‘Portrait of a Graduate’ Guides High School for the Future Work; District Applies for 9–16 Facility Funding

Portland Public Schools staff updated the curriculum and policy committee on the district’s High School for the Future initiative on Thursday, summarizing the Portrait of a Graduate and the Portrait of a School Community that will guide course, staffing and facility design and reporting that the district is on track to apply for the state’s 9–16 educational facility fund.

Pamela Otonu, who presented the update, said the Portrait of a Graduate emerged from more than 1,000 stakeholder interviews, surveys and focus groups and identifies six graduate attributes (self-advocacy, community builder, lifelong learner, skilled communicator, problem solver and prepared for success). A complementary Portrait of a School Community lists eight conditions that stakeholders say are necessary to develop those attributes, including meaningful curriculum, adequate staffing, strong community partnerships and quality facilities.

Otonu said the district has used the Portrait frameworks to inform the mission and vision for an integrated campus proposal and that staff are working with school leaders, a design team and external partners to draft pathways and program details for the state grant application. The update named local partners being consulted, including Southern Maine Community College (SMCC), University of Southern Maine (USM), MaineHealth, Portland Boys & Girls Club and technology partners.

Otonu described student engagement efforts: a March 25 student summit brought more than 100 high-school students together for student‑led focus groups; school-based student facilitators ran the sessions and adults primarily listened and took notes. Staff said they will review summit data with school teams this spring and report back to students in the fall on action steps schools plan to take.

The update highlighted three operational priorities already underway: strengthening teacher collaboration time and data use (including adoption of PowerSchool tools for on‑track monitoring), expanding ninth‑grade supports (Summer Bridge and cross‑school ninth‑grade teams) and boosting postsecondary readiness (goal: 100% of students to complete a postsecondary plan; target: 80% of college‑bound students complete FAFSA by May 1).

Otonu said the district has piloted stronger ninth‑grade data meetings using spreadsheets and WinMe while PowerSchool tools are finalized; Summer Bridge programming has operated two years and is being expanded beyond the initial cohort. A recent visit to Maloney High School (outside the district) allowed counselors and administrators to observe a model data‑team meeting, and staff said they plan to replicate successful practices where applicable.

Committee members praised the scale of community engagement and asked for a workshop with the full board to present the work in more depth. Member questions focused on common implementation challenges: data access and platform readiness, scheduling and protected time for teacher collaboration, postgraduation tracking and how smaller pilot steps can be sustained while a facilities application is pending.

Otonu said the district will apply on time for the state 9–16 facility fund and that implementation work is happening now rather than waiting for funding decisions. Staff emphasized that the Portrait frameworks will shape both near‑term operational changes and longer‑term facility design.