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Teachers Hit the Classroom in Summer

By Portland Acting Superintendent Ira Waltz

 

Lots of people envy teachers for having the summer “off.”  But many of our teachers in the Portland Public Schools are spending these beautiful, sunny days in class, learning new content and new teaching strategies that will improve their practice.

We know that an effective teacher is the most important, school-related factor influencing student achievement.  At the Portland Public Schools, we appreciate the willingness of our teachers to participate in professional development in July and August.

This summer, many of our high school teachers are working on the Pathways to Success initiative aimed at providing more options for Portland’s students.  Funded by a $5 million grant from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the initiative will implement new learning models at Deering and Portland high schools beginning in the 2013-14 school year.

This summer, teachers and other professional staff are learning more about the models under consideration. 

Nine Deering teachers and I attended a conference in New York sponsored by the International Studies School Network.  The network’s mission is to prepare every student to succeed in college or other post-secondary education and to help students learn how the world works as the foundation for success in a global era as well as how they can take action and make a difference.  Deering is considering adoption of the network’s learning model. 

Portland High School will send about 10 staff people to a conference sponsored by Johns Hopkins University's Talent Development program.    Portland High is considering adoption of that model, which draws on students’ interests and aspirations to prepare them for post-secondary education and/or careers.

The Nellie Mae grant is paying for staff to attend both of those national conferences.  The grant also will pay for Casco Bay High School’s summer institute for faculty in August, when teachers will develop and refine learning expeditions for the coming year.  Casco Bay High School is a member of Expeditionary Learning’s national network that involves students in rigorous, multidisciplinary projects addressing real-world issues.

Portland school staff also are involved in many other types of professional development this summer, including work focused on supporting English language learners, teaching phonics, spelling and vocabulary, matching books to readers and ensuring a continuum of literacy learning. 

Some teachers and educational technicians are pursuing additional training in their chosen content areas.  Administrators are adding to their knowledge in topics such as school law.  Our students will be the beneficiaries.

Many of you know me as the principal of Deering High School.  I have had my own learning opportunities this summer, as I fulfill the responsibility of acting superintendent.  That experience has left me thoroughly impressed with the staff’s dedication to making Portland Public Schools a place where all are “learning to succeed.”

Posted July 16, 2012.

Farewell to the Portland Public Schools

By Portland Superintendent Dr. James C. Morse, Sr.

It’s time to say farewell.  As I prepare to leave the Portland Public Schools next month, I feel thankful that this former Portland High School dropout had the opportunity to give back to the city of my birth, and thankful to the staff that helped me along the way.

My first speech three years ago told how we would make a difference by focusing our work on the needs of students, and how we would right the educational mission of this great city. 

Did we accomplish all that we hoped?  Certainly not.  But what we did accomplish will outlive my tenure as superintendent.

Early on, I distinctly remember a two-hour tour of Hall Elementary School with Principal Kelly Hasson.  She and her staff were so welcoming and the students were so polite and engaging.  I thought, Wow, if all of Portland’s schools are this amazing, then coming back to Portland after 35 years is going to be a joy. 

I also remember the dismal state of the Hall building, a schoolhouse designed to temporarily house children of World War II veterans.  I later learned that half of Portland’s elementary schools needed serious work.  The state is providing no funds in the near future, but Hall now appears on the city of Portland’s draft capital improvement project list.  Lesson learned: the city is ready to rise to the challenge.

I also received a warm welcome from the principal and staff at Riverton Elementary School.  Talking to teachers, I learned that different math texts were being used in different classrooms - a problem that existed throughout the system - and I wondered how that might negatively impact student performance. 

Three years later, Riverton students’ performance has improved dramatically due to an aligned curriculum, early childhood programming, intense professional development and a commitment by the staff to act in concert with one another.  Lesson learned: a consistent curriculum taught by a committed staff generates greatly improved test scores.

I remember my first visits to King Middle School and Casco Bay High School (CBHS) because I had never heard of Expeditionary Learning.  King Principal Michael McCarthy and CBHS Principal Derek Pierce, along with their staffs and students, taught me about this model approach. 

I became an enthusiastic supporter of Expeditionary Learning because students are challenged academically while pursuing authentic learning.  Regardless of poverty, gender or the country of origin, students can perform at the highest levels.  Lesson learned:  using a model to theme a building creates cohesion and common purpose that improves student engagement and performance.

I remember the mess of the district’s finances when I arrived.  The staff had the best intentions but did not have the professional capacity to manage a $100,000,000 budget.  Proper accounting procedures, protocols and controls all were weak. 

During my tenure, we hired experienced and qualified staff to bring the financial house in order.  In the latest independent review, the Portland Public Schools received a clean audit report.

I was pleasantly shocked by my first meetings with the union leadership.  Portland Education Association (PEA) President Kathleen Casasa stated that union members wanted to be engaged in problem-solving and to assist in developing solutions. 

She was as good as her word.  The PEA agreed to a ground-breaking contract that extended the school year and they settled a three-year contract in which they took no pay increase for doing so.  The Portland Administrators Association and the B.A.S.E. and Ed Tech unions proved equally progressive.  Lesson learned: unions can be powerful allies in change.

I count among our accomplishments in the past three years passage of the Comprehensive Plan Framework, creation of a multi-year budget and partnerships with City Hall, nonprofits, the Portland Regional Chamber and local businesses.

Portland was my childhood home and I’m pleased to have partnered with so many to accomplish so much so quickly.  Thank you, Portland.

Portland Students Gain Global Perspective in the Classroom

By Portland Superintendent Dr. James C. Morse, Sr.

The Portland Public Schools is unique in Maine for having such a wide variety of cultures represented by our students and staff.  Thirty percent of our students come from homes where languages other than English are spoken.  Few school districts of our size anywhere in the United States can compare to Portland, where students speak close to 60 different languages. 

During the past 20 years, teachers in our school district have found many ways to take advantage of the city’s diversity in order to enrich the educational experience of all students.

Here are just a few examples from the past month:

The first female judge of Botswana and a human rights activist who was on the front lines of Egypt’s regime change recently spoke at Portland High School.  Nearly 20 students, including some African emigrants, listened with rapt attention as Unity Dow, the Botswana judge, described her career path and spoke frankly of her dream to one day serve as the country’s president.

The talks were arranged by Portland High’s three-year-old Global Studies program.  The after-school program provides a way for native born and immigrant students to learn about and discuss issues of global importance.  Participants earn a certificate in global studies that will serve them well as they graduate into a world where international perspectives are increasingly important for success in business and other enterprises.

Portland High’s Cultural Heritage Show is a 15-year-old tradition that began when the city’s major immigrant groups came from Southeast Asia.  Students put on the annual event to showcase the music, dance and fashions of their families’ homelands. 

The city’s changing demographics are reflected by the Cultural Heritage Show.  Over the years, it has featured performances by students from Vietnam, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Congo, Bosnia, El Salvador, Serbia, Sudan, Somalia and, recently, Rwanda, Burundi and Iraq as well as native Mainers.  For the past nine years, King Middle School has put on a similar show, titled “Around the World in Eighty Minutes.”

Sixth graders at Lyman Moore Middle School recently spent several weeks learning about immigration by reading plays, cartoons and short stories.  They also participated in a simulation of what it was like to arrive at the Ellis Island immigration facility in New York City.

Earlier this month, the sixth graders hosted a naturalization ceremony for 38 new Americans who live in the greater Portland area.  Moore students made flags for each of the 19 countries of origin represented by the new citizens.  They learned a little about those countries so that they could greet the immigrants with friendly conversation. 

A student led the Pledge of Allegiance at the ceremony, and the school’s band and sixth grade chorus performed.  Two students recited the Emma Lazarus poem that’s engraved in a plaque on the Statue of Liberty, with the famous lines, “Give me your tired, your poor.”  Moore students made small gifts for the new citizens and they planned a celebration for them and their families after the naturalization ceremony.

One student told teacher Jon Roderick afterward, “I teared up when they took the oath.  I knew it was a really big deal.” 

Another student wrote that he will remember “people that all look different, sitting right next to each other, becoming the same thing, American Citizens.”

A third student explained her special connection to the ceremony: “One emotion I felt was being proud of my mom for finally becoming a citizen.”

