by Ira J. Schildkraut
In the absence of Board President Debra McQuillan, Vice President Debra Mulé presided, as the Freeport Board of Education dispatched with business in less than an hour, at its sparsely attended session on November 5. The meeting focused mainly on information from its members and the superintendent of schools.
After a 10-minute recess for an executive session discussion related to a collective negotiation matter, Trustee Carmen Pineyro reported on her attendance at a four-day national Latino educators conference in Washington, D.C. She reported that there is a growing interest in dual-language programs, something the Freeport Schools started in 1993. Now taught in pre-kindergarten through grade 6, Ms. Pineyro suggested that the district review expanding the program through grades 7 and 8.
Mrs. Mulé announced that the visiting students from Waldorf, Germany, will be here November 10-17, and that the high school has done an outstanding job planning a rewarding program for them.
Superintendent of Schools Eric L. Eversley reported that the district’s November 4 Staff Development Day had been a success. The certified staff focused on English language learning. The keynote speaker discussed reading, while the speaker in the afternoon emphasized vocabulary. There were 26 workshops throughout the day for teachers and administrators.