Portland Public Schools: Renovations finished for three schools [Video]

PORTLAND, Maine — Parents, students, and educators celebrated the newly renovated Presumpscot, Longfellow, and Reiche elementary schools with a ribbon cutting on Saturday. 

“It’s just a really exciting day, talking to the community and all of the work that went into it,” Ryan Scallon, superintendent for Portland Public Schools, said. 

From early concerns about funding to disbelief that a handful of school buildings could be renovated all at once, school board member Emily Figdor said the community’s passion for education helped to make it happen. 

“We transformed Presumpscot and the other aging school buildings into 21st-century learning environments, and we did it under budget and ahead of schedule,” Figdor said. 

The projects were made possible through a $64 million bond approved by city voters in 2017. 

Community leaders Saturday also noted Lyseth Elementary School and its renovations, which …