Superintendent Ryan Scallon is using his first months in the district to hear from staff, students, families and other community members about the great things happening at the Portland Public Schools that we should build on – and also about opportunities to do better. His “listen and learn” phase  began this summer and is continuing into the fall. Ryan will hold focus groups with staff, families and students in September and October. Also, the district has just launched a Listen and Learn Community Survey on our website. Please participate in the survey, which closes Sept. 22! The meetings and the survey will help inform the themes and trends identified through all that listen-and-learn opportunities, which  will be shared publicly at a Board of Public Education meeting in October. That will set the stage for engaging in a review of the district’s strategic plan and the development of an aligned budget for 2024-2025.