Freeport School District 2025-2026 school budget passes, new trustees elected

Posted Tuesday, May 20, 2025 10:23 pm

New trustee Alphonso Hardwick also serves as President of the J.W. Dodd Middle School PTA and seeks to keep the school community informed through transparent communication.

Courtesy of Alphonso Hardwick

Beverly Jouissant, a mother of nine with seven children currently within the Freeport school system, was voted in as a board trustee. She also works as a school bus driver and commercial driving license teaching instructor

Courtesy of Beverly Jouissance

By Mohammad Rafiq

The Freeport School District of $250,942,714 was passed on Tuesday night, with 586 voters saying yes and 195 saying no.

The new budget does not provide for any increase to the tax levy.

Another proposition on the ballot authorizing the use of $2.5 million from the capital reserve fund for additional maintenance projects was also passed with 597 voting yes and 129 voting no.

Also on the ballot was the approval of about seven million dollars for the Freeport Memorial Library. This was passed with 616 yes votes to 159 no votes.

Trustees voted in

Non-incubment candidates Beverly Jouissance and Alphonso Hardwick both ran unopposed for seats previously held by Sharon Jackson and Maria-Jordan Awalom.

There were a total of 1058 votes in the two elections.

Jouissance was voted in as a trustee with 498 votes while Hardwick was voted in with 492 votes.

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