November 15 Blog Post

First, thank you to everyone who got out to vote earlier this month.  I'm unsure if you saw the most recent data, but approx. 70% of Gorham's voters participated in the elections on Nov. 5.  WOW!  Great job!  Would LOVE to see that kind of turnout for this coming June's elections as well!☺ 

I'll share an overview of the results of the Nov. 5 local elections below, but I wanted to share some pictures from the past two weeks in our schools!  It's been a great two weeks of learning across all schools; here is just a glimpse - but even that took me two sets again!

Now, on to the information!

UPDATE ON LOCAL RESULTS OF NOV. 5 ELECTIONS

For those of you who may not have been able to follow the local election results, I wanted to provide an overview and then discuss the next steps for the school to proceed with the results of our two bond requests.

First, CONGRATULATIONS to David Willis and Janet Keuch for their election to the Gorham Town Council.

Secondly, CONGRATULATIONS to Nicole Yeo-Fischer and Eric Thistle for their election to the Gorham School Committee.

In regards to the two bond questions that were on the ballot, question #1 passed.  Question #1 was the bond request for approximately $12,691,377.00 dollars (including interest) to do the following:

-  Expand the GHS cafeteria

-  Build "Phase I" (of an eventual 3 phase expansion plan if needed) of a Modular Expansion to GHS.

-  Replace HVAC system at Narragansett Elementary School

The second bond request DID NOT pass.  This was a request for approximately $3,380,781.00 dollars (including interest) to move the existing tennis courts from the GHS site to the GMS site and add two additional courts with lighting.  

So what is next?

For the GHS bond project, we will work closely with the Town of Gorham to complete the bonding process and secure the funds to move forward with the project. Later this spring, we will go out to bid for the project work, which will be conducted throughout the summer of 2025 and the 2025-2026 school year. The anticipated completion date would allow us to open school in the fall of 2026 with the HS portion of the projects completed.  

The Narragansett HVAC project will also be bid out later this winter/spring. Work will be conducted during the summer of 2025. Our hope is that the work will be completed in time for the school's opening in the Fall of 2025.

With regards to the tennis courts.  Next week, we have scheduled a meeting with Maine Tennis (a trusted, contracted service provider that works with organizations to construct and maintain tennis courts across New England).  We will do a thorough site walk-through to assess the existing courts' conditions, determine the next best step, and determine how much any options may cost.  We will bring options back to the Gorham School Committee Finance/Facilities Committee for consideration and integration within a revised 10-year capital plan for the schools and then work with the Town of Gorham's facilities committee to fully update the ten-year plan to include tennis courts.  

We understand that the current courts need to be playable for our students. We hope to determine a short-term "fix" that will allow students, Gorham Recreation, and our community to return to using these courts as soon as possible while we figure out the mid-to-long-term plan for tennis courts with the town moving forward.

The complicating factor with this project (tennis courts) is that if we do not receive funding from the state to construct a new high school, we will return to the voters within 3-5 years to request another bond to build a second modular expansion phase at GHS. This second phase would need to occur on the site where the existing tennis courts are now located. No other space makes sense for continuing needed modular classroom expansions at the high school.  

As you can see, it will be imperative in our continued capital planning to work closely with the Town of Gorham to maximize the resources available to address our steadily growing capital needs. We will continue to keep everyone informed as we determine the short-term "fix" for the tennis courts and how our next steps align with our longer-term capital needs planning.  We hope to have a suggested next step prepared for the tennis courts by mid-December 2024 and an updated 10-year capital plan to share with the Town's facilities committee by late January 2025.

To communicate more transparently with the public about our facilities' capital needs, we will also launch a new page on our website with all the information the public needs to better understand our needs assessments, projections, and associated plans.  This new page should be ready to share publicly shortly after the Holiday break in December/January.  In the meantime, if you have any questions or would like copies of any of our facilities' assessments or plans, please contact me at any time.  My email is heather.perry@gorhamschools.org.  

SO, HOW ARE SCHOOL POLICIES CREATED ANYWAY? A POLICY PRIMER FOR MAINE PUBLIC SCHOOLS...

Local School Board/Committee policies are how our schools are governed.  Similar to how our state and federal government's legislatures pass laws to inform the executive branch (Governor and President) how to operate our state and country, school policies are what our local School Committee passes that tell me how to manage our schools.  Just like our old government lessons on the branches of government, right?  The legislative branch creates the laws, and the executive branch carries them out.  The same thing occurs in our public schools, only on a much smaller scale.  Policies are our school's "laws" created and approved by our local "legislative branch" - our School Committee.  Here's how it typically works:

The Gorham School Committee develops policies through a structured process that usually follows these SIX key steps:

1. Identification of Need

• Issues arise from community feedback, legal requirements, or operational challenges
• School Committee members or administrators identify areas needing policy guidance
• Regular policy reviews may often reveal gaps or outdated rules that need to be updated

2. Research & Draft Policy Development

• Staff research similar policies from other districts or seek to find model/template policies from the Maine Department of Education or from the Maine School Management Association.  
• The Superintendent's office leads draft preparation for policies using the resources that have been researched to create the language needed that addresses the identified need.
• Initial drafts incorporate state/federal requirements as appropriate
• Legal counsel reviews relevant laws and regulations as needed
• Draft language is brought to the School Committee policy committee for a thorough review and adjusted as needed to prepare for first reading.

