Welcome back to another great school year in Gorham! We are so excited to begin the new 2024-2025 School year with our students, staff, and families! There is lots to share in this first post - so let me share some great pictures of opening days and then get right down to it!
Now on to the information!
THE IMPORTANCE OF COMPLETING YOUR CHILD'S FREE/REDUCED LUNCH FORM!
Did you know that the Gorham School Department lost approximately $450,000.00 in state subsidy funding for education due to a one year drop in the number of free/reduced lunch eligible families this past year alone?
Did you know that other funding for public schools is also linked to free/reduced lunch eligibility such as E-rate funding to support technology in schools, or ESEA funding to support students who need help in Reading and Math?
I'm sure many of you think...I know I make too much money as a family to qualify so why should I fill out the form? Others may think that lots of people get to see the information shared and that the process may not be 100% confidential. Still others wonder why they should waste their time if their child's meals are already free at school???
All good questions....but HERE IS WHY YOU SHOULD STILL COMPLETE THESE IMPORTANT FORMS!
Please take a moment to fill out your child's Free/Reduced lunch eligibility form TODAY! If you missed the blue form sent home to you by the school - you can also complete it ONLINE. Just go to the link below, find Gorham Schools and complete! The process is 100% CONFIDENTIAL!
Online Application Link: https://www.nlappscloud.com/
2024-2025 SUPERINTENDENT'S DRAFT GOALS
Each year I like to share with our school community my annual goals. Right now, these goals are labeled "Draft" because the School Committee still needs to vote to approve of them at our Sept. 11 meeting. I share these goals with everyone because the goals I have set forth are lofty goals that require I work closely with staff, students, families, and community members to achieve. I figure if you all are going to have to be part of the work to make these things happen - well - you might as well know about them right!
Below, please find an overview of each of my five major goals for the 2024-2025 School Year. You can CLICK HERE to see the more detailed version that includes anticipated action steps, timelines, and measurements of success.
Our current Metrics for Success was created and approved by the Gorham School Committee during the 2021-2022 School Year. We have been operating with the current metrics for success document for two full school years now and I believe it is time to review and “refresh” to ensure alignment with our mission/vision and core beliefs about learning.
As part of this process, I would also like to work with the Teaching & Learning Committee to determine if there are better ways to share this valuable information with the general public. Right now, we share this information via our annual State of the Schools Report, but this is a “dense” document that takes time to consume. I would like to work with the T&L committee to develop simplified data dashboards that can be populated on our district website to share this information with the public more effectively.
What specific outcomes are we seeking to measure? Are these measures aligned with our mission/vision and core beliefs? Are the specific metrics we have listed showing what we think they should show? Are we truly measuring success indicators for ALL students? Are there better indicators out there to measure the things we want to measure? How can we most appropriately share this important data with our community?
These are just a few of the questions that I would like to address as part of this process. The ultimate goal will be to revise our Metrics for Success and to strengthen the methods through which we share this information with our community.
When the state legislature approved of the supplemental budget this past spring, part of that budget included language that requires public schools to take on the Free and Appropriate Educational Services (FAPE) for all 3 & 4 year olds in the state. Previously, a separate governmental agency called Child Development Services (CDS) was responsible for the provision of FAPE to eligible 3 & 4 year olds and their families. Public schools have 4 years (2028-2029 school year) to take on the full responsibility for FAPE services for this age category.
This shift in responsibilities will be significant.
Ultimately, this move is a good move as CDS has not provided full services to this age level for several years now and our public schools have been paying a high price for per pupil costs as a direct result. With improved early services, the hope would be the same as our work to create a strong Public Pre K program - that services can be provided earlier, more effectively and at less overall costs than the current ineffective system.
Strengthening communication with our community has been a frequent goal over the past 9 years, but in the past it has focused more on our direct constituents such as parent/guardians or staff members or our already well connected community businesses. These are all constituents that already know our schools well.
The past few budget approval cycles have shown us many things. One of these things is that we must do a better job at communicating and building symbiotic relationships with our community’s older constituents or those constituents who are not as closely connected to our schools so that they see as much value in our schools as do our student’s families.
