The Portland Board of Public Education held a ceremony on Dec. 9 to inaugurate its newest members. At the event, the Board also formally voted to elect current Board Chair Sarah Lentz and current Board Vice Chair Abusana "Micky" Bondo to continue on in those roles for 2025-2026. At a caucus on Nov. 25, the Board had informally indicated they would support Lentz and Bondo as Board chair and vice chair for the coming year.

Sworn in at the ceremony were District 3 Board member Julianne Opperman and two other Board members, at-large representatives Sarah Lentz and Jayne Sawtelle. All three were re-elected in the Nov. 4 election to new three-year terms.

Lentz, a PPS parent and director of strategic initiatives, culture and community for the Maine Philanthropy Center. Lentz was first elected in a special election in June 2022 to fill an unexpired term for an at-large seat and then was reelected to the seat that following November. Sawtelle is a retired Portland High School music teacher who was elected to fill an unexpired term for an at-large seat in a special election this past June. Opperman is a retired educator who was first elected to her District 3 seat in November 2022.

At the ceremony, Board member Sarah Brydon nominated Lentz to continue on as chair, telling Lentz that she has “a great degree of respect for the care and thought and nuance you bring to the role” and also noted the time and energy Lentz devotes to the position.  

Opperman nominated Bondo to continue on as vice chair, describing her as a “gifted leader” and praising Bondo’s knowledge of the schools and her advocacy for all students. 

Bondo said she considers her charge as vice chair to be “a call for accountability and action.” The Board had recently received feedback from staff that the district is not living up to its commitment to equity. Bondo said she is committed “to continue to listen about where our system is broken” and work to ensure that the Portland Public Schools is safe and affirming for all students and staff.

In her remarks, Lentz also referenced the negative feedback the Board had received, particularly from those speaking at the Board’s Nov. 25 meeting.

“Many people from across the district came to share their experiences, fears and worries about existing racism and other forms of oppression that are ongoing in the district,” she said. “I am very thankful for each of the people who came and shared their stories and experiences. It is a gift in the Portland Public Schools that people are honest and willing to share so that we can do better for our community and ultimately our students. However, instead of listening and truly hearing what the community was saying, I made remarks that added to the hurt and pain in the room. My remarks made people feel dismissed, othered, and not valued. For that, I am deeply sorry.  Please know that I am fully invested in repairing the harm I caused.”

Lentz said she plans to personally apologize to each of the speakers at that meeting. She also pledged to “listen more deeply.” Also, she said that she and Vice Chair Bondo are working on a Board resolution that she expects that the Board will vote on at its Dec. 16 meeting. Lentz said the draft resolution "outlines concrete actions steps we would like the district to take in response to what we are hearing in the community” and said she wants to “move our equity work and community forward.” 

Also sworn at the ceremony were four student representatives to the Board: Sebastian Milstein-Jones, representing Casco Bay High School; Safa Mohamed, representing Deering High School; Emery Grant, representing Portland High School; and Caroline O’Brien, representing the Portland Arts and Technology High School or PATHS.

Lentz praised the work of student representatives on the Board. Student representatives are “incredible,” she said. “They show up prepared, thoughtful, and determined to make the district better. Outside of their responsibilities with the Board, each of them is heavily involved in their community…I am so grateful that even with everything else they hold, they chose to commit to the Board and to making the district better.”

The Portland Public Schools High School Orchestra performed at the ceremony.

A business meeting and executive session followed the Inauguration Ceremony. Watch the inauguration and business meeting on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZAHrgN1d3ps

The Portland Public Schools is Maine’s largest school district, with more than 6,200 students, and it’s also the most diverse. About one-third of the district’s students come from homes where languages other than English are spoken—a total of 59 languages. Approximately 48 percent of the district’s students are white and 52 percent are students of color. More than half of all PPS students are economically disadvantaged.