and hold them to high expectations, and the tools and support they need to achieve. You can read more about the staff welcome event and about this year’s strategic goals.

Board of Education Meeting Update. The Board met on Tuesday, August 25. Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Schools Dr. Tremain Holloway gave an update on how we are putting our personal electronic device policy in place. You can view his presentation. Board members also heard from the leadership of Portland Adult Education, who shared their strategic plan. You can read the full presentation or a one-page summary. The full agenda and meeting minutes are online, and you can watch the meeting on YouTube.

Important Resources for Families. Please take a few minutes to read our annual notices and policies for families. If you have a question about your child’s bus route, contact our Transportation Office at transportation@portlandschools.org or (207) 874-8240. You can now view school menus on LINQ, our new menu platform, along with how-to guides we created to help families get started. I also want to point you to our school safety information, which includes key safety terms to know, our school emergency procedures, and tips for families on keeping young people safe from guns.

I am hopeful about the year ahead. Our buildings and our staff are ready, and we look forward to seeing the students next week.

Sincerely,

Ryan Scallon, Ed.D.

Superintendent