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Profile: HEATHER J. PERRY

Growing up in a town of fewer than 1,000 residents in rural Maine, Heather Perry learned the value of nurturing and developing strong relationships. It鈥檚 a skill she has refined throughout her three-plus decades in education, first as a teacher, then as a building administrator and superintendent of two small districts prior to moving to Gorham School District 11 years ago.

Though her 2,800-student district is almost three times the size of her hometown, Perry has developed effective relationships in her community, home to the University of Southern Maine. Those connections have led to programs such as Aspire Gorham that have boosted the district鈥檚 graduation rate to 96.5 percent, one of the state鈥檚 highest, while having the second lowest per-pupil expenditure in Maine鈥檚 most populous county.

鈥淭he work we do in public schools is very relational,鈥� says Perry, a finalist for the 2026 National Superintendent of the Year. 鈥淗aving partnerships and continuing to foster relationships in a meaningful way helps build trust. People feel confident that when they ask you important questions that they鈥檙e getting the right answers.鈥�

Aspire Gorham, described as a 鈥渂irth to adult initiative,鈥� partners with businesses and community organizations to help students develop real skills for real life while measuring what matters, key principles of AASA鈥檚 Public Education Promise. Through the initiative, the district has expanded career pathways and seen dramatic increases in internships, mentorships and career and technical education offerings.

鈥淲e started the program with maybe 15 business partners and now we鈥檙e up to 350,鈥� Perry says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e seen increases in our overall graduation rates and achievement scores for the most socioeconomically disadvantaged populations that we attribute highly to this program.鈥�

Perry also established the state鈥檚 first teacher apprenticeship program in Gorham. 鈥淚 wanted to see how we could use it as a way to build a pipeline for education, starting with entry-level positions such as technicians and paraprofessionals and ultimately for teaching positions specifically in areas that are hard to fill, like special education.鈥�

Gorham鈥檚 pre-apprentice program starts at the high school level. After graduation, apprentices work for 18 months at an entry-level position in the district while taking university classes. After completing the program, graduates are certified as education technicians and halfway to a bachelor鈥檚 degree in special education at no cost.

About 70 percent of the 84 apprentices who have enrolled in the program are pursuing bachelor鈥檚 degrees, a number that Perry says is encouraging. She hopes to expand the program to include early childhood and career and technical education, among others.

鈥淲e鈥檝e created a program where an individual could, if they choose, become a certified special education teacher with very little out-of-pocket pain while working the whole time with benefits,鈥� Perry says. 鈥淣ot everyone is choosing to become a teacher, and that鈥檚 fine by us because they are happy to work as care professionals and they are sticking around.鈥�

Eileen King, executive director of the Maine School Superintendents Association, calls Perry a 鈥渢rue beacon of educational leadership,鈥� noting other districts have since added the apprenticeship program. 鈥淗eather is a role model, a problem solver, a collaborator and a steadfast advocate for public education,鈥� she says.

Nicole Yeo-Fisher, chair of the Gorham School Committee, agrees. 鈥淲hen folks know I鈥檓 from Gorham, they tell me amazing things about Heather and what a leader she is, not just in our district, but throughout the state 鈥�. It makes me very proud to know that she鈥檚 here in our district.鈥�

Glenn Cook is a freelance writer in Alexandria, Va.