3. First Reading

• The full School Committee reviews draft policy at a public meeting
• Members discuss and suggest revisions
• The public may comment during designated public comment periods on each agenda
• No final vote is taken at this stage

4. Revision

• Staff/Policy Committee incorporates feedback into revisions
• Additional stakeholder input may be gathered as needed
• Further drafts prepared as needed
• Draft is finalized and made ready for 2nd Reading with the entire School Committee

5. Second Reading & Vote

• Policy Committee presents Revised policy at another public meeting
• Final discussion and amendments are considered by the full School Committee
• School Committee votes to adopt, reject, or further revise
• A Majority vote is required for adoption

6. Implementation

• Adopted policies distributed to staff
• Training provided if needed
• Administrative procedures developed if needed
• Community notified of new policies by the Superintendent via the website

So where can the public find a copy of our School Committee Policies?  On our website of course! ☺ 

Just go to www.gorhamschools.org.  Then click on "About Us" and go to "School Committee".  Once there, you should see an option to click on "Policies".  Click there and you'll see our policies organized by policy code.  

In Gorham, we use the MSBA (Maine School Boards Association) coding system for policies. Our policies are organized by category as follows:

A - Foundations and Basic Commitments 

B - School Board Governance and Operations 

C - General School Administration 

D - Fiscal Management 

E - Support Services 

F - Facilities Development 

G - Personnel 

I - Instruction 

J - Students 

K - School-Community Relations 

L - Education Agency Relations

For example:

• JICK would be under "J" (Students) and typically refers to bullying policies
• IHBA would be under "I" (Instruction) and often relates to Individual Education Programs
• GCFB would be under "G" (Personnel) and usually covers recruiting and hiring of staff

Each subsequent letter in the code narrows the specific topic within that main category.

I hope this helps take a little "mystery" away from how policies are created and how you can find and review/read them to better understand them.  As I mentioned earlier, these policies allow the School Committee to ultimately govern our schools.  If the School Committee wants something done differently within the confines of our state and federal laws, they need only revise policy to instigate change.  Remember, this rule-making authority only extends within the confines of state and federal law.  Local School Committee policies cannot conflict with state and federal statutes.

If you want to learn more, just let me know. I'm always happy to help folks better understand school policies!

FALL NWEA DATA REVIEW

I wanted to take a moment to share district-level Fall NWEA testing data with everyone. 

Please know that NWEA data is just ONE of MANY metrics we use to determine our district's success in making our mission and vision a reality for our students.  In Gorham, we use our "Metrics for Success" document to determine the overall effectiveness of our district in making our Mission/Vision for student learning a reality for the children of this great community.  

Also, please know that this is just FALL NWEA testing data and is not reflective of a full year's worth of learning for our students.  This is a snapshot in time.  The full year's look is shared annually each spring/summer in our district's "State of the School's" Report.

With those caveats, here is a summary of data from Fall NWEA testing across the district...

This graph shows the percentage of our grades 1-5 students who are proficient in math across all three schools. Our goal is that 70% or more of our students meet proficiency marks as defined by NWEA. As you can see, Grades 1, 2, and 3 meet our goals. Unfortunately, grades 4 and 5 are not, at least not yet. ☺ 

When looking at this data, a few things come to mind.  First, our current grade 4 and 5 students are the students who were in kindergarten or pre-K during the pandemic.  Second, this is the third full year of implementation for our new math curriculum, Reveal Math.  Moving forward, this graph indicates that we need to continue to emphasize the integrity of implementing our new math curriculum while increasing support for students in the older grades who continue to struggle in math due to pandemic-related gaps.  This targeted support should aim to get these students to grade level proficiency by the end of grade 8 so that they are best prepared for higher-level math at the HS level.

This graph shows the percentage of our grades 1-5 students who are proficient in Reading across all three schools.  We aim for 70% or more of our students to meet proficiency marks defined by NWEA.  As you can see, Grade 1 meets this goal, while the other four grades fall just short of the mark.  

Overall, our upper-grade elementary students faired far better through the pandemic in reading than they did in math.  Although four of the five grades fall just short of our 70% goal, the difference is by just a few percentage points and very close to the mark.  Moving forward, this graph indicates that we must keep doing what we have been doing in our reading instruction and continue to provide the targeted support our struggling students may need via our RTI processes. 

This graph shows the percentage of our grades 6-8 students who are meeting proficiency in math as defined by NWEA.  Once again, our goal is 70% or more.  At GMS, grade six is a little under that mark, while grades 7 & 8 are just above.  Once again, this shows that we need to keep doing what we have been in our math instruction moving forward while being sure to provide the targeted interventions students may need to get over that learning hump.