In this election year, we’ve heard lots of campaign rhetoric about the threats posed by immigrants.  But our school district and city are showing Mainers that we all have much to gain by welcoming these new residents to our community.

An Investment in Our Future

By Portland Superintendent Dr. James C. Morse, Sr.

The past six months have brought lots of good news for the Portland Public Schools.  Our students’ test scores rose dramatically.  We received a clean bill of health from our auditors.  The Portland School Board adopted a comprehensive plan framework to guide the district.  We were awarded the largest competitive grant in the school system’s history to improve the high school experience through student-centered work. 

For all of our successes, we still have much more to do.

My list of greatest needs includes adopting a system-wide curriculum to bring consistency to teaching throughout the district, expanding our pre-kindergarten program, investing in technology to support learning and teaching and rehabilitating or replacing some of our elementary school buildings.  Some of those needs have been ignored for years, resulting in increased costs.

I presented the Portland School Board with a proposed $94,948,537 budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 that provides the building blocks for a vibrant public school system and invests in our future.

My budget represents a 3.65 percent increase over this year’s budget.  With state and federal funds falling far short of our needs, Portland taxpayers would be asked to carry a greater burden - an $85 rise in property taxes on a $250,000 home. 

Here are the major reasons why we need to spend more money in FY 2013:

• Continue implementing a multi-year plan to align our academic programs across schools and to provide more professional development.
• Invest in cutting-edge computers and other technology for the classroom, and purchase equipment that makes district operations more efficient.
• Begin the process of seeking funds to replace Hall Elementary School by FY 2016, and to renovate Presumpscot, Longfellow, Reiche and Lyseth elementary schools.
• Fulfill our obligation through our contract with the Portland Education Association to pay for teachers’ “step” increases, at a cost of $918,584.  Other salary increases in my budget cost $440,415. 
• Cover a projected 7 percent rise in health insurance costs, totaling $715,500.
•  Pay for $2,092,643 in salaries that had been funded by the federal Jobs Bill.

Due to careful management of our budget in the past two years, we will end FY 2012 with a fund balance of approximately $2.2 million.  I recommend using roughly half of this balance, $1 million, to fund strategic initiatives.  We recognize that this is an issue that is decided at the discretion of the Portland City Council and respectfully request their consideration on this matter. 

In previous columns, I described major grants that our district has received in the past three years: a $3.4 million federal School Improvement Grant (SIG) for Riverton Elementary School, a $2.7 million SIG for East End Community School and a $5.2 million grant from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation Grant for the Pathways to Success program in our high schools.  Those grants will supplement the funds provided by local, state and federal taxes and create more opportunities for student-centered learning.

My proposed budget is now before the School Board.  After they approve a budget, it will go to the Portland City Council and then to Portland residents for a referendum vote.  You can read the proposed budget and follow its progress at http://www2.portlandschools.org/school-budget. 

I encourage you to get involved.

Grant Opens a World of Possibilities

By Portland Superintendent Dr. James C. Morse, Sr.

It’s hard to keep a secret, especially one with great news for the thousands of young people who attend Portland’s public high schools.  But that’s what I had to do for two, long months.

We got word in mid-December that the Nellie Mae Education Foundation (NMEF) had awarded a multi-million dollar grant to our school district and several community organizations, including Jobs for Maine’s Graduates, LearningWorks and the city of Portland’s Refugee and Immigrant Services.   Out of 48 applicants, Portland is one of only four communities throughout New England to receive a grant. 

Last week, we finally completed all of the preparation necessary to go public.  What an amazing opportunity this represents for our students, staff and entire community!

The grant, totaling $5 million over three and a half years, will allow us to implement a student-centered model of education at Portland High School, Deering High School, Casco Bay High School and Portland Arts and Technology High School as well as Portland Adult Education.  Our district recently approved a comprehensive plan framework that calls for tailoring teaching to individual needs, and the grant will allow us to speed up its implementation.

We will be able to provide more learning opportunities that help students master both the academic knowledge and the critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills that they need to thrive beyond high school. 

Students will be tested on their proficiency rather than merely having to fulfill credit requirements.  Those who are struggling will get more support.

All students will have the opportunity to do internships and other learning activities outside of the classroom.  Teachers will have access to more professional development on topics such as multi-disciplinary teaching. 

In addition to our community partnerships, we also will work with Project Zero at Harvard University on a pilot project about preparing students for their roles as global citizens. 

We’ve spent three years preparing for this initiative. A year ago, we received a $200,000 planning grant from NMEF that helped fund that effort.

Our principals and staff are eager to dive in and make changes that will benefit students.  We will be working over the next 18 months to involve more parents and community members in the initiative.  Please check the Portland Public Schools website (www.portlandschools.org) for updated information.

The Nellie Mae Education Foundation is the largest charitable organization in New England that focuses exclusively on education. The foundation strives to reshape public education in the region to work more equitably and effectively in order to ensure that all learners, especially those who are underserved, graduate from high school prepared for success.

We are incredibly fortunate that the foundation has chosen our city to receive this magnificent gift.  Thank you, Nellie Mae. 

Portland Schools Lead the Way by Composting Cafeteria Waste

By Portland Superintendent Dr. James C. Morse, Sr.

Even small acts can have a big impact.

Last fall, students at three of Portland’s public schools began discarding their breakfast and lunch leftovers in a new way.  Instead of dumping food, drinks, tinfoil, plastic bottles, cardboard and napkins into the trash, they began separating out their recyclables and food scraps into new bins and buckets. 

We are composting and recycling more than half of what previously ended up in the dumpster - a remarkable reduction that saves the district money and helps the environment. 

The pilot program began in September at Ocean Avenue Elementary School, Lincoln Middle School and Portland High School and added Casco Bay High School in October.  With just those four schools participating, the recycling and composting initiative already has boosted Portland’s city recycling rate.

More schools are joining the program each month.  By the end of winter, all of our mainland schools will participate.  During the coming months, I will work with the Portland School Board to draft a policy that will fully incorporate this trash separation program into our day-to-day operations.

This is a win-win situation in so many ways.

Our students are learning how they can be leaders in making a greener world by simply taking a few moments to separate out their food scraps, milk, recyclables and redeemables. 

When the program is fully implemented, we anticipate reducing the trash that goes to school dumpsters by as much as 50 to 70 percent.  That will save us thousands of dollars on trash disposal each year - savings that can be reinvested in sustainable practices such as eliminating the purchase of Styrofoam lunch trays.  The Portland Public Schools is doing its part to help Portland meet its recycling mandate from the state.

The food waste from our cafeterias goes to a new composting business, Resurgam Zero Food Waste, started by two graduates of the Muskie School of Public Service.  We look forward to using some of the compost to fertilize our school gardens.  That will allow students to see the full circle of growth, decomposition and growth again.

Portland students, parents, staff, the city of Portland and community members all helped launch the cafeteria recycling and composting initiative.  Much of the credit goes to two parents, Susan Webster and Martha Sheils, who lead the Waste Reduction Group. 

The group formed in 2009 to nudge the district toward a goal of zero waste.  Webster, Sheils and the other members played an important role in implementing the cafeteria initiative.  In September, they spent a few weeks going to lunch periods at each of the participating schools to remind students to follow the proper procedures for separating out their trash.

Students pour their milk and other liquids into a bucket, then separate out the tinfoil, cardboard, plastic and paper that can be recycled and the cans and bottles that can be redeemed.  They scrape food waste into a bucket and discard straws, Styrofoam and other non-recyclables into the trash.  Resurgam collects the food waste and hauls it to their composting facility at Portland’s Riverside Recycling Facility.

By reducing the trash going to school dumpsters, students are learning to become good stewards of the environment.  And they are setting an example for our whole community to follow.

At first, some students found the new system “weird.”  Now, they ask, “Why didn’t we do this sooner?”

From Civil Rights to Plate Tectonics: A Week in the Life of Portland’s Schools

By Portland Superintendent Dr. James C. Morse, Sr.

Learning takes place in hundreds of ways each day in the classrooms of the Portland Public Schools.  Sometimes, it’s loud and exuberant.  Other times, children quietly calculate equations, sketch a still life, edit an essay.

Our teachers create the conditions for learning and nudge it along.  Thanks to their efforts, students fall in love with books.  They master a new language, explore the natural world, discover their own talents and how they can make a difference.

