In her Oct. 5 superintendent’s Blog, Heather Perry announced dates and times for an upcoming Listening Tour. Perry explained, “As a superintendent of schools, I know that our public schools play a key role in the continued vibrance of our great community. Good public schools have a positive impact on workforce development and the ability to attract and retain business to an area, which in turn supports more jobs and continued economic development.”

She continued, “We can work to be as efficient as possible in the provision of our services and seek to understand more fully the conditions within which our community is working to support our schools. We can also work to help our community better understand what is being asked of today’s public schools. We can then use this information collectively as a community to better plan for our future in ways that ensure we are able to remain a vibrant and growing community.”

This is the purpose behind the FOUR evening community listening events. Each event will begin with a short informational presentation about our schools and then she will simply make herself available to do exactly what the title of these events suggests – the superintendent will sit and listen while community members present, talk and share thoughts and ideas.

There are THREE leading questions to spur conversation among those in attendance, but she is open to wander in whatever direction those present wish to in terms of sharing information with her. She will take copious notes and then collect the information gathered and share the key themes with the School Committee, and with the larger community (including Town Manager and Town Council) for use in future planning. The three leading questions will be:

• What are the top TWO things you value most about living in our community?
• What are the top TWO things you find challenging about living in our community?
• If you had a magic wand and unlimited funds – what ONE thing would you do in our community in order to maintain our vibrancy over the next 3-5 years?

It is Heather Perry’s sincere hope that folks are interested in participating. Here are the logistics for these FOUR listening meetings.

Dates, Times and Location

• Nov. 13, 2023, Jan. 22, 2024, March 26, 2024, May 20,2024
• All meetings will begin at 6 p.m. and last no longer than 1 hour.
• Summit Community Church, Gorham ME. (26 Cressey Road, Gorham ME)
• Light munchies, coffee, tea and water will be provided