This graph shows the percentage of our grade 6-8 students who are meeting proficiency in reading as defined by NWEA. Like the math chart above, our 6th-grade students are just below that target, while our 7th—and 8th-grade students are just above. There is room to grow, for sure, but this indicates that a continued steady push with targeted support for struggling students is what is needed moving forward. 

This graph shows data for GHS students in grades 9 and 10 Math. NWEA assessments are only taken at these grades. Students in grade 11 start working towards PSATs and SATs as needed. Testing in these grades indicates that we are meeting our goal of having 70% of students hit proficient marks, as NWEA defines them.  Moving forward, a steady hand seems to be in order while continuing to provide targeted support to students who may need it.

Finally, this graph shows data for GHS students in grades 9 and 10 Reading. Once again, students at these grade levels are meeting our goal of 70% or more hitting the proficient mark. Continuing the existing curriculum and support structures seems appropriate, as does continuing to provide targeted support for students in need.

Overall, what does this data tell us? It tells us that we always have room to improve our instruction across all grades but that significant instructional practice shifts or curriculum shifts are unnecessary. The data indicate that we must deepen our targeted support and maintain the course to ensure our students meet academic proficiencies. 

We will continue to monitor this data and work to ensure we meet our district goals. 

FY 26 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT CYCLE FOR SCHOOLS KICKED OFF LAST NIGHT!

The Gorham School Committee "kicks off" its annual budget development process each year with a meeting we lovingly call our "Dessert & Discuss" meeting. The meeting is aptly named because we share yummy desserts made by our School Nutrition Program employees as we begin the complex process of building a school district budget from scratch!

This annual meeting does not focus on budget numbers and specific costs. Instead, it aims to create the understanding needed to inform later dollar-figure discussions. The school committee spends the evening asking building leaders and program directors to share their "pain points" and their two— to three-year outlooks for future needs across our schools and programs.  

Information shared is more anecdotal than dollar-driven, but don't think this sharing isn't also driven by data. Trends in data are shared, helping School Committee members better understand the specific areas of challenge in our schools and why certain things may be asked for as part of the budget development process moving forward.  

Indeed, only some possible requests discussed and shared make it through the budget process. However, by sharing a comprehensive view of needs now, the School Committee can better understand how to prioritize the myriad of needs as they move through the FY 26 budget development process. It is always an extremely informative night!

The meeting is open to the public. However, we understand not everyone can come out and sit through a 2-hour meeting...so if you are interested in following along, you can view the video recording of the meeting by CLICKING HERE.  You can also view all the links shared with the School Committee containing information on "pain points" and 2-3-year outlooks for each school and program by CLICKING HERE.

As mentioned, this is just the beginning of an 8-month (sometimes +) process to develop and approve a proposed FY 26 School Budget.  The next big piece of work for the School Committee will be to set an overall budget development target for the administration to try and hit in the process.  The School Committee will set that initial target at their Nov. 26 workshop meeting.  We will then follow up with a joint meeting with the Town Council on Dec. 17 for additional feedback.  Then, an initial proposed budget is shared with the School Committee in early February, and then they really dig in during March with several in-depth budget workshop meetings.  

Please follow this work along on our website and reach out with questions if you have them! Stay tuned - much more to come!

KNOW OF ANY OLDER ADULTS WHO WOULD LIKE SOME HELP WITH TECHNOLOGY?

A small group of students at Gorham High School are considering creating a tech help group to help older adults in our community navigate the ever-changing world of technology. As a digital "immigrant" myself, I know where to go if I have a question related to technology—to my 29-year-old daughter and my 7-year-old granddaughter! ☺ 

If you or someone you know might be interested in receiving nonjudgmental assistance from our high school students while allowing our students to learn the valuable lessons associated with volunteerism and giving back to their community, check out the flyer below and call or email today!

WHAT ARE GORHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS THANKFUL FOR?

The answer is A LOT! ☺ I wanted to share a few pictures of what GMS students are saying they are thankful for!  You may need to blow up the images a bit to read them...but they certainly have a lot to say!

As we enter the holiday season, it is always a great time to reflect upon what we are thankful and grateful for.  Yes, we can have our challenges, but there is no question that we all have things for which we should also be grateful.  Each and every year, I am thankful to be able to serve the children of the community of Gorham - to watch them grow, challenge themselves, persevere, and flourish!  Take a moment and think about what you are grateful for this season...and enjoy the upcoming time with family and friends over this crazy holiday season!  

That's it til the next blog.  Due to the Holiday break, the next blog post will be Dec. 6.  THANK YOU!

 

  

 

November 1 Post

YUP!  Its November!  WOW!  Soon, we will blink, and it will be Christmas and the New Year!  I swear, the older I get, the faster time speeds up!👀  Enjoy the pictures below summarizing the past few weeks in our schools!  I had to do two sets of photos as the past few weeks have been busy with incredible events such as our Adopt A Classroom program, Socktober, music concerts, fall playoffs and more!