Let’s peek into a few Portland classrooms to see what was happening on a week in early December.  I hope this sampling gives you an idea of the extraordinary things that occur on a daily basis in our schools.

We’ll start at Hall Elementary School.  Balls were flying in Valerie Vassar’s fifth grade classroom as part of an experiment on energy and force.

Students fitted the plunger of a spring scale to the end of a ramp.  They rolled three different-sized steel balls down the ramp, varying the starting point.  Students measured the force of the balls as they collided with the spring scale and recorded the data in their science notebooks.  They used the results to answer the question, “How much force can a rolling ball apply during a collision?”

At Moore Middle School, sixth graders in David Hilton’s social studies class are studying the ancient world.  They began working in teams to research one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  They will create an art piece depicting their wonder, then try to persuade a panel of professionals why it is the best.

Students in Victoria Stubbs’ music class at Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS) created a composition using their first names as their guide.  They assigned a musical note, or pitch, to each letter of the name.  Using only those pitches, they composed eight or more measures of a melody.  They then worked in small groups to combine the melodies into longer compositions.

At Deering High School, students in Dan LeGage’s ninth grade earth science class studied movements of the earth’s plates.  They worked in groups to create videos, audio podcasts and other products describing the theory of plate tectonics.    

The PATHS landscapes and gardens class learned how to create professional floral bows.   They made holiday door swags and centerpieces for a fundraising sale at the school.  “We discussed how to price our products for the sale,” said Jill Irving, the teacher.

King Middle School seventh graders interviewed local residents about their experiences during the civil rights movement.  A Portland woman who grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina in the 1950s told King students about befriending the only African-American student in her high school.

The students recorded the interview on their laptops, then discussed what they felt was the central idea of the story, said Karen MacDonald, a King language arts teacher.  Their written account will be included in a volume of stories about Portland citizens who completed “small acts of courage” during the civil rights movement.  It also will become part of the African American Collection of Maine, housed at the University of Southern Maine’s library.

There are hundreds of examples of great teaching going on in Portland’s schools.   I hope this gives you a feel for the creativity of our teachers. 

Portland Celebrates the 100^th Turkey Day Game

By Portland Superintendent Dr. James C. Morse, Sr.

 Anyone who grew up in Portland, as I did, knows that Thanksgiving means more than a family celebration with turkey and the trimmings.  Every Thanksgiving, the Portland High and Deering football teams face off in the Turkey Day game. 

Growing up on Oxford Street, I remember the excitement in the neighborhood leading up to the big game.  This event has become a cherished tradition drawing students and alumni from both schools as well as many community members.

The 100^th Turkey Day game will be played on November 24 at 10:30 a.m. at Fitzpatrick Stadium.  I encourage you to attend.

Portland High hosts the game, and the Bulldog football boosters have been working with their counterparts at Deering for a year to make this a special event.  They have used Facebook, the school district’s website, word of mouth and other means to track down as many former players, coaches and cheerleaders as possible.  All will be invited onto the field for a half time celebration.  The boosters also are making special T-shirts and a commemorative program for the game.      

The tradition of holding high school football games on Thanksgiving dates back to the 1800s.  Two of the country’s oldest public high schools, Boston Latin and English High School in Boston, have been competing every Thanksgiving since 1887 in the longest continuous match-up. 

Several other high schools in the Northeast also have Turkey Day games that began more than a century ago.  But many games involve schools from neighboring towns.  Portland can claim one of the oldest and most intense cross-town football rivalries.

The Portland-Deering Turkey Day game began in 1911.  It has been played every year since then except one.  The two teams have competed in mud, ice, rain and heavy snow. 

In the early 1940s, before Portland had municipal snow blowers, several inches of snow fell shortly before a Turkey Day game.  The city put out a call for people to show up at the field with their shovels.  Those who helped clear off the field got a free game ticket.

Perhaps the most memorable game was played in 1959.  That year, the Turkey Day game decided the state’s football championship.  Thousands of fans packed the stadium.  Portland High led at half time, 21-7.  But Deering came roaring back.  Using a play learned just that week, the Deering team completed a 33-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter.  Then, Deering halfback Joe DiPietro scored, leading his school to a 26-21 victory.  People still talk about that game.

Many families have multiple generations who played in the Turkey Day game, including siblings who played for opposite teams. 

At least one student wore both the Rams and the Bulldogs uniform during his high school career.  Vinnie DiFillipo, Sr. lived downtown and attended Portland High as a freshman.   During his sophomore year, he moved to the Deering neighborhood and joined the Deering team.  Now a Portland firefighter, DiFillipo officiates at the Turkey Day game.  He and the other officials donate their time. “It is always an honor for all of us,” he said.

Regardless of their team allegiance, Portland residents take pride in the local players who went on to fame in the wider world.  Dick Capp, a Deering linebacker, played for Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers team that won the 1967 NFL championship.  Quinton Porter (Portland High 2000) played quarterback at Boston College and now plays for the Canadian Football League.  Several Turkey Day alumni played professional baseball.

The 100^th Turkey Day game is a special event indeed.  So pull on your long johns, grab a warm hat and gloves and head to Fitzpatrick Stadium with your family on Thanksgiving morning to celebrate one of Portland’s glorious traditions. 

Why I'm Retiring

By Portland Superintendent Dr. James C. Morse, Sr.

As a young man, I thought life had nothing to offer me.  At age 15, I sat on the steps of Portland City Hall despondent and in tears, believing that my destiny was to be a drunk, a drug addict or in prison.  I believed that I would die young and that nobody would notice. 

But life sent me down a different path.

I found my calling by pursuing a career in education.  As a superintendent, I have advocated for all children - the gifted and the troubled, the academically capable and those who struggle, the athlete and the budding thespian.

I helped design Maine’s first public residential charter school, led a central Maine school system during a time of great progress and returned to the city of my birth to lay the foundation for a revived public school system.  Now I want to explain why I’ve decided to retire when my contract ends next June.

When I arrived as superintendent, Portland still was reeling from an overspent budget and the community’s loss of trust in the school system.  Conversations were almost exclusively about budgetary controls. 

The Portland Public Schools needed to adopt systems that placed children at the center of all decisions.  Before that could happen, dramatic changes needed to occur in very short order. 

By moving to Portland, I separated myself during the work week from my wife and extended family.  I knew that I would need to commit myself to extended workdays of 10, 12, 14 and even 16 hours to accomplish the work expected of me by the Portland School Board. 

My wife, also a school administrator, accepted my decision, as she always has.  I was hopeful in my first year that she might seek employment in Southern Maine.  But her family roots are in Central Maine and, in the end, those hopes died away.

For more than two years, I worked tirelessly to right the Portland Public Schools ship.  Professionally, it has been hard work.  We needed to create structures to support students and staff in order to make a difference in their education and work life.  We needed to make schools accountable to the needs of children across the district, rather than having them accountable largely to themselves.  Policies and procedures needed to be adopted and implemented that would assure Portland’s students were front and center in all conversations.

I had partners in this work.  The School Board pushed me, pulled me and challenged me to do my best work.  They forced me to capture my thoughts and actions in writing.  They asked for the relevant research and they supported bold moves.

Portland unions wanted their school system to succeed.  The unions believed in the work that I was doing and supported the direction that I was taking the system.  The result was real understanding and guidance rather than resistance and confusion. 

Portland’s administrators were directly impacted by the shift to systems thinking and accountability for their school’s performance, and they also were supportive.  Business leaders, nonprofits and city officials became vital partners.  Parents appreciated the new focus on students.

Research shows clearly that the agent of change is unlikely to be the same person who continues to operate the system he or she has changed.  I now understand why.  The decisions made have been bold, the timelines intense, the workloads heavy and the separation from family hard. 

Thank you, Portland, for believing that I was the man to do the job.

 

A Plan for the Future

By Portland Superintendent Dr. James C. Morse, Sr.

Many of us have been involved in strategic planning initiatives.  Private industry, state and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations and schools across the country work tirelessly on such plans.

The attitudes of those asked to write the plans range from enthusiasm to dread.  As you might expect, the quality of the plans ranges from exemplary to poor.

The best plans reflect the core values of the organization and employees implement them with care.  Plans written “because we have to” or as a requirement of an oversight group often end up on shelves collecting dust.  Sadly, the world is cluttered with thousands of plans that have never been implemented.

