Bangor Bulletin
Bangor School Department| August 2025
Dear Bangor School Department Community
Welcome Back to the 2025-2026 School Year!
- BSD Updates
- Superintendent's Message
- Together We Thrive - Parent Resources
- FY26 Calendar
I am thrilled to welcome you back to the 2025-2026 school year! I hope you’re all enjoying your summer and engaging in activities that bring you joy.
This year, we continue our “Campaign of Belonging.” The Bangor School Department (BSD) is a fantastic place to work and learn! Thanks to our dedicated Director of Community Outreach, Ray Phinney, we have created several videos on our website showcasing our incredible staff and students. This will be an ongoing project to ensure everyone feels welcome and develops a strong sense of belonging here. Each school will actively work on enhancing our culture, tailored to their unique environments, but with a unified goal: everyone belongs.
Our central office has been busy this summer. A special thank you to all who have worked diligently to onboard new staff, process payroll, and prepare for the upcoming school year!
Here are some updates:
- Central Registration: Our registration process is running smoothly, thanks to Heather Hopkins and Danielle Tasker at Bangor High School, who have coordinated efforts to support families transitioning to BSD. This service will continue until August 25, 2025, when it will shift back to individual schools.
- Enhanced Communication: We are committed to improving communication with students and families this year. Families will continue to receive newsletters from school principals as well as communication from teachers about new lessons being taught and upcoming topics. We have created a new district-wide calendar on our school department website to keep you updated on events in all of our schools.
- New Online Program: We are enrolling high school students in our new online pilot program (RAMp), led by Graduation Coach Angela Domina, designed to offer a non-traditional pathway to graduation while maintaining the integrity of a BSD diploma. The pilot program is being offered to a small group of students who have met the established criteria. Students in the program will work one-on-one with Mrs. Domina to complete required courses and meet state learning objectives. We would like to thank Brewer Superintendent Gregg Palmer for sharing his expertise in this endeavor with us, which allows BSD to offer multiple pathways of support to our students and families.
- Welcoming New Staff: I’ve had the pleasure of meeting our new teaching staff, and I am excited about the passion they bring to BSD.
- Successful ESY Program: Our Extended School Year (ESY) Program has been a success this summer. Thank you to Assistant Director Jeannie McAlpine and the building administrators for their strong support.
- Maintenance and Improvements: Our maintenance and custodial teams have been hard at work ensuring our buildings are clean and ready for learning, with significant improvements underway.
- Administrative Changes: We welcome Erin Ireland, Stephen Urli, and Stephen Riitano to our administrative team. Dr. Dan Chadbourne, formerly Assistant Principal of WSCS, is now our Interim Director of Pupil Services. The BSD holds bimonthly Administrative Council and District Team meetings to foster consistency and alignment across the department.
- Professional Learning Opportunities: This year, our calendar includes six early release days dedicated to professional learning. Building administrators are developing responsive school plans that focus on current initiatives, including the critical analysis of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and the continued implementation of PBIS in grades PK-8.
As the proud leader of the Bangor School Department, I am guided by three core values: educational equity, overall health and well-being, and continuous improvement. This year, our district goals will be more personalized, with each school setting academic, attendance, and “Campaign of Belonging” goals aligned with community needs.
Specific district initiatives include:
- Strategic Planning: We are working with the Center for Education Policy, Applied Research and Evaluation (CEPARE) to review and revise our strategic plan. This process, which will involve listening sessions that include representative groups in all areas of the school department and community. Beginning this fall, we aim to roll out the completed plan in fall 2026.
- Non-Profit Organization Formation: This year we will design a timeline for the creation of a partner organization to support student learning, allowing for grant opportunities not available to public entities and enhancing community involvement.
- Facilities Plan: Our updated strategic plan will include a specific plan for our ten buildings, focusing on high-quality learning environments while maintaining fiscal responsibility.
- Human Resource Processes: Our HR committee is working on ensuring equitable hiring practices, modifying applications, and streamlining the hiring process for greater autonomy for building principals and in support of our goal of hiring and retaining high quality staff.
Enjoy the rest of your summer! We look forward to seeing everyone on the first day of school!