MOVING FORWARD AFTER THE ELECTIONS

Did you know that the U.S. Constitution is the longest-surviving written charter of Government in the world?  So, even though in the scheme of our world, the U.S. is relatively "young,"...our Constitution has stood the test of time better than any other government in recorded HISTORY!  Our forefathers took great care in developing a system of government that could stand the test of time, and clearly, they succeeded.  That is saying something!  I don't know about you - but that gives me great faith in our country's ability to navigate contentious elections, difficult conversations, political divides, culture wars, roller coaster economies, and anything else that can be thrown at us!  Our history has proven this fact to be true.  Our constitution and way of governing have stood the test of time and will continue to do so.

Whatever the outcome of the upcoming Nov. 5 election is, it will likely create uncertainty among our community's citizens regardless of age or beliefs.    Our students in our schools will not be immune to this uncertainty.  They represent the wonderful community where we live, work, and grow.  They will want to talk about and think about - so what is next?  Civil discourse is never a bad thing.  It is always a good thing and the background of our great democracy.

As a school system, we are prepared for this potential.  As we move forward, we will continue to anchor to our Code of Conduct first and foremost.  We will ensure that every interaction at school holds true to our FIVE core values of RESPECT, HONESTY, COURAGE, COMPASSION, and RESPONSIBILITY.  We will model these values and those of civil discourse with our students.  We will use the safe spaces we have already created in our classrooms to ensure students feel secure in sharing their varying opinions with one another in an environment of trust and learning.  We will remain bipartisan while helping students hone and strengthen their critical thinking skills in ways that help them determine their own beliefs and understandings and prepare them to be the active and informed citizens of tomorrow.   

So, as families - you might be wondering - what can you do to be a safe and steady presence for children (especially our older children) after the election, regardless of the outcome?  Here are a few ideas generated from the National Association of Secretaries of State I thought were pretty good:

-  Open Lines of Communication:  Encourage open and honest conversations about the election. Ask your child how they feel and what their thoughts are, ensuring they know it’s safe to express their emotions without judgment.

-  Listen Actively and Empathetically:  Practice active listening by giving your child your full attention. Validate their feelings and let them know it’s normal to experience a range of questions about what happens next after an election.

-  Provide Age-Appropriate Information:  Share factual information about the election and its implications that is suitable for your child’s age. Help them understand the political process and dispel any misconceptions they may have.

-  Encourage Critical Thinking:  Engage your child in discussions about the issues at stake and different viewpoints. Encourage them to ask questions and think critically about the information they encounter.

-  Promote Positive Actions:  Help your child find ways to get involved in their community or advocate for causes they care about. This can empower them and foster a sense of agency, showing they can and do make a difference.

By using these strategies, parents can provide support and guidance, helping their children navigate their questions and understand the broader context of the election.

At the end of the day - there is one thing for sure - Gorham is a strong community. We will continue to thrive together!  GO RAMS!

FINAL REMINDER - TWO LOCAL SCHOOL BOND REFERENDUMS ARE ON THE BALLOT TOO - BE SURE TO VOTE NOVEMBER 5!

Please CLICK HERE for an overview of the TWO local school bond referendum questions on the November 5 ballot.  

Many of you may have already voted.  Some of you may not have voted yet.  If last year's school budget validation referendum showed us nothing else, it showed us the value of every single vote in our community. Regardless of whether you vote "yes" or "no," please be sure to get out and vote!☺

UPDATE ON THE WORK OF THE FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE

The Gorham Fiscal Sustainability Committee met for the sixth time earlier this week.  The video recording of the meeting has not yet been posted on the town's website, LINKED HERE, but it should be soon.  In the meantime, the written minutes from the meeting can be found by CLICKING HERE.  

There was some great discussion regarding how we could look to create a financial strategic plan that would help us monitor the town's economic health while also creating "guardrails" for budgeting purposes for both the town and the school.  One of our members, Michelle Littlefield, who is also a School Committee member, presented some of her work to analyze spending patterns as a whole community (Town and School) over the past ten years to create key performance indicators that could be used as part of this possible financial strategic plan.  You can view the slide presentation by CLICKING HERE.

Then, there was a robust conversation about what key performance indicators we might want to examine more closely if we are to suggest to the Town Council and School Committee the creation of a financial strategic plan. The group brainstormed some key indicators and tasked the Town Manager and Me with coming back to the next meeting with data.  

The Fiscal Sustainability committee's next meeting will be November 21, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in Conference Room A at the Gorham Municipal Center. Meetings are open to the public.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE WORK OF THE GORHAM SCHOOL COMMITTEE

As the election season draws to a close and budget season begins to heat up, some may be asking how to follow the work of the Gorham School Committee.  

There are many ways to follow the work of the Gorham School Committee. The first place I would go is our website (www.gorhamschools.org). Once there, go to "About Us" and click on the drop-down arrow to navigate to "School Committee." Once there, you will see links to all SC agendas and minutes for the current year. You can click on the link at the top of the page to view the full agenda packets given to the school committee.

If you want to watch our meetings, you can either watch them live on GoCAT TV or watch the recordings once they are posted. School Committee meetings are typically held on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.  

There are THREE types of School Committee meetings.  