The Portland Board of Education is considering a comprehensive plan that is novel in approach and guaranteed to engage all stakeholders - students, staff, parents, taxpayers and community members. 

Work on the plan began in December 2009, when more than 100 Portland residents helped develop a new vision for the school system.  We spent two days talking about the past, present and, most importantly, the future of the Portland Public Schools.  The work of those two days evolved into a new vision and mission statement for the district, adopted last November, and it laid the groundwork for a new comprehensive plan. 

A committee headed by former School Board Chair Peter Eglinton has been working on the plan since January.  The committee includes educators, parents and community members working in many professional fields.  We were fortunate to tap into their vast expertise.

The draft comprehensive plan will go before the Board of Education next month for consideration and adoption.  It is an exciting document that will guide our district for years to come.  I predict that it will never sit on a shelf collecting dust because it requires annual engagement of the staff and it incorporates accountability measures.

The heart of the plan focuses on three overarching goals:

1. All of our students will graduate from high school.

2. All of our graduates will be prepared for college.

3. All students will participate in activities that demonstrate service to our community, individual creativity and physical wellness. 

Our comprehensive plan will focus on the needs of students in the Portland Public Schools, not adults.  Every elementary school, middle school and high school will develop plans to achieve the three goals. 

The plan clearly defines annual outcomes and it requires accountability reports.  When adopted by the Board of Education, it will establish expectations for our entire system and create the strong foundation upon which future work will be defined.

************

During the past month, our district’s 2011 graduates have begun their studies at more than 100 colleges and universities across the country, including Harvard University, Columbia University, Williams College, the University of Maine and many other fine schools.  See a complete list of colleges attended by our 2011 graduates. 

We have profiled three outstanding graduates of the Portland Public Schools, now in their 20s and early 30s, who already are making their marks in the fields of finance, AIDS research and film making.   Elizabeth Russell (Deering High School Class of 1997) is a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health researching the transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) from mother to child.  Tommy Pelletier (Portland High School Class of 2001) is a currency trader and father of two.  Hamid Karimian (Deering/ PATHS Class of 2007) is a film maker and singer-songwriter. 

I am sure you will share my pride in our graduates' accomplishments.

 

Portland’s School Gardens Teach Many Lessons

By Portland Superintendent Dr. James C. Morse, Sr.

Many children returning to the Portland Public Schools next month will enjoy the fruits - and vegetables - of their labor. 

Gardens planted last spring now are flourishing at nearly all of our elementary, middle and high schools.  In the fall, students will harvest potatoes, peppers, carrots, corn, lettuce, pumpkins, squash, herbs and more. 

The district’s cafeterias served 140 pounds of carrots and 220 pounds of potatoes that were grown at Longfellow Elementary School last year.  In the future, we hope to serve salad greens and other produce from gardens throughout the district in our food program. It’s all part of our effort to offer students fresh, local fruits and vegetables.

School gardens provide rich learning experiences.  Students spend time outdoors learning about horticulture and nutrition - but the lessons go far beyond that.  Teachers are using  school gardens for instruction in everything from creative writing to art, social studies, math and scientific research.

Students at Lincoln Middle School grow plants in the school’s greenhouse and geodesic dome as well as in outside beds.  Last year, Rob Lindsay’s sixth grade science class researched and chose plants to grow in each of those locations.  Then, they compared growth rates and other data. 

Longfellow’s garden, started seven years ago, now has 10 raised beds.  Kindergartners learn about the relationship between companion plants by growing corn, squash and beans.  First and second graders plant gardens that contain all of the ingredients for making “stone soup,” and they share the soup with their classmates. 

Longfellow third graders learn about biodiversity as they plant and tend Maine heirloom seeds.  Fourth graders who are studying Maine history and culture grow varieties of Maine potatoes.  All of the students involved in the garden learn that eating healthy can be fun. 

Longfellow built a greenhouse last spring, with funding from Whole Foods.  That will allow students to continue growing plants through the colder months.  You can read more about the project at http://longfellowlearninggarden.blogspot.com/.

The school garden movement is growing rapidly nationwide, and Portland is helping to lead the way in Maine.  Staff, parents and community partners from seven Portland schools gathered at Longfellow last month for a “garden summit” to share experiences.   The summit was organized by the staff of Communities Putting Prevention to Work, a public health initiative addressing the environmental causes of childhood obesity. 

Local businesses and nonprofit organizations such as Portland Trails, Painting with a Purpose, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Service and Cultivating Community have provided funding and expertise for Portland’s school gardens.  Parents and community volunteers also play an important role by helping to build beds and to weed and water plants throughout the summer. 

The entire community benefits from the beautiful, lush gardens that surround our schools.  I encourage you to check them out.

Many schools in Maine will hold garden open houses on October 1 as the culmination of Maine Harvest Lunch Week.  The effort is being organized by the Maine School Garden Network.  Find details and more information at http://www.msgn.org/.  

 

Portland Adult Education Is a Gem

By Portland Superintendent Dr. James C. Morse, Sr.

Portland Adult Education’s graduation ceremony is one of the most inspiring evenings of my year.  I feel awed seeing teenagers, senior citizens and lots of other graduates march into Merrill Auditorium wearing the black caps and gowns that they worked so hard to earn. 

Many students spent years taking classes as they juggled work, family commitments and their pursuit of a high school degree.  Some overcame reading disabilities, math phobias and other challenges, with the help of our trained and caring teachers.  By their example, they showed their own children and the entire community how important it is to earn an education. 

Nearly a quarter of the 200 people who earned high school credentials this year were attaining their second diploma.  They had completed high school and, in some cases, college in another country and another language.  All 176 GED graduates passed a test that one-third of U.S. high school graduates fail.

Portland Adult Education (PAE) leads the way in Maine by offering a wide range of programs for adult learners.  Residents of Portland and surrounding communities can take dozens of courses in everything from zumba to urban gardening, American Sign Language and retirement planning.  There’s even a first-time home buyer seminar.  The affordable fees for these community life courses cover the costs, so there is no impact on local taxpayers.

PAE’s job skills courses in computer programs, health fields, office skills and vocational trades are an incredible bargain.  Courses in Photoshop, web programming and other topics cost only a fraction of the price of similar courses at local colleges.  That’s a huge benefit to people training for a new career. 

In recent years, PAE has begun contracting with local employers to provide courses at the place of employment that are specifically tailored to their workforces.  Unum, Idexx, Barber Foods, Bank of America and Maine Medical Center are among the growing number of companies that have taken advantage of this convenient way to train their employees.

During the past year, 5, 665 people enrolled in a course at PAE.  This program benefits the majority of Portland residents who do not have children in the district’s schools. It aids Portland’s economy by providing the job skills classes needed by local employers.  And it fulfills our district’s mission of providing lifelong learning.

If you haven’t taken a PAE course lately, I encourage you to browse at the offerings online ( http://www.portlandadulted.org/pae2/index.php ).  If you live in Portland, you’ll find the fall course catalogue in your mailbox next month.

I hope you’ll join me next June at PAE’s graduation ceremony.  I promise that it is an evening you won’t forget.  Just be sure you pack tissues, because you will not leave with dry eyes!

 

Salute to Our Graduates

By Portland Superintendent Dr. James C. Morse, Sr.

We have just completed graduation season in the Portland Public Schools.  All of the graduates of our four high schools and Portland Adult Education deserve praise for their accomplishments in completing their degrees. Since my space is limited, I will tell you about a representative sample.

Joseph Luka, a Deering High School graduate, survived an attack on his home village in southern Sudan, a malaria epidemic and many other hardships before immigrating to the U.S. in 2003.  Joseph discovered a love of running as a child and track became his entree to acceptance in high school.  For the past two years, he has been a captain on the Deering cross-country, indoor track and outdoor track teams.  He often squeezes in practice after his job at downtown restaurants by running home to Riverton Park at midnight.  Joseph has done well academically while helping to support his family and care for his younger siblings.  He will attend Clark University and hopes one day to become a doctor in a developing country.

Emma Robinson, Casco Bay High School (CBHS) salutatorian, wrote and received two grants to create a community garden on the school grounds.  She was the first CBHS student to lead one of the school’s week-long intensive classes, working with other students to start the garden that will grow vegetables for the school salad bar.  Emma also launched a CBHS milk bottle recycling program and she worked with another student to create the school yearbook.  She will attend Bard College, where she plans to study sustainable agriculture.

