The Portland Public Schools once again launched the new school year with the entire PPS team of about 1,400 employees gathering together. The One Team, One Plan Kick-Off took place on Tuesday, August 26.

Although students won’t start school until after Labor Day, teachers and other school staff returned the week of Aug. 25. The all-staff event, which began in the morning at Merrill Auditorium and continued at Portland High School into the afternoon for professional learning opportunities, enabled all PPS employees to gain a shared sense of belonging and an understanding of the district’s priorities for the 2025-2026 school year.

The event at Merrill included remarks from Portland Board of Public Education Chair Sarah Lentz and videotaped greetings from Gov. Janet Mills and Portland Mayor Mark Dion, who all welcomed back PPS employees and thanked them for their dedication and service to students. District leadership and school leaders were introduced via a creative video while staff, wearing t-shirts and other gear specific to their school or department, showed strong team spirit with cheers and applause. Raffle prizes, provided by generous community partners, amped up the excitement.

A key focus of the event was Superintendent Ryan Scallon’s presentation of  the Year 2 initiatives of the district’s five-year Strategic Plan. The plan has five priorities –Achievement, Equity, Whole Student, People and Systems. Specific initiatives are tied to each priority for every year of the plan, with ways to measure progress.

The One Team, One Plan aligned with the People goal of the Strategic Plan, which calls for cultivating an inclusive work environment that supports collaboration and staff well-being.    

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.