Our "Workshop" meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of each month in the upstairs conference room at the municipal center. They are typically less formal, with agenda items related to discussion. During these meetings, the School Committee does not take any action. Instead, they are opportunities to learn and understand, ask questions, and prepare for future discussions and decisions by the committee.  These also include our budget workshop meetings each year in February and March.

Our "Regular" meetings are held on the 2nd Wednesday of each month and are typically held in the council chambers at the municipal building.  These meetings are more formal and often address our action items.  

The third type of full School Committee meeting we may have is called a "Special Meeting."  These meetings can be called at any time and are for a specific purpose for the Committee to take action.  These could be used for student discipline hearings, or sometimes, when we have to take action at a workshop meeting, we may switch the workshop to a special meeting so votes can be taken.  

All meetings are posted on our district website, Google Calendar, for easy viewing.

Every meeting of the Gorham School Committee allows for a public comment period.  During this agenda item, members of the public in attendance can share thoughts/questions/ideas/concerns with the School Committee in person.  When allowing public comment, we follow our public participation policy LINKED HERE.  Please know that this is the public's time to speak and the Committee's time to listen; therefore, School Committee members will not engage in discourse during this time.  

Members of the public may also share written statements with the School Committee at any time by emailing School Committee members directly.  Their emails can be found by CLICKING HERE.  Typically, when you email School Committee members, I suggest you email them all. Still, please understand that you would only get a response from the School Committee chair, as that is our communication protocol to ensure the committee speaks with one voice.  Please know, however, that all emails are read by all School Committee members, even though only the chair may respond.

Finally, when School Committee budget meetings begin to "heat up" (typically starting in late February or early March of each year), you can follow all of that work separately on our School Committee Budget information page.  You can CLICK HERE to view information from last year but know that we will be adding information as the year progresses and the work to build our FY 26 proposed budget moves forward.  

Please let us know if you have any questions.  It is crucial that members of our community feel comfortable following our essential work.

OVERVIEW OF 2024-2025 ENROLLMENT DATA FOR THE GORHAM SCHOOLS  

We just finished our October 1 reporting to the Maine Department of Education, so I wanted to share the updated enrollment data with everyone so you can get a solid sense of the district's overall demographics.  

Our total enrollment for the 2024-2025 School Year in the Gorham Schools is 2819.  This includes 86 public pre- K students.  This is down overall from last year's total enrollment by 22 students.  Enrollment projections predicted this slight overall down turn but also expect that by next year (2025-2026) we will be at 2,857 students in grades PK-12.

Of those 2819 students, 601 students are designated as socioeconomically disadvantaged students, this is approximately 21% of the overall population.  This is up from last year's counts of just 9%.  Thank you to those who completed your Free/Reduced lunch forms this year!  This will most definitely assist us in our state subsidy funding for FY 26!

Our population of students of diverse backgrounds continues to increase.  We now have 401 total students in our district of color, almost 15% of our population.  This is up from last year's number of 366, which was nearly 13%.  The chart below shows a history of this data for our district:

Our population of students who require special education services has gone down slightly this year.  The special education population now stands at 484 total students, down from last year's 507 total students.  This represents approximately 17.7% of our student population. The graph below provides a historical look at our special education population.

The number of students requiring 504 services in our schools has continued to increase this year.  We currently have 157 students across all five schools receiving 504 services.  This is up from last year's 140 students.  The graph below shows a historical look at this data.

We have 74 students in our district that speak over 28 different languages in our schools.  This is up from last year's total of 72 students.  The graph below shows a historical look at this data.

This year we have 200 Gifted & Talented students, which is up from last year's 186 G&T students.  The graph below shows a historical look at these numbers.

Our overall student population is stable at this time. The diversity of our student population continues to increase, which is most certainly an asset to our schools and community. Our special education numbers have at least temporarily stabilized, which is good. However, service needs in 504, Multilingual learners, and G&T continue to increase in alignment with what we know to be the case: overall student needs continue to grow across our school populations.

GHS STUDENT TECH TEAM SEEKING TO HELP OLDER COMMUNITY MEMBERS MEET THEIR TECHNOLOGY NEEDS

There is a group of GHS students who are interested in helping out Senior Citizens in Gorham with basic technology needs FREE OF CHARGE, but they need to gauge interest in offering this type of service to our community.  This program is designed to help senior citizens of Gorham but could be open to others as well.  The idea would be that GHS students interested in helping would make themselves available on a specific date/time when those interested in the service could stop by to get assistance in things like:

-  iPhone/iPad or other smartphone set up or use.

-  Laptop set up & use

-  Kindle set up & use

-  Learning more about online safety & security

If you or someone you know might be interested in such a program - PLEASE REACH OUT USING THE INFORMATION ON THE FLYER BELOW TO EXPRESS INTEREST.  If we have enough interest, we'll move forward in planning.  If we don't, we'll move on to figure out other great ideas on how our students can better serve and learn from our broader community!

GHS TASTE OF NATIONS EVENT IS TOMORROW!  

COME JOIN US! 