Simon Carroll, a Portland High graduate, has excelled in academics and athletics during the past four years.  He was a national winner on the Latin Exam.  He lettered in swimming, ran track, played trumpet in the Portland High band and participated in the sailing team and Science Bowl team.  Next year, he will attend Florida Institute of Technology.  He plans to major in engineering.

Samantha Dow, a graduate of CBHS and the Portland Arts and Technology High School commercial art program, remembers her first visit to the art class, “stepping nervously into an open room full of bright colors and more raw materials than I had ever considered using.  It was a room full of possibilities, and it absolutely enchanted me.”  In a graduation essay, she described the art room as her “sanctuary.”  Samantha will attend Colby College and she is considering a major in illustration. 

Joe McMann, a Deering graduate, was diagnosed with a severe case of Crone's disease at the age of 12.  He spent the next four years in the hospital, undergoing several operations, and missed school from sixth to ninth grade.  His positive attitude helped him make friends and succeed academically at Deering.  He also graduated from the graphic arts program at Portland Arts and Technology High School.  Joe will attend Southern Maine Community College, where he plans to study computer technology.

Judith Abdalla, a Portland High School graduate, started the school’s “What’s Next” club as a freshman.  Partnering with the school’s health center, club members educate peers about teen pregnancy, depression, anxiety and other health and mental health issues.  Judith also has been involved with the school’s annual International Show and the Gear Up program.  She will attend Southern Maine Community College, and she is exploring future careers in nursing or human services.

Yugu Yobo, 37, fled Sudan as a refugee and has studied at Portland Adult Education (PAE) since 2004.  After being laid off in 2008, he resolved to complete a high school diploma.  A clerical error placed him on a list that barred him from obtaining his citizenship.  Having lost family members and his homeland to terror, it has tormented Yobo to be wrongly associated with terrorists.  As he continues to work to clear his name, he has persisted at school, completing 35 courses at PAE and simultaneously preparing to serve as a minister.

Congratulations to the class of 2011!

 

Grateful for Grants

By Portland Superintendent Dr. James C. Morse, Sr.

Every year, the Portland Public Schools supplements local funding for our district with grants from the state and federal governments, private foundations, businesses and other donors.  Those grants lessen the burden on Portland taxpayers and allow us to offer programs and enrichment activities that otherwise would be unavailable to our students.

During the current school year, the district will receive grants totaling more than $13 million.  The vast majority of that money - $12.6 million - comes from federal programs such as Title 1, which provides funding for low-income schools.  But the district also receives dozens of smaller grants each year that pay for everything from field trips to schoolyard greening and computers for adult education students.

Here are just a few examples:

• A dedication ceremony will take place on May 19 at Longfellow Elementary School for a greenhouse funded by a donation of nearly $6,000 from Whole Foods Market.  Longfellow students will start seedlings in the greenhouse and then transplant them to the school’s raised garden beds.  Vegetables raised in the garden will be served in the district’s school lunch program.  Longfellow teachers will use the garden and greenhouse as a tool for teaching science, social studies, art and other subjects.  Another Portland elementary school, Reiche Community School, just received a $5,000 Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant for its school garden.
• On May 23, a local credit union will give 15 college scholarships of $100 each to students at Riverton Elementary School.  C Port Credit Union partners with the school on the “Riverton and Beyond” program to raise students’ aspirations and to get them thinking early about postsecondary education.  Students work with a college advisor to identify what they love to do now and how that might carry into future college studies.  They also learn about writing college scholarship essays.  The credit union chooses scholarship recipients based on their essays.
• Students in Bethany Kirkpatrick’s music classes at Lincoln Middle School students are using iPad computers to create original musical compositions as a result of a two-year, $14,000 grant from the McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation.  This spring, students are completing work on their second CD and an i-Movie to accompany their songs.
• Fifteen teachers throughout the district received a total of $4,365 in grants from the Portland Education Foundation this winter.  The grants paid for everything from snowshoes at Presumpscot Elementary School to curriculum materials at Lyman Moore Middle School to teach about unity and diversity through the history of New York City.
• Ocean Avenue Elementary School purchased books for the new school’s library thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Stephen King Foundation and a $3,500 Drive for Education grant from Berlin City.  The grant allowed the school to update its collection, replacing books that were old and worn.

Many grants are written by teachers and other school employees in their “free” time.  Parents often play a key role in securing grants from their employers or their own businesses. 

Recently, five of our schools each received $500 grants for projects initiated by students.  The student grant writers range in age from elementary school through high school.  A local philanthropy, Painting For A Purpose, awarded money to student projects such as installing occupancy sensors in school bathrooms, helping to build a Habitat for Humanity house and selling healthy snacks to raise money for Haitian earthquake relief.

We appreciate all of the grants that enhance our educational programs.  And we appreciate the support of Portland voters, who approved the 2011-2012 school budget in a May 10^th referendum by a margin of three to one.

Portland Teachers’ Union Works On Behalf of Students and Taxpayers

By Portland Superintendent Dr. James C. Morse, Sr.

Early in my education career, I served as president of the teachers’ union in MSAD 3.  As I later made the move from teacher to administrator, a senior teacher offered some advice. 

“Jimmy,” he said, being one of the few people in my life who ever called me by that name, “never forget about the worker.  Without them, nothing gets done.” 

I’m proud to say that I’ve never forgotten about the worker.  My experience as a leader has taught me that those who work for you, by you and with you must believe in you.   There must be mutual trust, respect and open communication.

Next year, the Portland Public Schools will lose more than $6 million in revenue, resulting in many good people losing their jobs.  Despite the layoffs, we have successfully completed negotiation of a new, three-year teacher contract.  Throughout the negotiations, the Portland Education Association (PEA) made extraordinary efforts to put the interests of Portland children first. 

Next year, students in the Portland Public Schools will attend school for five additional days.  That change bodes well for students, since the latest research shows that more student-teacher interaction results in improved student learning.  And we have the PEA to thank for those five days.

Across the country and even in Maine, some are blaming unions for not stepping up to solve the severe economic woes of our time.  PEA representatives came to the bargaining table focused on helping the school system that employs them.  They agreed to the extra five days in the student calendar with no increased pay in year one.

The union wanted more time with children, not less.   Teachers suggested that one professional development day and two days of personal professional time be replaced by additional student days.  They also suggested adding two days to the calendar.

The PEA asked for no pay increase as a result of more work time with students.  The three-year contract will freeze base pay for two years.   And there will be no increase in pay based on years of service next year.

The new contract also makes changes to the salary increases, known as “lane changes,” which teachers earn for advancements in professional learning.  Beginning next fall, the minimum time between lane changes will increase from three to four years.  And the district will be able to connect lane changes and student learning in a more direct way than in the past.  For example, the district could require teachers to take courses in English as a Second Language, adolescent literacy and early childhood education in order to qualify for lane changes.

Another, very important part of the new contract gives teachers more of a voice in decisions involving student learning. 

Teachers of the 21^st century have advanced degrees, specialties and experiences that set them apart from the teaching workforce of my youth.  As leaders, we must engage this workforce in problem-solving and long-term planning to increase student performance.  Our contract adds a new article that emphasizes teacher voice, engagement and accountability.

This year’s negotiations, coming at a time of large layoffs, could have resulted in negative posturing and long-lasting recriminations.   Instead, the PEA came to the table wanting to help raise standards and assist the school system through these difficult financial times.

They succeeded.  Unions are not the problem; rather, they are part of the answer.  Yea, PEA!

 

My Toughest Assignment

By Portland Superintendent James C. Morse, Sr.

Crafting a budget for the next school year was the most difficult assignment of my 22-year career.

Our district faces the loss of more than $6 million in state and federal funds.  That forced us to make painful cuts, including a reduction of nearly 81 positions.  Voluntary retirements will help reduce the number of layoffs, but we still face a significant reduction in force.

Even in these difficult financial times, my proposed budget helps the Portland Public Schools move forward in key areas such as pre-kindergarten, literacy in kindergarten through grade two, the elementary world language program, math instruction for grades six through eight, our high school program school, maintenance and technology.

Many of those initiatives reflect community priorities identified through the district’s 2009 Future Search event and crystallized by the district’s new mission, vision and core belief statements.  Through this budget, we will continue our efforts to provide a challenging, relevant and joyful education that empowers every learner to make a difference in the world. 

