MARCH 13, 2026

On March 10, Superintendent Ryan Scallon presented the proposed budget for the 2026-2027 school year. He started his presentation of the fiscal year 2027 (FY27) budget with a report of the improved outcomes for students the district has seen over the past two years of implementation of its five-year Strategic Plan—particularly for economically disadvantaged students, multilingual students learning English, and students with IEPs in reading and in math. The proposed budget aims to build on that progress while confronting fiscal challenges.

If you live in Portland and have a child who will be 5 years old by October 15, 2026, it’s time to register for kindergarten!

Visit our website to find your neighborhood school and complete your registration online. We strongly encourage all families to register by March 23, 2026. 

In collaboration with the Maine Art Education Association, the PMA is hosting its yearly exhibit of artwork from students from around Maine in kindergarten through grade 12.  The artworks of numerous PPS students are included in the exhibit. It is open now through April 5.

In February, Lincoln Middle School hosted Portland Stage Company for a touring performance of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream," presented to over two hundred students grades 6 through 8. After the performance, students engaged directly with the actors and the play’s text in interactive workshops that put Shakespeare’s language into the hands and mouths of students.

King Middle School students are participating in a 10-week afterschool program to create their own personalized designs for sports jerseys that reflect the students’ stories and values, thanks to a partnership between the Portland Public Schools, Portland Hearts of Pine, Design FC, and hummel. 

Lincoln Middle School celebrated a spirit week in February, when students and staff joined in to bring some brightness and cheer to the cold winter. One of these spirit days was on Feb. 12 (President Abraham Lincoln's birthday), when staff dressed up as Lincoln to celebrate a century of the school being named in honor of Lincoln. The building was opened for the 1925/26 school year as Lincoln Junior High after renovations.

During February break, 25 PPS middle-schoolers rolled up their sleeves for a productive four-day carpentry camp at Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS). Under the guidance of professional instructors, students transitioned from novices to junior builders. They learned foundational trade skills, beginning with comprehensive shop safety protocols, before moving into hands-on construction.

Students in teacher Kristin Leffler's new Journalism & Society course at Deering High School visited the Portland Press Herald's press room in February. The morning visit consisted of touring the printing operations and interviewing reporters about their experiences in the industry. This field trip concluded the four weeks of journalism training required before the classroom becomes an active and student-led multimedia newsroom.

Rowe Elementary School counselor Kate McAlaine shared the following about a new school initiative: “After attending community meeting assemblies at both Presumpscot and Longfellow Elementary Schools, SEL staff were inspired to start a community meeting tradition at Rowe. On Dec. 11, Rowe’s third- through fifth-grade students gathered for our first-ever community meeting...and 32 fifth-grade student leaders ran the meeting from start to finish."

PATHS students recently partnered with the Portland Public Schools Transportation Department to support safe travel for younger learners by designing bus safety posters for elementary and middle school students across the district. PATHS Commercial Art student Melanie Morgan created an engaging and student-friendly poster aimed at reinforcing positive bus safety behaviors. 

Portland High School science teacher Emily Davis shared a message from students in the PHS Environmental Club: “The club is getting involved in a community effort advocating to install solar panels on school roofs and to adopt a district-wide sustainability plan. Six of us, along with the president of the Casco Bay Environmental Club, attended a City Council meeting in December to speak about solar panels on school roofs."

Nate Witherbee, music teacher at Portland Arts and Technology High School, and Abby Hutchins, music teacher at Deering and Casco Bay high schools, have been nominated for the Manilow Music Teacher Award, which honors educators who have a passion and dedication to teaching music to students. The two are among 10 Maine music educators vying to be the top vote-getters in an online contest to receive a $10,000 prize—$5,000 in a cash award and $5,000 for instruments for students.

Casco Bay High School freshman Albertina Dos Santos is the grand prize winner of The Telling Room's 19th Annual Statewide Writing Contest. Dos Santos’ winning poem, "To Love a Country," was recently selected as the winner by a panel of judges that included local authors, illustrators, editors, Telling Room alumni, and current Telling Room students. Dos Santos will be published in The Telling Room’s upcoming annual anthology of youth writing and will receive a cash prize of $250.