Newly renovated Reiche Elementary School has recently received notice it has attained LEED Silver Certification. LEED,  or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and an international symbol of excellence in green building. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED certification ensures electricity cost savings, lower carbon emissions and healthier environments for a wide variety of buildings, including schools.

Two other newly renovated Portland Public Schools' elementary schools also have received LEED silver certification — Presumpscot in November 2024 and Longfellow in July 2024. Renovations on all three schools — Reiche, Presumpscot and Longfellow — were completed last year.

City voters in 2017 approved a $64 million Buildings for Our Future bond for the renovations to Lyseth, Presumpscot, Longfellow and Reiche elementary schools. Renovations at Lyseth Elementary School, which were completed in 2021, also were designed to meet LEED standards.

“Portland Public Schools’ LEED-certified buildings were designed with the health of students and staff in mind,” said Tammara Sweeney, PPS Director of Facilities Planning, Management, and Maintenance Services. “We use materials with low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to improve indoor air quality, install water-saving plumbing fixtures, and ensure HVAC systems meet or exceed energy standards — achieving energy costs at least 5 percent below baseline.”

“The Portland Public Schools is proud to receive LEED recognition for our work to meet sustainable, green-building standards,” said Superintendent Ryan Scallon. “This Buildings for our Future initiative dovetails with all five of the priorities of our Strategic Plan. The renovations provide our students and teachers with access to beautiful and improved spaces that facilitate teaching and learning and building strong, safe school communities — all foundational to our Achievement, Equity and Whole Student goals. Also, they align with our Systems goal by creating more energy-efficient and healthier learning environments that benefit not only students but also our People — PPS teachers and other staff.”

LEED certification is proof that buildings are going above and beyond to ensure the building is constructed and operated to the highest level of sustainability. To earn LEED certification, project teams must earn points outlined in the rating system by adhering to prerequisites and credits across nine measurements for building excellence from integrative processes to building materials to indoor air quality. Prerequisites are required elements that must be incorporated into a building project to earn LEED certification, but project teams can choose the credits they want to pursue to gain points toward LEED certification.

The district plans to install LEED plaques at Reiche, Presumpscot, and Longfellow in the near future.

The Portland Public Schools is Maine’s largest school district, with nearly 6,500 students, and it’s also the most diverse. About one-third of the district’s students come from homes where languages other than English are spoken—a total of 59 languages. Approximately 47 percent of the district’s students are white and 53 percent are students of color. More than half of all PPS students are economically disadvantaged.