Early childhood education is one of the long-term solutions to Portland’s high school completion rate and dropout problem.  Our preschool effort builds upon partnerships with other community providers such as Headstart and Catherine Morrill Pre-School.  My budget proposes expanding such partnerships to include Governor Baxter School for the Deaf and others. 

My budget also proposes the realignment of our literacy program in kindergarten through grade two to reflect best practices.  I’ve recommended that we adopt a common text for teaching of phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension in grades K-2.  All elementary schools will have a certified reading teacher to support our classroom teachers and to increase student achievement.

My proposed budget continues our commitment to an elementary world language program.  This is year two of a three-year plan to implement Spanish in grades three, four and five.  Portland already is a multilingual community.  Preparing our students for the future requires a comprehensive approach to teaching world language from elementary through high school.

My budget begins the process of purchasing new textbooks for mathematics, starting at the middle schools.  Our goals are to assure that every child has a consistent program and that we are preparing students to meet high expectations.  Along with the new texts, we will provide staff training, common assessments and opportunity for collaboration between middle-level math teachers.

Our high schools are the most expensive to operate.  To optimize efficiency, my budget continues the work toward a common high school schedule.  This approach, often referred to as the “campus” approach, allows students to take courses from any one of the four high schools.  A common schedule reduces the number of duplicated courses, increases the length of the school day and maintains advanced and honors courses.

For years, Portland has woefully underfunded preventive maintenance and capital improvements.  Due to lack of funding, many of our buildings are in awful shape.  Most notable is Hall Elementary School, built as a temporary structure for returning GIs after World War II.  Hall needs to be replaced.  Other buildings needing serious attention include West, Presumpscot, Reiche, Lyseth, and Longfellow.  My budget increases funds for maintenance and capital investment, but nowhere near the level that is necessary.

Technology is critical in a 21^st century education.  Our technology investment mirrors maintenance efforts - too little, too late.  My budget increases marginally our commitment to technology. 

My budget now is in the hands of the Portland School Board.  The board will hold hearings and public meetings before adopting a budget.  It then will go to the City Council for more public hearings and a vote.  The final budget will be voted on by all city residents in a May 10th referendum.

Please get involved by making your views known to your elected officials.  The 7,000 children who will attend our city schools next fall deserve the best-researched practices, the best-trained staff, and the best programs that we can offer.    

Community Invited to Tour New School

By Portland Superintendent James C. Morse, Sr.

You are invited to a sneak preview of Portland’s newest school!

Portland City Councilor Cheryl Leeman and I will host an open house tonight (February 16) from 6 to 8 p.m. at Ocean Avenue Elementary School, 150 Ocean Avenue, Portland.  The open house will give community members the opportunity to see the school before its official opening, to meet with school officials and to see what this state-of-the-art facility has to offer Portland’s youth and families.

Only two new schools have opened in Portland in the last 35 years - East End Community School in 2006 and Ocean Avenue Elementary School in 2011.  So, this is an event worth celebrating.   

Throughout February, boxes have been packed at Nathan Clifford Elementary School and students have been taking field trips to the new school.   After February vacation, Clifford students and staff will move in.  Students from the neighborhood formerly served by Baxter Elementary School will follow next fall. 

Located on the Baxter site, Ocean Avenue Elementary School has an inviting, “Dr. Seuss”-like entrance that generates a sense of fun.  The cantilevered roof, trimmed in bright colors and matched by mobile sculptures, lets the world know that this is an elementary school.  Inside, the school has skylights and four themes for different wings of the building – agriculture, oceans, mountains and forests.  The building can accommodate 441 students in 21 general purpose classrooms.

This modern schoolhouse is designed to meet 21^st century needs, with more than $1 million of technology and furnishings.  Every classroom has a “Smart Board” - an electronic blackboard supported by computer software and the Internet.   Desktop computers and laptops, document readers and associated technology are spread throughout the school.

The new school has specialized classrooms for art, music, and special education, plus a stunning library.  Each wing has space for small group learning and projects.  The cafeteria is separate from the gymnasium, allowing the physical education program to be scheduled throughout the day.  This is a major change from Baxter, where the lunch room also served as the gym.

Ocean Avenue Elementary School was designed with the safety of children in mind.  Anyone entering the building will be observed by office staff.  Parents have their own drop-off point separate from the drop-off for the children arriving on busses.  Students walking to the building will not have to cross traffic lanes.

Like East End Community School, the new school has many energy-efficient features such as a 12,000-square-foot “green” roof and solar hot water panels.  Bio-retention beds placed strategically on site will help manage storm water runoff.  We designed Ocean Avenue Elementary to qualify for LEED certification.

So many wonderful features were designed into the new Ocean Avenue School minus one critical feature: the students!  As marvelous as this building is, it is an empty hulk until students and staff are fully utilizing this incredible facility.

The new schools at East End and Ocean Avenue set a 21st century standard against which we must measure our remaining elementary buildings.  Equitable opportunity for all Portland students must be the standard we use.  To that end, new school applications have been sent to the state for Lyseth, Longfellow, Presumpscot, Hall and Reiche.  Let’s hope that the state of Maine supports another new elementary school for Portland.

I hope you will join me tonight to see the beautiful new building that will serve our students.

 

When Losing Means Winning

By Portland Superintendent James C. Morse, Sr.

I’ve learned over the years that life doesn’t always turn out the way we expect or hope.  But sometimes, failure leads to success.  We fall short in achieving a big goal - but an even better opportunity awaits us around the corner. 

That is the case with a $200,000 grant recently awarded by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation to the Portland Public Schools and two partner organizations.  I want to tell you about how the grant will launch a major effort to change our district’s high schools so that they do a better job of reaching all students and helping them achieve their potential.  This initial grant could lead to a much larger one in future years.

But first, let me fill you in on the back story.

Last year, teachers from Portland High School worked with their colleagues at Casco Bay High School and the staff of the Portland nonprofit, Learning Works, to write an ambitious federal grant application under the I3 Validation grant program. The grant would have provided several million dollars to completely overhaul Portland High, creating smaller learning communities, career pathways and many other changes.

The grant was not approved.  But another nonprofit, Jobs for Maine’s Graduates (JMG), understood the student-centered concepts we put forth in the I3 grant and believed there was another funding opportunity through the Nellie Mae Education Foundation (www.nmefdn.org).  Based in Quincy, Mass., the foundation is the largest charitable organization in New England that focuses exclusively on education.  

The revised grant is even more far-reaching than the original one.  It involves all four of our high schools - Deering, Portland, Casco Bay and Portland Arts and Technology High School - plus both JMG and LearningWorks.  We already have successful partnerships with both of those nonprofits.  JMG partners with public schools throughout Maine to help students reach their full potential.  LearningWorks focuses its efforts on youth, the immigrant community and low-income families.  

Our recently approved $200,000 grant was one of three awarded by Nellie Mae Education Foundation in Maine.  The “Student-Centered Learning” grant will launch an intensive, year-long planning effort.  We will design innovative strategies for meeting the needs of all learners.

The grant will encompass education taking place in and out of the classroom and involving a wide variety of adults.  Mastery of skills and content will be measured using a combination of traditional testing and demonstration in settings such as learning exhibitions.  We will create a model for personalized learning that can benefit all students in the Portland Public Schools.

We will be seeking input from students, parents, staff and community members.  Check the Portland Public Schools Web site (www.portlandschools.org) for updates.

After a year of planning, we will be able to apply to Nellie Mae for implementation funding.  The foundation anticipates awarding multi-year implementation grants to up to six of its planning grant recipients.  The implementation grants are expected to total $800,000 to $1.5 million per year for up to five years.  So, the Portland Public Schools potentially could receive millions of dollars to revamp our high schools. 

We have a lot of work ahead of us.  But we also have an incredible opportunity, thanks to those who wrote the unsuccessful federal grant last spring. 

Sometimes losing out on an opportunity means winning in the long run.

Kids These Days

By Portland Superintendent Dr. James C. Morse, Sr.

I often hear phrases that start “Kids these days” and imply that youngsters are less thoughtful, caring or engaged than in past generations.  Sometimes, people ask me, “What are young people thinking?”  Or they remark, “I don’t know what’s happening with today’s youth!”