GHS will be sponsoring a community-wide "Taste of Nations" event on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. in the GHS cafeteria. ALL ARE WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE. The event is free - you only have to bring a small dessert to share! See flyer for details!

GORHAM MUSIC PROGRAM ANNUAL PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE SHARED!

I don't know about you, but sometimes I find it hard to keep up with all the cool events happening at our schools! It is always nice when you can see a list of events all in once place! Our friends in the Gorham Music Department have done us the favor of putting all of our planned concerts for the year on one flyer so folks can mark their calendars early to attend! Check it out below! You can also CLICK HERE for the pdf version.

GMS STUDENTS SPONSORING A COMMUNITY BINGO NIGHT!

Students in the 7th grade at GMS are sponsoring a BINGO NIGHT on November 12 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. in the GMS Cafeteria as another unique way to try and get the broader community involved in our schools. This event will be open to everyone and Senior Citizens will get to play FOR FREE! Check out the flyer below and get your stamps ready folks! Bingo is fun for ALL AGES!

UPDATED GHS FALL ATHLETICS PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

Our GHS fall athletics teams remain busy even during playoff season! The Girls' Soccer, Field Hockey, and Volleyball teams are all still playing! Our Football team will play later tonight, and our boys' XC team will compete in the state championship on Saturday. Our students LOVE having the community come out to support them in their athletic endeavors! Check out the flyer below for more details, grab your Gorham swag, and head to a game to cheer them on!

That's it for this edition of my blog! See ya for the next one on November 15!

 

October 18 Post

Good morning everyone!  Another two weeks have gone by in the Gorham Schools!  Such great work is happening in our classrooms and there is much to talk about...so enjoy some images from the last few weeks, smile as directed (see picture bottom left) and then let's get to the updates!☺

A REMINDER ABOUT SNOW DAYS

I know - NO ONE wants to talk about this...but we've had our first frost, the leaves are falling, and even though I'd like to put off all these conversations, I can't!  Snow days are a reality in Maine, so let's ensure everyone is prepared!

First, I wanted to provide an overview of what to expect on a typical inclement weather day.  I start my day at 4:30 a.m. on those mornings.  My routine is pretty straightforward.  I get up and watch the 4:30 local news/weather update.  I then participate in a group texting chain with other Cumberland County Superintendents who are sharing conditions in their districts and what they are thinking.  I sign into NOAA and check weather information there, then I sign into my weather app to check the radar and timing of things.  I communicate with our transportation director and public works, who update me on real-time conditions. Then, I return to the texting group to see what others are doing.  I make a final decision by 5:00 a.m. or a little later using all this information.  

Once the decision is made, I share it via social media and post it on our website.  My assistant, Rhonda Warren, posts simultaneously on TV and radio stations.  I then create a phone, text, and email alert that goes out to everyone at 5:30 a.m., letting folks know broadly of the decision to either delay the start of school or cancel school due to inclement weather. If you don't hear anything, school is on!

The Gorham Schools utilize one-hour delays, two-hour delays, early releases, full snow days, and remote learning days as tools to manage inclement weather conditions.  

If a 1-hour delay is determined, bus runs would all start 1 hour later than usual, and schools would open 1 hour later than usual.  If a 2-hour delay is determined, bus runs would all start 2 hours later than usual, and schools would open two hours later than usual.  If we get students into the school on time and have to utilize an early release day due to snow, we will decide and communicate that to families by 9:30 a.m. We would then follow our typical early release dismissal times for our buses transporting students home.

The state of Maine requires that students attend a minimum of 175 school days per year.  We have FIVE snow days built into our calendar that can be used without impacting our scheduled end of the school year (scheduled this year for June 18 at latest).  If we use these five traditional snow days, and we still need to close schools due to weather, we will utilize remote learning days so that we do not have to extend the closing of schools in June.  Of course, if we don't use those five days, we back up school closing earlier by as many days as we don't use.  Here are a few examples of how that could play out:

Example 1—We need more than five snow days. It is March, and we have already used all five traditional snow days. A blizzard is rolling in. We have to call a remote learning day on Friday. We call the day and engage in remote learning, and our last school day remains June 18, 2025.

Example 2—We use less than 5 snow days. It is April, and we have only used 2 snow days, meaning we have 3 unused snow days built into the calendar. Temperatures are soaring into the 50s and 60s, and we are "out of the woods."  Our last student day would now be three days earlier, on June 13 (the 15th is a Sunday).

We are working on updating our remote learning protocols and will share those as we get closer to the white stuff coming down.  For now, just know that we will use all 5 traditional snow days before we move to remote learning days as a last resort.  

As you might imagine, none of this is an exact science - especially when dealing with Maine’s unpredictable weather. The Gorham Schools will always do its best to make the right call; however, please know that we understand that the parent/guardian is always the one making the final decisions regarding the safety of your student(s). If there is ever a circumstance where the school has not been canceled or delayed, yet you feel it is best to keep your child home because of road conditions, please do not hesitate to do so. 

Any questions - please ask!  My email is heather.perry@gorhamschools.org.  

