2 weeks Ago
We’ve reached a tremendous milestone as a city, and it’s thanks to you, our Portland community. Yes, you. In 2017, our city came together and overwhelmingly voted to pass a $64 million bond to renovate four run-down elementary schools.
Now, the schools are done. We’ve transformed the aging school buildings into 21st-century learning environments, and we did it under budget and ahead of schedule. Emily Figdor is a member of the Portland School Board.
She ran the citizens’ campaign to pass the school bond in 2016-17 and co-chaired the committee overseeing the school renovations. While the Portland Public Schools received certificates of completion for the final three schools last winter, we’ve been waiting for new furniture, which came over the summer. Now, this Saturday, Sept.
21, we are ready to make it official and are holding ribbon-cutting ceremonies at Presumpscot (10 a.m.), Longfellow (11 a.
m.) and Reiche (noon), followed by tours of the schools and community celebrations. (We held the ribbon cutting for Lyseth in 2021.
) You are invited. Nothing stopped our team – not the pandemic, not supply chain problems, not escalating costs, not educating our students through the construction, and not countless other hurdles along the way. When you step into the renovated schools, it’s hard to remember the old buildings, where students were taught in hallways, custodial closets, mechanical closets and dilapidated trailers.
The buildings lacked the infrastructure for modern technology, failed to meet safety and security standards, and were not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. School construction is a local responsibility, but Portland had not made a major investment in our school buildings in a quarter century. The state has a major capital school construction program for the schools in the absolute worst condition across the state and had recently built us three brand-new elementary schools (East End, Ocean Ave.
and Rowe). But we just kept waiting and waiting for the remaining schools to be the very worst statewide. It was a fool’s errand.
In the time that we passed the bond and rebuilt our four schools, the state finished construction on zero schools statewide from its 2017-18 rating cycle . Construction has started on three schools, with six others approved for funding across the entire state. The state program, along with a new program for consolidated schools, is a critical resource for cities and towns, but it’s underfunded and was never intended to be the sole source of funding for school renovation and construction.
Portland’s four renovated schools are evidence of how much we can accomplish as a city. Teaching and learning have fundamentally changed since the mid-1900s, when the schools were built. Now the schools are 21st-century learning environments, with welcoming, safe and secure entrances; spaces that support a range of functions for academic learning and socioemotional development, such as small group learning spaces and one-on-one spaces; natural light; design elements that capture the spirit of what it’s like to be a child; modern technology; and much more.
I had the immense privilege of leading the community effort to pass the four-school bond and then co-chairing the committee overseeing the renovations. I want to recognize some of the many people who played roles in transforming these schools. First, the school leaders, custodians, teachers and other staff at each of the four schools, who kept the schools open and our students learning throughout the construction.
The team at Harriman, the architectural and engineering firm that redesigned the schools with a resolute commitment to transforming them on a very tight budget, led by Mark Lee and Lisa Sawin. The teams at Blane Casey, Great Falls and Hardypond, the general contractors, and all of the subcontractors and workers who did the physical labor. Also all of the community members, city councilors and school board members who served on the District Building Advisory Committee – some for the entire length of these projects – and the Building Level Advisory Committees, with special recognition to Mayor Mark Dion and former school board members Sarah Thompson and Marnie Morrione.
Former Superintendent Xavier Botana and former Mayor Ethan Strimling, without whom the schools would have never been renovated, as well as Dave Lewis, our owner’s representative, now retired, and current district operations staff Steve Stilphen, Doug Sherwood, Tammara Sweeney and Sarah Warren, and Superintendent Ryan Scallon, who has seen the final three projects to completion. And every person who was involved in passing the bond, who voted for it, or who came to believe in it after the bond passed. These elementary schools now are worthy of our students and staff – thanks to you, Portland.
Come see for yourself at the ribbon cuttings on Saturday and feel pride in what our community has accomplished. We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website.
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