Marshwood presenter outlines rapid growth of Extended Learning Opportunities and career pathways

Rob Scully, the district’s Extended Learning Opportunities coordinator, gave a detailed presentation on the ELO program and its expansion, saying the work began with a statewide ELO expansion grant and aims to connect students to paid, career-connected experiences and community partners.

Scully told the board the program grew from about 27 student experiences and 15 partners in its first year to roughly 45 experiences and 24 partners in the second year, and he projected about 82 student experiences by the end of the current year if referrals and interest continue. “If you build it, they will come,” Scully said, summarizing the program’s early uptake.

The presentation outlined the program’s goals—building viable career pathways, establishing community partnerships, and creating sustainable structures including an ELO coordinator position, staff development and a learning-management tool. Scully described how students begin with interest inventories and skill assessments in September, craft individualized learning plans, and then move to partner-based applied learning in later quarters. He used a student example, Brendan, who progressed from assessment to an on-site visit and submitted an application that could lead to employment.

Scully emphasized the district’s use of Pathful (a learning-management system) to roster and profile students, and noted Jobs for Main Graduates and other open resources are used when Pathful does not meet a need. He said the program balances direct individualized experiences (serving an estimated 70–100 students) with indirect, classroom-based activities meant to provide “100% equitable access” to exposure and planning tools for the broader student body.

Board members asked how ELO integrates with existing vocational options such as Sanford Technical Center and with partnerships like the Portman shipyard, Pratt & Whitney and York County Community College. Scully said the program can complement Sanford Tech—students can return to their schedules and plug into ELO supports—and described ongoing work with the Department of Labor to make apprenticeships more accessible for juniors and seniors.

Directors also pressed on capacity and staffing: whether the district can meet demand if it scales rapidly, how scheduling and coverage in elementary and middle schools would be managed, and what funding will sustain the coordinator role. Scully acknowledged “capacity” and “maximum density” constraints but said the program designers are pursuing regional partnerships and multiple tools to build redundancy.

The presentation closed with next steps: continued partner development, rollout of Pathful to sophomores for four-year portfolios, plans for public exhibitions of student work, and an application for an ELO 2.0 grant the district had submitted that week to continue momentum.

Board members said they supported the program but asked staff to identify precise budget and space implications before large-scale expansion. Scully and central-office staff committed to sharing capacity and staffing scenarios during budget planning.