THOUGHT EXCHANGE BUDGET PRIORITIES SURVEY DATA SUMMARY

Whenever a survey is sent to the public, it is important to always share a summary of the data gathered so that folks can see the ultimate results and know their essential voices are heard in the aggregate.  

Below is a summary of the Thought Exchange Survey sent out to all staff, parents, and community members last month to help us develop priorities for the FY 26 school budget development process.

First, THANK YOU to all who participated!  We had well over 650 participants broken out roughly as follows:

When folks were asked to respond to the statement of: "I feel like the district is doing a great job." Responses were:

When folks were asked to respond to the statement of:  "I feel confident in the district's ability to support success for all students in the coming year." Responses were:

When folks were asked to respond to the statement of:  "I believe the district is effectively the needs of all students, regardless of their backgrounds or abilities." Responses were:

When folks were asked to respond to the statement of:  "The district/my school communicates well with me."  Responses were:

Now here is a particularly interesting response that I think demonstrates the difficult place our schools are in right now.  When folks were asked to respond to indicate whether our overall school budget was "too high, too low, or adequate."  Responses were split right down the middle with roughly the same number of folks saying "too high" as were saying "too low" and an even larger group saying "adequate".  See graph below:

When folks were asked to respond to identifying the most important educational programs and services to be focused on to support the success of our students and schools in the coming year,  the responses emphasize the need for sufficient staffing to support students' diverse needs, including mental health services, special education, and multilingual programs. There is a strong call for maintaining or reducing class sizes to enhance learning outcomes. Many respondents highlight the importance of mental health support, safety measures, and facilities upgrades. Additionally, there is a focus on providing a variety of courses, including advanced placement, career and technical education, and STEM programs. Extracurricular activities, practical life skills, and financial literacy are also deemed essential. Transparency with parents and addressing bullying are recurrent themes.

Next, participants were given a list of ten items and asked to prioritize them...results of this exercise are below:

These are all of the questions that were asked of everyone.  Staff members were asked a few additional questions that other respondents were not.  Those results are summarized below.

The first question asked staff to respond to the following statement:  "The District/School allocates resources in a way that promotes equity among different student groups."  Response was:

Responses indicated concerns regarding adequate resources for teachers to best meet the needs of special education students and multi-lingual students via differentiated practices with larger class sizes and more significant student needs.

In the following question, staff were asked to respond to the following statement:  "I feel like I have the resources I need to do my job effectively."  Response was:

Here, staff expressed a range of perspectives on the adequacy of resources. Some highlighted the need for additional special education, staffing, and professional development support. Others noted budget cuts, increased class sizes, and the necessity of purchasing personal supplies. Positive feedback included adequate access to training, supportive administration, and sufficient classroom materials. Concerns were raised about outdated facilities, inconsistent support for students with behavioral needs, and the need for more effective curriculum and technology training. While many felt they had the necessary resources, there were significant calls for improvements in staffing, funding, and specialized support.

Of course, much more great information was shared in the survey results, which would take me far too long to share in this blog post. The following steps will be to share the full results with the district leadership team to help them identify district budget priorities for FY 26. This information will also be shared with the full School Committee at our November 13 regular meeting starting at 7:00 p.m. in council chambers. This meeting will be live streamed and recorded,- so feel free to tune in to learn more!

SCHOOL BOND REFERENDUM QUESTIONS - ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

We are just over two weeks away from the November 5 election, so I thought it would be a good idea to provide just one more "shot" of information to help explain the two questions to approve three capital projects on the ballot. I will do this via a Q&A format below.  

Question:  Why do the costs of these three projects seem so high?  Where did the numbers come from?

Answer:  There is a very complex answer to why the costs seem high, but let's suffice it to say that since the Pandemic, costs for capital construction types of school projects have almost doubled.  Feel free to refer to a recent article from the Portland Press Herald for more information.  For the second part of the question - where do the numbers come from? These are well-researched numbers, although they are still estimates until a bond is approved.  These numbers come directly from either the 2022 CHA facilities assessment or from the recently completed 2024 facilities assessment conducted on three of our buildings (GHS, Narragansett, and Village Elementary Schools) by LaValle associates or from estimates from Sebago Technics, a well-known engineering firm in our community.  If these bonds are approved, we will take the next steps to create more detailed architectural drawings and project cost estimates associated with completing each project.

Question:  What happens if these projects are not approved by voters?

Answer:  If these bonds aren't approved, they aren't approved.  We understand that that doesn't necessarily reflect our community's support for its public schools.  It is more a reflection of people's concern for their increasing taxes.  We realize this is the case.  This is a reality in our community. One that the schools have little control over as long as we are asked to do all that we are currently being asked to do by our federal and state governments.   The reality is that if these bonds aren't approved, there will also be repercussions for the schools and our broader community.  A few are as follows:

*. Within 3 years, GHS will run out of space for students, especially those in specialized classrooms.  We will be forced to increase class sizes, reduce elective offerings for students, and consider alternate physical placements for students with special needs with associated costs for transportation and/or out-of-district placement tuition costs that are far higher than what we can provide on-site.  

