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The Portland Board of Public Education will meet on Monday, July 9 at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers at Portland City Hall to consider the Superintendent Employment Agreement between the board and Emmanuel Caulk.

The public is invited to a reception with Caulk and board members immediately following the meeting in the State of Maine room at City Hall.

“I am very enthusiastic about Mr. Caulk’s leadership for Portland Public Schools,” said Board Chair Kate Snyder.  “I believe he brings the experience, skills and temperament to keep our district moving forward.  I encourage community residents to attend the reception to meet Mr. Caulk and to welcome him to Portland.”

Caulk brings experience working as an administrator for two of the largest school districts in the country, Philadelphia and Chicago.  He has developed a special expertise in using data to improve student outcomes.

Currently an assistant superintendent in Philadelphia, Caulk oversees 36 schools serving 16,500 students, more than twice Portland’s enrollment.  Under his leadership, schools have demonstrated gains in reading and math as measured by student performance on the state assessment. 

In a previous position as the assistant superintendent for high schools of Louisiana’s East Baton Rouge school district, he implemented high school redesign initiatives across the lowest performing high schools, increased the number of advanced placement and dual enrollment courses and implemented a dropout prevention and re-entry program for non-traditional students.  The changes resulted in a rise in student achievement.    

Caulk has worked as an administrator at the high school, middle school and elementary school levels, and he also has practiced law.  Read more about his background.

The school board launched a national superintendent search last December with the assistance of the consulting firm, PROACT.  Caulk was chosen from a pool of 159 applicants after many public forums and interviews by the board, top administrators and a stakeholder panel.  

Caulk will begin his new position on August 20.  Deering Principal Ira Waltz is serving as the acting superintendent.