April 5 Blog Post

Well gotta say - I am not all that impressed with the weather so far this spring!  Let's leave it at that and move on to sharing some pictures of some of the great things happening in our schools the past few weeks!  

On to the updates...

UNDERSTANDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS 3rd VIDEO (of 4) READY TO VIEW!  TOPIC:  SCHOOL FUNDING WITH SPECIAL GUEST SHAWN MOODY!

The third of a four part series of videos aimed at helping the general public better understand public schools is now ready to view.  The topic of this third video is on school funding and there to help ask questions and get answers is our community champion Shawn Moody!

Of course, this 30 minute video isn't going to provide all the information about school funding that is out there, but I'm sure it will "wet your whistle" and hopefully prompt folks to do more research, or ask further questions to learn more!  As is always the case - I am happy to answer any questions - just email me at heather.perry@gorhamschools.org.

VIDEO #3 LINK

And just in case folks are interested in viewing the previous two videos...you can find them linked below:

-  Video #1 - Understanding Public Schools in the 21st Century with special guest USM President Edmondson.

-  Video #2 - Understanding Public School Governance with special guest Kathy Garrard.

There will be one more planned video coming out right around the end of the month of April.  This last video will be focused on looking into the future of Public Schools and what we see ahead.  Our very special community champion for this last video will be Andrew Dolloff, current Superintendent of Schools in Yarmouth and long time Gorham resident!  Stay tuned!

TEN YEAR FACILITIES PLAN & UPCOMING BOND REQUEST

As you may recall,  about two years ago the Gorham School Department worked with the Town of Gorham to conduct a comprehensive facilities assessment.  C.H.A. was the firm that completed the study.  You can find a digital copy of the final report by CLICKING HERE.

Since then the Gorham Schools has been working to pick away at the needs outlined in this study.  We recently have approved bonds that have updated our HVAC system at GMS and we are now working on upgrades to the HVAC systems at GHS.  Additionally, we were able to complete the final phase of modular expansions at Narragansett Elementary School that will open up this coming fall.

As we continue to use this report to guide our decision making, we will be bringing forward a request to the Town Council for a bond package that would address the next round of facilities needs in our schools.  We hope to present our request to the Town Council in June in preparation for a potential referendum question on the November ballot.  This is the first request of what we see as four requests that will need to occur over the next 10+ years.  

You can view our updated 10 year capital facilities plan list by CLICKING HERE.  

One item on our upcoming list that you may have heard about is our tennis courts.  At this time, we are unable to play matches safely on our courts because they are in such bad condition.  We have had the courts resurfaced many times over the years, but they are 20+ years old and resurfacing is no longer an option.  

In our facilities plan, we would like to move the existing tennis courts from their current location at GHS to a new location at GMS that would offer more accessibility to both our students and the greater public.  This area was actually previously permitted for this exact move when the MS was built.  The map below shows the general area we would be seeking to move tennis courts to.

Although this would take up a part of the fields that currently exist, we have worked with Gorham Recreation and others to make sure that all existing activities would still be able to occur on the same site.

Another big project listed on this first referendum request would be to start on the first phase of modular expansions at GHS.  This first phase would add space to the existing cafeteria and build out an additional 7 classrooms over by where the existing modulars are.  This would also allow us to move Adult Education spaces from GMS to add additional classroom capacity at GMS as well.  There would be three planned phases of modular expansion at GHS that could be developed as a mid range solution to our current long term facilities needs.

Please feel free to review the ten year plan and reach out with questions you may have.  As we get closer to a potential referendum, much more information will be forthcoming.

FY 25 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

The School Committee had its 4th and final FY 25 Budget Workshop meeting on Monday, March 25.  The focus of this meeting was on the revenue side of the budget. At this meeting, it was agreed that we would utilize $600,000.00 in fund balance to offset taxpayer expense.  We left the meeting with the following numbers for our draft proposed FY 25 school budget.  Operating cost increases of 6.9% and an overall expenditure increase of 7.7% increase (this includes CIPS, Debt Service and Adult Education).  We’re looking forward to our budget workshop meeting with the Town Council scheduled for April 23, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. in the downstairs conference room.