*. The likelihood is high that the Narragansett HVAC system may not last until the next planned referendum request can be made. We will need to add this to our FY 26 CIPS budget request, increasing our overall budget request by that amount.

*. Approximately 50 GHS students and 60 GMS students will not be able to have home tennis matches. Instead, we will be forced to utilize other community sites, likely with additional fees associated. Increased transportation costs will also be a reality. The community will no longer have usable tennis courts in the village area, impacting other community-facing programs such as the recreation department and collaborations with USM.

*.  We will need to re-set our 10-year capital plan to now absorb even greater costs for needs that are left unmet.  Unmet needs in facilities do not magically disappear.  If not met, they grow.  They grow in scope, and they grow in cost.  Eventually, the proverbial "piper" must be "paid," and that dollar figure only grows with time.  The likelihood is high that we will need to return to voters again in November of 2025 to make these requests and likely more.  Check out the link to our plan above to see the larger picture. 

You can find more details and facts regarding the bond referendum questions by visiting our website, LINKED HERE.  

At the end of the day, these capital needs and many more exist in our schools.  They are not made up and are, in fact, well-documented.  The School Committee has worked diligently with experts and Town officials to develop a long-term capital plan that reasonably outlines various project needs and associated costs over time.  Our job is to bring these needs to the attention of the School Committee, the Town Council, and our community.  At the end of the day, what the community says (via your vote) goes.  

Regardless of the result, we will find a way, as we have always done, to move forward - hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder with our neighbors - to confront whatever challenges lie ahead.  Gorham is a strong community that understands the importance of strong public schools.  The challenges just continue to grow, as do the long-term implications.

Please reach out to me with questions if you have them.  heather.perry@gorhamschools.org 

NEXT WEEK IS SCHOOL BUS SAFETY WEEK!

National School Bus Safety Week is an excellent way for parents, students, teachers, motorists, school bus operators, school administrators, and other interested parties - to join forces and address the importance of school bus safety. 

The goal is to promote school bus safety all week long! Our schools use this week to focus on school bus safety with students, reminding students of the importance of keeping their feet out of the aisle, not standing up or moving around on the bus while it is moving, and generally listening to the driver at all times.

What can you do to help?  You, too, can talk with your child about safety while riding on a school bus.  Students must follow our code of conduct while on our buses.  They must do their best to follow the instructions given to them by our drivers.  They must know that just because they are on a bus, bullying is still not allowed any more than it would be in a classroom or at your home.  Help students know what appropriate behavior on a bus looks like, and be sure to praise them when it is seen!

When talking with other adults, you can help, too. You can help by sharing goals such as trying to limit distracted driving while buses are on the road in the morning and afternoon, really doubling down on that darn 25 MPH speed limit when driving past a school, or perhaps just making sure you take a moment to thank your bus driver for the incredible work they do each and every day for our students!  

School bus safety week is just a great reminder to us all!  It takes a village to raise a child, and we have some of the best in Gorham!  Together, we can send strong messages to our children about the importance of being safe while on the bus!  

UPDATED BOOK TALK INFORMATION

There is still time to sign up for our community-wide book talk!  So far, over 50 people have signed up, and we'd love to have more!  Check out the flyer below for more information and THANK YOU to Christina Cifelli (AP at GHS) and Deanna Etienne (AP at Great Falls) for facilitating! 

2nd FREE PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT ANNOUNCED - TOPIC - SUBSTANCE ABUSE & VAPING!

In collaboration with ParentGuidance.org, the Gorham Schools is hosting a 2nd FREE parent information night on Oct. 22 on Substance abuse and vaping!  Meet with other parents nationwide to learn specific techniques to help families navigate these tricky waters!  Hosted by fully trained and licensed clinical social workers, these free webinars are informative and offer great FREE resources to our families!  I strongly encourage families to participate. Did I mention it was FREE? ☺ We have one more hosted topic later in November. Don't miss your chance; sign up today!

SUBSTITUTE TRAINING CLASS COMING SOON!

Our three day substitute training class will be happening on Nov. 18, 19 and 21 coming right up!  For folks that are already on the substitute rolls and wish to improve their daily pay rates - this class is for you!  For folks that are considering substitute teaching in our schools and want to learn more to feel better prepared - this class is for you!  Check out the flyer below for details!  Substitute rates in the Gorham Schools are as follows:

*. Certified Teachers = $150.00/day

*. Substitutes having completed this class - $140.00/day

*. All other substitutes = $125.00/day.

Individuals who substitute in our specialized special education classrooms (i.e. Autism, BSP and FLS) earn an additional $10.00/day.  

A great way to earn a little extra holiday money while helping our schools and our community!  Sign up today!

THE CRUCIBLE - GHS THEATER PRESENTATION COMING IN NOVEMBER! 

GHS theater is getting ready to kick off its production of "The Crucible" in just a few weeks! Check out the flyer below for more details, and mark your calendars to come and see our students perform!

That's it for this blog post.  Next one will be on November 1st!  See ya then!