This communication must be conducted in a manner that doesn’t just say “hey our schools need this” or “our students need this” as a school, but in a more relational manner, helping to educate how our schools are different today than even just ten years ago while also asking what can our schools do for you? These communications and connections should be focused on helping folks who may not have had any experiences with public schools since their own experiences as students better understand what our public schools require to operate in today’s world. They should also be focused on helping our schools to better understand what our community needs from us. Because of this, the action steps taken under this goal will be purposefully broad and multi-dimensional aimed first at starting and exploring these initial connections and then working to strengthen them over time.
In December of 2020 the Gorham School Committee adopted its first Anti-Racism Policy. In the Fall of 2020, the Gorham School Committee created its first Anti-Racism Committee with membership from all appropriate stakeholders. This committee met throughout the 2020-2021 School Year, and continued to meet during the 2021-2022 School year. In the 2022-2023 School Year the Committee changed its name to the Anti-Racism & Equity Committee and continued to meet through that year and the 2023-2024 School Year.
During that time much has been accomplished. Feel free to CLICK HERE to review an overview.
Of course there is still much more work to be done, particularly in the area of listening to and responding appropriately to student voice in these important matters. After all, if we do all this work and the student experience itself hasn't changed in the important areas of equity and belonging then we haven't really accomplished anything! Therefore, collecting and understanding student voice will be the major focus for this year's work.
The Gorham Schools employs over 700 individuals on an annual basis. Of those, over 300 are “professional” positions that require specific degrees and certifications and directly work with students in an instructional or administrative capacity.
In the past the Gorham Schools has had the luxury of a very stable workforce. Our average tenure for teachers for several years now has been 12 years of experience. With this more veteran staff, we have not had to pay as much attention to specific induction and retention programming for our staff as our school cultures were stable enough to onboard new people to our core beliefs, practices, and procedures without too much trouble.
Recently that has changed for lots of different reasons, not the least of which has been the increasing number of retirements we are seeing across the board. This past year we had 15 professional staff members retire, the largest single year number since I started here in 2015.
We also continue to see a dearth in candidate pools for special education positions, world languages, math and science positions.
At the same time we are seeing more and more employee transitions in our district, and weakened pools to fill those positions, we are also seeing more and more complex rules and regulations from the state and federal government regarding the operations of our schools. From the new FMLA laws, to updated restraint and seclusion requirements, to updated Title IX rules, and everything in between – our public schools are complex places to manage employees.
The purpose of this goal will be to strengthen our induction and retention programs for all staff.
I realize that is A LOT of information regarding my goals for the 2024-2025 school year - but I felt it important to share since it will be these goals that guide my priorities for work throughout the year. If you have any feedback or perhaps want to help - please feel free to reach out! My email is heather.perry@gorhamschools.org.
GORHAM SCHOOLS "REFRESHED" CODE OF CONDUCT
During the course of the 2023-2024 School Year the Gorham Schools worked closely with students, families, community members and the School Committee to complete a "refresh" of our beloved Gorham Schools Code of Conduct.
If you recall, the original Code of Conduct was completed 20+ years ago and has been part of the "backbone" of our school system ever since. Ask any student who has gone through our school system for the past 20 years about: RESPECT, HONESTY, COURAGE, COMPASSION, and RESPONSIBILITY and I'll bet they will remember some great lessons provided over the years! Lessons that last a lifetime regardless of whatever future careers our students undertake!
Last year the School Committee wanted to work with our community to make sure the Code of Conduct lasts another 20+ years so we developed a stakeholder committee of educators, students, parents and community members led by our very own Jon Smith from Great Falls Construction and we worked to review our Code of Conduct and to adjust it to make it more "alive" for our 2024 students, families, and community.
The "refreshed" Code of Conduct was then reviewed by the School Committee in the late spring of last year and approved to begin the 2024-2025 School year with. During opening days we have rolled out our new Code of Conduct and one of our major district wide goals this year is to make sure we spend some quality time with our students and families on understanding this document and what it means to truly LIVE our Code of Conduct, especially during these divisive times.
