News & Events

On March 18, Educators for a Multilingual Maine presented its 2023 Language Teacher of the Year award to Annemarie Orth, a Spanish teacher at Casco Bay High School and a world language specialist for the Portland Public Schools.

The $141.3 million Portland Public Schools superintendents’ recommended school budget for the 2023-2024 school year has three key priorities: It maintains the district’s commitment to its Portland Promise goals of Achievement, Whole Student and People – all centered on the fourth goal of Equity; is responsive to the needs of all students, especially students newly learning English; and improves operational effectiveness in such areas as finance and human resources. The FY24 budget balances challenging fiscal constraints, including a significant reduction in state aid and inflation, with increased costs to support staff and students, while being cognizant of taxpayers. It would increase the school portion of the tax rate by 7 percent, adding about $15.60 per month to the tax bill of the average homeowner.

The Portland Public Schools is proud that Casco Bay High School is featured in a new book titled “Schools of Opportunity: 10 Research-Based Models of Equity in Action.” The book focuses on schools that use equity-oriented practices that close opportunity gaps.

A Casco Bay High School sophomore has won a statewide essay competition about a teacher at the school who made a difference and a Casco Bay junior earned an Honorable Mention for his tribute to a former teacher at Ocean Avenue Elementary School.

Portland Public Schools educators at the high school, middle school and elementary level recently shared some examples of innovative humanities and English language arts (ELA) teaching and learning in our schools this year. Read on to learn more details.

Every January and April, Casco Bay High School pauses classes so students can engage in week-long, elective courses called intensives, in which students can study a topic in depth, all day, for five days. This January, the school offered a new intensive called “Casco Teaches.” It was designed to introduce students to the world of teaching and to the concept of teaching as a future profession