I have worked with children my entire professional life.  Over and over again, I have seen primary-age children and adolescents open their hearts to those in need.  Caring adults who work in our schools encourage, guide and organize those efforts.  While some community service projects take place outside of the normal school day, others are incorporated into the curriculum through so-called “service learning.”  Students become more engaged in their academic work when they apply their skills and creativity to real-life problems, and they see how their efforts can make a difference.

During December, schools throughout the district have undertaken projects to help our community’s neediest residents.  At Deering High School, students in Andrew Gordon’s advisory group organized a school-wide collection of toys, mittens, scarves and books.  All of the items were delivered to the METRO toy bus on its stop at the high school.

At Nathan Clifford Elementary School, students in Anne Marie Demers’ third grade class are sewing and decorating stockings to donate to the Portland Boys & Girls Club.  Third graders in Rebecca Walsh’s class at Hall Elementary School will wrap gifts for children from Sagamore Village who go to the Boys & Girls Club in the housing project. 

All three first grades at Clifford are assembling “Mitten Bags” containing toiletries and other everyday essentials for a family shelter.  Casco Bay High School students are collecting winter clothing for Amistad, an agency serving people struggling with mental illness. 

The entire student body at Howard C. Reiche Community School is involved in a year-long effort to raise money for books and school supplies for children in Tanzania.  The project began last year, after a Reiche family who had built and supported schools in Tanzania returned to Maine.

Students in Lynn Provencher’s fifth grade class at Reiche are leading this year’s penny drive, with a goal of raising $800.  They created posters advertising the drive, and they are counting and wrapping the coins that are collected.  They also are doing a research project about Tanzania to give background to the cause.  Provencher’s students are making alphabet books in English and Swahili, and the local family will deliver them to students in Tanzania. 

Part of our work as educators is to empower young people to make a difference in the world.  The Portland Public Schools takes that charge so seriously that it is part of our new mission statement. 

We can be proud of our students and staff, who understand that assisting others through community service and service learning is a critical part of the learning process.  The foundation for future service to our community as adults is being established through this work.  Around the corner or around the world, Portland Public School children are showing that they care. 

 

District Considers New Ideas for Extracurricular Activities

By Portland Superintendent Dr. James C. Morse, Sr.

As I write this column, the Deering High School Rams are preparing to compete in the Western Maine Class A football finals.  The Portland High boys’ soccer team has just completed an exciting season that brought the Bulldogs all the way to the state championship.

Whether our students play sports, perform on stage or volunteer their time on community projects, their lives are richer for participating in athletics and other extracurricular activities.  They learn to cooperate with classmates.  They explore interests, take on new responsibilities, tap into their creativity and see how their volunteer efforts can make a difference to others.

A report recently commissioned by the Portland School Committee underscores the importance of our district’s extracurricular programs to students, parents and community members.  National research shows that participating in such activities helps students boost their grades, improve their self-esteem and get into college.

But our district faces big challenges paying for the programs in the years ahead, as we grapple with anticipated cuts in state and federal funding. 

The report by the Red & Blue Foundation of Massachusetts identifies ways for our district to make these programs (referred to as “co-curricular” activities) as cost effective as possible.  The report calls for coordinating activities at the district level, improving record-keeping and oversight and seeking new funding sources. 

Some recommendations are bound to ruffle feathers, because they would change the way that booster clubs and other organizations operate.  I hope you will consider the changes with an open mind.  We owe it to our students to stretch our limited resources as far as possible so that more young people can participate in co-curricular activities.

The Red & Blue Foundation did its homework on this report.  The foundation’s staff interviewed 65 Portland students, parents, coaches, teachers, administrators and city officials as well as representatives of local colleges, universities, businesses and other organizations.  The foundation also collected surveys and gathered financial data about the district’s programs.

Major proposals include:

• Establishing a nonprofit foundation to generate support for the district’s co-curricular programs.  The foundation would seek grants, corporate sponsorships and partnerships with area colleges and universities.
• Hiring a district co-curricular director, based in Central Office, to work with the high school principals, high school co-curricular directors, the Portland Recreation Department and other city departments.
• Consolidating purchase of sports equipment and uniforms at the district level to save money.
• Raising academic eligibility standards for high school students, including a minimum grade point average and an attendance requirement. 
• Developing consistent district procedures for hiring and evaluating coaches.
• Creating a central Web page for the district’s co-curricular activities and updating the information consistently.
• Combining all of the booster clubs into a single club for each high school. 
• Adopting a middle school philosophy for athletic participation that encourages participation and avoids cutting students from teams.
• Setting a consistent policy about what happens to gate receipts at athletic events. 
• Correlating student participation rates in activities with the funding provided to those activities.

The report will be discussed at a public forum on November 18 at 7 p.m. in the Deering High School cafeteria.  If you cannot make it, please send your feedback to Mark Terison, the district’s chief operations officer, at terismportlandschools [dot] org or Portland High School Assistant Principal Stephen Rogers at rogersportlandschools [dot] org.

As we gather to cheer on our student athletes at the Turkey Day game next week, let’s also work together to ensure stable funding for the Portland Public Schools’ co-curricular activities.

 

Community Donates Generously for Student Eyeglasses

By Portland Superintendent Dr. James C. Morse, Sr.

OK, confession time.  I felt scared as I prepared to address the Portland Regional Chamber for the first time at last month’s “Eggs & Issues” program.

This wasn’t stage fright.  I’ve done plenty of public speaking.  But I’d never used my position as a school leader to ask for money for a worthy cause - and that’s what I was about to do.

A few days earlier, I learned about an emergency facing many students in our district.  They needed eyeglasses, and there was no longer an optometry practice in the Portland area that dispensed glasses to children insured by MaineCare.

School nurses discovered the problem when students returned to school without the eyeglasses that they needed to do their schoolwork.  Amanda Rowe, the district’s school nurse coordinator, made many calls to local optometrists and discovered that families would have to drive to Biddeford or even farther to obtain eyeglasses through MaineCare.  The optometrists explained that they could not afford to fill MaineCare prescriptions at the state reimbursement rate of $8 per pair of eyeglasses, first set in the 1980s.

Amanda followed up with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and learned that they had just raised the reimbursement rate to $14.40.  But even with the increase, Maine’s reimbursement rate for eyeglasses is less than half that of many other states.

The Maine Department of Human Services is working with our district to craft a long- term solution.  But hundreds of our students cannot afford to wait.  If they cannot see the white board or the page in front of them, they are going to fall far behind in their academic work. 

So, I decided to do something that felt very uncomfortable.  I asked the business leaders at Eggs & Issues if they would help by donating to a Portland Public Schools fund to subsidize eyeglasses for needy children. 

They responded with incredible generosity.  Godfrey Wood, the chamber’s chief executive officer, pledged $1,000 on the spot.  Our school district announced the creation of the fund to the media, and more donations poured in.

To date, we’ve received about $11,000 in donations, in amounts from $20 to $2,500.  We have set a goal of $12,000.  This is far less than we originally thought we would need as optometrists and eyeglass provides have stepped forward with reduced pricing. One of the most touching notes came from the parents of an elementary school student.  Their son has worn eyeglasses since he was 18 months old and they made a donation in his name.  As they wrote, “Children should not be deprived vision because of the cost.” 

Local eye doctors, eye-care businesses and the president of the Maine Optometric Association offered help in devising a short-term solution.      The Portland Lions Club and Kiwanis also offered their assistance.

We’ve worked out a plan with two Portland optometry practices, Casco Bay Eye Care and Eyes on Rosemont, to provide eye exams and eyeglasses for all Portland schoolchildren who cannot obtain them readily through MaineCare, and those who have no insurance.  We welcome additional contributions.  Donations may be sent to: Portland Public Schools – Eyeglasses for Students, 196 Allen Ave., Portland 04103.

This experience underscores how closely intertwined our schools are with the larger community.  Nurses in the Portland Public Schools identified a problem that has repercussions far beyond our district.  Many children in the greater Portland area who have MaineCare insurance cannot readily obtain eyeglasses.  We’ve helped bring the problem to the attention of state officials, and we will continue to work together to devisea long-term solution.

I felt uncomfortable asking for donations, but I’m glad that I did.  People responded readily when they knew how their actions could make a real difference for children.  That spirit of generosity and willingness to help is one reason why I love Portland.

