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Portland schools outline summer bridge, credit recovery and multilingual camps; transportation varies by program
Summary
Assistant Superintendent Abdullah Ahmed summarized summer offerings including summer bridge for rising ninth graders, credit recovery, multilingual camps, ESY and intensive courses; families were urged to contact schools and some middle‑school programs will have district transportation.
Portland — The Portland Board of Public Education received a detailed update June 17 on the district’s summer programming for secondary students, including summer bridge for incoming ninth graders, credit recovery, multilingual summer camp, extended school year (ESY) for students with IEPs, and short intensive courses.
Assistant Superintendent Abdullah Ahmed told the board that programs are targeted: summer bridge is designed to build academic skills and confidence for incoming ninth graders; credit recovery enables students who fell behind to regain course credit before the next school year; multilingual programming and a Make It Happen leadership program will serve English learners; and ESY will continue required special‑education services during summer months.
Mr. Ahmed said program sites will include Deering High School (secondary ESY and some intensives), Casco Bay (intensives and certain camps), and Portland High School (multilingual programs), while each school will run its own summer bridge. He told the board that families will receive outreach from guidance counselors when students are recommended for credit recovery and that multilingual staff and Make It Happen coordinators will recruit eligible students for their programs.
Board members asked operational questions. The assistant superintendent said district transportation will be provided for middle‑school summer programs that require it and that ESY transportation required by students’ IEPs will be provided. He also said most summer offerings occur in July, with program lengths varying by offering.
Why it matters: Summer programming can hold students on track for graduation, give incoming ninth graders an academic head start, and sustain services required by IEPs and English‑learner programming. Accessibility questions — recruitment, transportation and cost — determine whether students can participate.
Key clarifications: The assistant superintendent said there are no fees for summer classes and that families should contact their school administrators or guidance counselors to enroll or to confirm eligibility.
