Portland Public Schools assemble transition, outreach team for new superintendent

Kate Snyder, chairwoman of the Portland Board of Education, is looking for folks to appoint to a transition team, which will help incoming Superintendent Emmanuel Caulk get acclimated in Portland as well as reach out to stakeholder groups in the community.

Kate Snyder

The school board will vote to officially confirm Caulk as the new top administrator on Tuesday night, and if confirmed, he’ll start in Portland on Aug. 20. For some more about Caulk, read this story and this one.

According to a Portland Public Schools announcement, Snyder hopes to have appointed the seven members of the transition team by July 17. One of the team members — and its chairman — will be a school board member. Currently serving as interim superintendent in Portland is Deering High School Principal Ira Waltz.

If you think you’ve got what it takes to join the transition task force, call or email Snyder (828-0711, snydek@portlandschools.org).

Here’s a few sentences from a district announcement of the transition team describing what the panel will do:

The team is charged with identifying all community-based groups working in support of the Portland Public Schools, and making suggestions to the new superintendent regarding the formation of any additional community-based support necessary to improve public process and engagement toward achievement of district goals. The team will submit a report of its findings with suggested next steps to the school board by December 31.

And here’s a statement by Snyder on the matter, also included in the district announcement:

We want to do everything possible to support our new superintendent’s success and bring him up to speed as quickly as possible. We believe it’s important to engage a team of community members, parents and members of the business community to supplement and support the organization’s internal staff during the transition in an effort to minimize any disruption to the important work taking place across the district. The transition team will play a crucial role in orienting Mr. Caulk to our city and the unique challenges that face the school district.

Seth Koenig

About Seth Koenig

Seth has nearly a decade of professional journalism experience and writes about the greater Portland region.