The Future is Now for PPS Elementary Schools
By Xavier Botana
Thank you, Portland
voters, for making your commitment to quality education in modern facilities so
clear at the polls!
On Nov. 7, Portland
voters overwhelmingly voted to approve a proposal to renovate four aging
elementary schools: Longfellow, Lyseth, Presumpscot and Reiche. The voters’
approval authorizes the city to bond $64.3 million to fund these renovations. These
buildings have been part of a plan called “Buildings for Our Future,” which was
launched in 2014 to address their significant deficiencies. Now, thanks to
Portland voters, we are in a position to upgrade these facilities. These
upgrades will enable all elementary students in the district to attend safe schools
designed for 21st century learning.
Portland’s public schools
are unique in Maine. That’s not just because we’re the largest and most diverse
school district in the state, but also because of the tremendous commitment by our
community to its schools. Portlanders are generous with their schools because
they recognize that great schools are inextricably linked to our community’s
vitality. As a school leader in this state, I don’t take this for granted and I
am deeply grateful to live and work in this amazing community.
Renovations at
Longfellow, Lyseth, Presumpscot and Reiche are necessary to transform these
schools into the kind of modern learning environments that will best prepare
our students for college and career success in the 21st century.
These renovations
are critically needed now because of accessibility and safety issues. Problems
include asbestos and auditoriums that don’t meet modern safety codes, and
heating systems and windows that are outdated. Several of the schools are
overcrowded.
We strive to make
improvements to our school buildings each year, prioritized based on the needs
of each facility and available funding in the budget, but we haven’t been able
to make significant capital investment to these schools since they were built
40 to 65 years ago. Last year, we completed a comprehensive analysis of all our
facilities. This study shows that we have deferred and expected maintenance
costs of $321 million in the next 20 years.
Renovating our elementary
schools will help us fulfill the Portland Public Schools Promise.
As I discussed in
detail in last month’s column, we have promised the Portland community to
prepare and empower our students for their future by working to realize the
four goals established in our Comprehensive Plan – Achievement, Whole Student,
Equity, and People.
As part of the
Portland Promise, we’ve also begun a community campaign to highlight the unique
educational experience that Portland’s public schools offer and illustrate why
our district is a great choice for families. Our updated school buildings will
help convince even more families that Portland is right for them.
Now that the bond
package has been approved, we can begin the process for proceeding with the
work to renovate the four schools.
The next step is to
issue a request for proposals (RFP) for architectural work.
We also will engage
with the Portland Board of Public Education, staff, families and the community
concerning the order in which the projects will proceed. That process will
include the sequencing of the projects and the specific timeline for initiating
and completing each renovation. We look forward to the day when all four of
these elementary schools are finally up to 21st century learning standards.
It takes a
community to ensure that we meet our commitment of preparing our students to
succeed in college and career. Thank you once again, Portland, for being
that generous and supportive community!
I’ll close with
just a few words about Veteran’s Day, which was this past Saturday, Nov. 11, and
observed by many on Nov. 10. Our armed forces are an important and respected
institution and this day was set aside to celebrate the service of all U.S.
military veterans. Let’s all take the opportunity this month to acknowledge the
contributions of our veterans. I especially want to recognize members of our
school community: staff, parents and graduates who are veterans or are
currently serving in the military. Thank you all for the sacrifices that you
have made to serve our country.