The School Committee is scheduled to vote on the proposed FY 25 budget at their April 10 School Committee meeting scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. in council chambers. The meeting will be live streamed and recorded.

A reminder - you can view all FY 25 budget materials by going to our website. CLICK HERE for a direct link.

FAFSFA - HAVE YOU COMPLETED YOURS?

Due to the delayed rollout of the Better FAFSA, in Maine, the Class of 2024 is significantly behind the Class of 2023 in FAFSA submission. The chart below shows the differences.

Many of our students and families continue to face barriers or challenges when navigating the FAFSA application process. This is where our support and guidance become invaluable.

The U.S. Department of Education (USED) and the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) have Better FAFSA resources. A few are linked below:

• USED has created Better FAFSA Toolkits for parents and families and educators and counselors.

• NCAN’s Navigating the Challenges of the 2024-25 FAFSA is regularly updated and highlights the FAFSA’s known issues (and workarounds if they exist). It is a good partner to Federal Student Aid’s Pro-Tips for the 2024-25 FAFSA Form page.

• FAFSFA Flyer

GHS Seniors who are planning to attend college next fall should complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA as soon as possible if they haven't already done so. Although there have been challenges with the new FAFSA this winter, it is still the primary application for financial aid. Students who are planning to attend a Maine Community College through the Free Tuition at Maine Community Colleges Program, MUST complete the FAFSA to qualify for free tuition. Please see the resources below for more updates on FAFSA processing and for helpful information sessions offered by Maine's higher education agency, Finance Authority of Maine (FAME). 

Paying For College

FAME Tuesday Tips - FAFSA Processing has begun

FAME FAFSA Completion Sessions

GHS Seniors and/or family members that would like to learn more or have additional questions can reach out to Trisha Cherry directly at trisha.cherry@gorhamschools.org.

NEXT WEEK IS THE WEEK OF THE YOUNG CHILD!

What is the week of the young child?  The Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the world's largest early childhood education association.  The purpose of the Week of the Young Child is to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs.

This year's week is April 6 - April 12.  Want to learn more?  Check out these great resources from NAEYC!

I know we'll most definitely be celebrating our youngest learners in our schools!

UPDATE ON SCHOOL CALENDAR & SAMPLING OF END OF YEAR EVENTS

 

With the use of two storm days this week, I wanted to let folks know that that will push our last student day to Monday, June 10, 2024.  The last student day will be a half day of school for students.  GHS seniors, I think you can stop doing your "snow dances" now!  ☺

Speaking of seniors, graduation for GHS is planned for Sunday, June 9, 2024.  Graduation will be held on the competition field at GHS.  Below are a few other highlights of events - but please know there are MANY MORE.  The best way to follow events for your school is to go onto your school's webpage and check out their activity calendar!  There is so much going on - I can't possibly list everything here, but here's a sampling:

-  GHS Academic Awards Night - May 21 at 6:00 p.m. at MPAC.

-  K-5 Step up day - June 5  

-  GMS 8th grade celebration night - June 5 at 5:00 p.m. 

-  Incoming 6th grade family night - June 4 at 5:30 p.m. at GMS.

-  GHS Senior Walk - June 6 starting at approximately 8:45 a.m.

-  Senior celebration - June 6 at 6:30 p.m. at MPAC.

360 EVALUATION FOR SUPERINTENDENT

Each year the Gorham School Committee conducts a 360 evaluation process regarding my performance.  Part of this process involves sending out surveys and asking key stakeholders to please share your thoughts/opinions on current strengths of my leadership and current areas where I can improve.  This process is a great process to provide me much needed feedback on how it is that I can improve my practices each and every year to better serve the children of our great community.

I would ask Staff, Parents and Community members to please take a moment to complete this important survey.  I'll also send links out via our school messenger system more broadly.  Please note there are two surveys below. One for staff and one for parent/community.  Please be sure you click on the right one!  

Last year I had well over 250 parents/community participate and well over 200 staff!  This information is shared with SC members and used to help develop my goals for the coming year - so the information is very important!  Thank you in advance for participating!  

-  Staff 360 Survey For Superintendent

-  Parent/Community 360 Survey for Superintendent

That's it for this blog post.  Hopefully the next one I sent out I'll have power back!  Have a great weekend everyone and stay safe!