As the new school year begins and summer vacation ends for students in Freeport-based Regional School Unit 5, the district’s new superintendent is preparing for a busy policy season.

The official starting day for the new superintendent, Tom Gray, was Monday, Aug. 18. Gray is taking time to meet with the former superintendent, Jean Skorapa, to review the district’s budget, school policies, district culture, procedures and more.

Skorapa retired as superintendent at the end of the 2024-2025 school year but remains on the payroll as a consultant to assist with the new superintendent’s transition into the role until the end of September 2025, Gray said. He will bring nearly 30 years of experience to his new role as superintendent, according to a letter sent to RSU 5 families and community members.

“Whenever you step into a role like this, the expression that is commonly used is that it’s like drinking from a firehose,” Gray said.

One discussion that will occur for the upcoming school year is the policies surrounding the use of cellphones in classrooms, following the ban by school districts like RSU 1 for grades 6-12. Maine requires school districts to have a policy in place by the following summer, with the school board developing the policy throughout the school year.

“It’s a statewide and national conversation, and we are definitely going to be taking it up this year,” Gray said.

Another item for RSU 5 will be to undertake a new strategic plan, with work on it beginning last winter and continuing through the 2025-2026 school year. Gray is excited to develop a vision for the schools, conducting surveys and focus groups with stakeholders and children.

Last spring, focus groups were held at the high school, and in early September, focus groups will be conducted for middle school students. The dates of the community focus groups are Monday, Sept. 22, at Pownal Elementary School Cafeteria, 6-7 p.m.; Thursday, Sept. 25, at Durham Community School Cafeteria, 6-7 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Freeport Community Library, 10-11 a.m.; and Tuesday, Sept. 30, at the Freeport High School cafeteria, 6-7 p.m. A virtual session for the community focus group will be on Oct. 1 from noon to 1 p.m.

Gray’s pathway into education began 30 years ago as an ed tech at Enfield Station School, where he taught social studies and led the Camden-Rockport school system’s gifted and talented program for many years. Later, Gray served as the principal of Mount View High School in Thorndike.

Gray previously served as the assistant superintendent for RSU 40 during the previous school year, where he managed federal grants and worked on essential programs such as those for multilingual learners and gifted and talented students.

Whenever Gray walks into a school, he is hopeful and grateful for the opportunity to work with children and families, Gray wrote in the letter sent to RSU 5 families and community members.