What does it mean to be Respectful in 2024 terms where social media is king? What does it mean to be Honest in 2024 when perhaps it is difficult to tell the difference true information and misinformation? What does it mean to be Courageous in 2024 when it would be way easier to just throw your hands up in the air and say "I'm out"! What does it mean to be Compassionate in 2024 when perhaps kindness isn't all that easy to find in our digital lives and finally, what does it mean to be Responsible in 2024 when it is so much easier to point your finger away from yourself to place blame for whatever may be happening.
Living our Code of Conduct is no easy task...but it is one that we emphasize in our schools and work hard to model for our students in all that we do as a staff. We hope our families and our community work hard to model these same core values as well. We know you do - it is part of what makes Gorham such a strong community!
I encourage you to take a closer look at our "Refreshed" Code of Conduct and to talk with your children, or your neighbors and friends, or your co-workers about what these values can mean for us all. These are the universal values we teach our students. They work for all kinds of beliefs, all kinds of religions, all kinds of demographics, all kinds of families, all kinds of work environments and more. They are what has helped bind us together as a Gorham Community in the past and they are what will help bind us together as a strong Gorham Community in the future! THANK YOU!
2023-2024 STATE OF SCHOOLS REPORT AVAILABLE
TO VIEW
Ever wonder how our schools measure our success? Want to know about recent trends with NWEA achievement scores, or perhaps you are curious about how our schools are doing via the lens of equity and specific student subgroups success? Want an update on our strategic plan goals and action steps?
All of this and much much more can be found in our annual State of the Schools Report! Check it out! Watch the Sept. 11 School Committee meeting for an overview provided to the School Committee, and reach out directly with any questions or feedback you may have (heather.perry@gorhamschools.org). Yes it is a "meaty" document...but it has got so much great information! ☺
NOVEMBER 5, 2024 SCHOOL REFERENDUM COMING TO A POLLING PLACE NEAR YOU!
This past Tuesday (9/3), the Gorham Town Council approved TWO questions involving THREE capital projects to appear on the upcoming Nov. 5 ballot regarding the Gorham School Department.
The School Committee brought forward to the Town Council a total of 8 projects for a referendum request. After much deliberation over two meetings, the Town Council agreed by a vote of 5-2 (dissenting votes were Gagnon and Philips) to place these TWO questions on the ballots involving 3 of the 8 proposed projects.
The projects that were approved to move forward are the following (with estimated costs):
1. Gorham High School Cafeteria Expansion and Modular Phase I Construction - $9,034,000.00
2. Narragansett Elementary School HVAC Replacement - $460,575.00
3. Rebuild Tennis Courts (6) and move to GMS Site - $2,541,250.00
These three projects will be seen on November's ballot in TWO DIFFERENT questions. The first question will request approval for projects #1 & #2 (GHS cafeteria and modular expansion and Narr. HVAC work). The second question will request approval for the rebuilding and moving of the tennis courts.
Here is a little more information about each:
GORHAM COMMUNITY FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE UPDATE
In the spring of 2024, the Gorham Town Council and the Gorham School Committee jointly created a Gorham Community Fiscal Sustainability Committee. The purpose of this committee is to understand the existing financial landscape for the Town of Gorham and the Gorham School Department; to evaluate the future financial landscape, and to use this knowledge to make recommendations for how to maintain sustainable taxes while continuing to manage the present and future growth of our community over the next five to 10 years. No small task right?
The specific "deliverables" for this committee's work is three-fold with the:
- Development of a series of recommendations to the Town Council and School Committee for how to reduce costs (or mitigate continued cost increases) through efficiencies.
- Development of a series of recommendations to the Town Council and School Committee for how to increase revenues that will offset direct taxpayer expenses at both the municipal and school levels.
- Development of a series of recommendations to the Town Council and School Committee for how to improve communications between various stakeholder groups within the community of Gorham to aid in understanding current and future financial limitations moving forward.
What a great family event right here in downtown Gorham! Check out the flyer below for details and see your neighbors on Saturday Sept. 7th from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.! There will be food trucks, face painting, music and of course - ART! See you there!
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE and see you for my next blog on September 20th!