 

Portland’s Public Schools Receive National Recognition  

By Portland Superintendent Dr. James C. Morse, Sr.

Two Portland Public Schools have received national recognition in recent months.  Leading educators are using King Middle School and Casco Bay High School as models for schools throughout the country.

 U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited King two weeks ago to see how an urban school achieves success.  The stars of the show were King teachers, who brought home to a roundtable discussion real practices that impressed Secretary Duncan and the many state and regional dignitaries present. 

King Principal Michael McCarthy hosted the event.  He is Maine’s 2010 Middle Level Principal of the Year, and a finalist for the 2011 National Middle Level Principal of the Year award. For 22 years, McCarthy has led King from a “rough and tumble” inner city school to a high-performing school that consistently exceeds state averages on test scores.  “Edutopia,” a magazine dedicated to innovative practices in public education, profiled King earlier this year as a national example of a “school that works.”

Principal McCarthy said more than half of King students live in poverty and nearly a third are English language learners.  Secretary Duncan wanted to know how the school transformed itself into an academic powerhouse.

The conversation turned to King teachers: Peter Hill, Dave Grant, Ann Young, Wendy Steele, Pat Crowley-Rockwell, Karen MacDonald, Carol Nylen and Mark Gervais.  They talked about how every student belongs to an advisory group, called a crew, and every student becomes well known by the teachers on the crew.  That personal relationship is the foundation for all academic and social growth.  King teachers said the school’s use of “looping” (having students stay with the same teachers for sixth and seventh grade) also builds relationships. 

King teachers know that high academic expectations are critical in order to prepare students for high school.  King uses the Expeditionary Learning model, where students work for eight to 10 weeks on multidisciplinary projects such as studying the health of the Presumpscot River or learning about Maine’s civil rights movement.

The teachers concluded their remarks by crediting Principal McCarthy’s leadership and his belief in them as well as his strong advocacy for students.  Principal McCarthy says of the school, “Everybody matters and everybody makes it to the top of the mountain.”

This past spring, “Edutopia” also recognized Casco Bay High School (CBHS) as a public school that works.  In addition, the International Center for Leadership in Education recognized CBHS as a “promising school” at the Models School Conference in Orlando, Fla.  CBHS staff presented at the conference attended by thousands of educators.

CBHS opened its doors five years ago.  The student profile deliberately reflects the demographics of the district as a whole in terms of poverty and the number of English language learners and special needs students.

The characteristics that have made CBHS stand out nationally are similar to those used at King.  CBHS builds it academic program by first building strong, effective relationships with each student through advisory groups.

Another similarity is using Expeditionary Learning and authentic projects to reinforce skills and build relevance for students.  This year’s junior class expedition will focus on the Gulf oil spill.  CBHS juniors will investigate the chemistry, environmental and policy issues resulting from the spill.  The class is raising $15,000 for a trip to the Gulf town of Biloxi, Miss.

CBHS Principal Derek Pierce says, “We are a great option for any Portland teen because we strive to actualize our profound commitment to our 3R’s: Relationships, Relevance and Rigor.  Our goals remain clear, ambitious and essential: a community of learners where the wonderful in each student is known and nurtured, where learning is catalyzed by student inquiry and academic adventure, and where every graduate is prepared for college, work and citizenship.”

King Middle School and Casco Bay High School are schools with a commitment to their students, an excellent teacher-principal relationship and strong community support.  Our district is paying close attention to practices that work.  We are asking, “What do we need to do to adopt successful strategies in all of our schools to insure that every child graduates ready for college, careers and citizenship?”

 

 

 

Reflections on My First Year

by Portland Superintendent James C. Morse, Sr.

My first year as Portland’s superintendent is done, finis, completed.  It’s been an adventure, a challenge and a thrill to be home again in Portland, working on behalf of my 1973 classmates’ grandchildren (ouch) as well as all of the other children attending the Portland Public Schools.  We’re striving for equity and excellence of programming and services, and we’re building a truly student-centered organization.

The Portland School Committee set high expectations for me.   Committee members wanted accurate and complete information and thoughtful discussions that would result in meaningful change.  We worked incredibly long hours together forging a new approach for Portland’s schools.  From laptops for our high school students to staffing issues at our middle schools and renovation of our elementary buildings, committee members examined every issue thoroughly and through the lens of equity.

The staff has been receptive and responsive to my leadership.  They’ve embraced an absolute focus on the needs of students.  All of our discussions, deliberations and decisions have been based upon respect, inclusiveness and collaboration.  As one example, the staff at Portland High School (PHS) wrote a comprehensive federal grant proposal in record time.  Sadly, we were not awarded the funding.  But the grant proposal laid the foundation for an incredible strategic plan for PHS.

Portland’s parents, leaders and community members gave me a warm welcome.  Representatives from throughout the city joined me last December to help build a vision for the Portland Public Schools through a process called Future Search.  Their work helped shape the development of the district’s 2010-11 budget, and it continues to influence the School Committee’s priorities.

During the past year, we improved our district’s accountability on a number of levels.  We spent less than the approved budget, creating the first surplus in three years.  We set a goal of lowering the dropout rate, and we did so.  We sought alternative funding sources, generating more than $900,000 for the district.  We reframed the central office mission to focus on academic support and building support.  We added foreign language instruction back into the elementary program in order to make our graduates more competitive when they enter the workforce. 

My first year was both productive and exhausting.  The hours are long, the days turn into nights while I’m still at work and the work never ends.  But I also had a lot of fun visiting the schools and spending time with students, parents and staff.  I will share just a few of many examples. 

I saw Riverton Elementary School students receive college scholarships for their essays about their future plans.  I witnessed East End Community School building the most amazing playground with a dragon sculpture.  I attended the recognition ceremony for the Hall Elementary School teacher who was the semi-finalist for Maine Teacher of the Year.  I spent time with parents at Peaks Island Elementary School, visited classrooms of English language learners at PHS, toured the exhibits at King Middle School’s Celebration of Learning, attended the Portland Arts and Technology High School fashion show and participated in all of our district’s spring graduation ceremonies.

During my first year as superintendent, I focused on building structures that support a systemic approach to all that we do.  In the year ahead, I will devote myself to creating system-wide expectations and standards to which all are held accountable.  As we strive to make Portland’s public schools the best in Maine, I look forward to the excitement of teachers and students arriving for the 2010-2011 school year.

It is great to be back home.

 

Summertime 

by Portland Superintendent James C. Morse, Sr.

I’m often asked if I work in the summer.  When I say yes, the next question is, “So what do you do?”  One of my summer assignments is to prepare reports for the state about the district’s suspension rate, graduation rate and the dropout rate.

When I began as Portland’s superintendent a year ago, I focused the system’s attention on the number of students dropping out.  I believed that we could do a much better job of keeping kids in school.  This is important because students without a high school education face a lifetime of poverty.  By earning a diploma, students have a passport that enables them to pursue college, careers and/or the military.

Students quit school for complicated reasons – but one factor is suspension.  A child who is sent home repeatedly gets the message, “You’re not welcome here.”  That may lead him or her to simply quit.

At the end of every school year, each district in Maine is required to report the number of suspensions that occurred during the preceding year.  Here’s the good news for Portland: the total number of students suspended last year was down by more than 20 percent and the number of students suspended was down by nearly 100.

Lowering the suspension rate is important, but maintaining strong behavioral expectations also is important.  To that end, Portland schools are working with professionals such as Ross Green and Stan Davis to create proactive expectations of students before they get suspended.  Our administrators are looking for alternatives to suspension.  We must continue down this path of keeping students safe and engaged in their learning.

Another report due the state at the end of each year is graduation data. The state is required to collect data calculating graduation rates. New, strict federal rules taking effect require that graduation rates be determined by calculating the loss of students from freshman to senior year.  Portland’s graduation rate now is 80 percent.

The number of youngsters quitting school is yet another report required by the state and federal governments.  The Portland Public Schools reported that a total of 60 students quit last school year.  How does 60 students compare to the past?  Good news again.  In the past, Portland lost as many as 197 students in a single year.  We lost one-third that number this past year.

Every child is important.  Efforts by Portland’s staff are making a difference in suspension rates, graduation rates and dropout rates.

Summer is an important season for the superintendent’s office.  Now it’s time to begin the work to prepare for the new school year.