Friday, November 7, 2025
The Freeport School District is facing mounting criticism from parents and other community members over a series of administrative changes, a lack of transparency and growing concerns about staff and student welfare.
Kenneth Saunders, a longtime Freeport parent and education advocate, voiced the frustrations and anxieties shared by many in the community as the district navigates a period of uncertainty.
Saunders, whose daughter, Lourdes Saunders-Blake, was valedictorian of Freeport High School’s class of 2025, described a district in disarray since the departure of Superintendent Kishore Kuncham in August of 2024.
The subsequent hiring and suspension of Superintendent Fia Davis, with little explanation for the administration’s actions, has left many parents in the dark.
“We have no information on what it is, whether there was any validity to the investigation, but we’re paying her,” Saunders explained, noting that Davis’s contract is also shrouded in uncertainty.
The Board of Education’s decision, at a meeting on Aug. 20, to eliminate assistant superintendent positions and replace them with “executive director” roles — with no explanation — has further fueled confusion.
“There’s no justification or explanation for why these things are being done,” Saunders said. “There’s no information in terms of what financial impact it has.”
Issues of transparency extend beyond administrative reshuffling. A number of parents recounted to the Herald how questions submitted by community members at board meetings have gone unanswered, and how meetings have ended abruptly, with parental concerns unaddressed.
That happened most recently at a Sept. 9 “special action” meeting of the board at Caroline G. Atkinson Intermediate School — the announcement of which, like those of a number of other recent meetings, was posted less than 24 hours before the meeting took place, in this case only about four hours.
At the end of the meeting, Dawn de la Llera, a parent of three Freeport children, asked the board why the minutes for the August meeting noted Trustee Sonia Dixon voting “yes” on the elimination of the role of the former assistant superintendent of educational and administrative services, when video evidence showed Dixon voting “no.” Last week’s meeting was summarily adjourned, with no answer given.
“There have been zero statement from the district, from the school board in regards to any of this,” De la Llera told the Herald. “There have been no press releases. There have been no statements.”
Many key positions — including superintendent, Columbus Avenue School principal and district directors of guidance and math, as well as two of the newly created executive director positions — remain unfilled or are held by individuals who were initially tapped as interim appointees.
The district has not clearly stated whether these individual’s interim status has changed along with their titles.
The restructuring, which resulted in the elimination of the assistant superintendent of educational and administrative services, a long-serving administrator who wished to remain unnamed, was approved under the leadership of Alice Kane, an interim superintendent with only a four-month contract.
“The board passed what they called a ‘modernization’ plan, but in reality, they are gutting our district’s leadership,” Jose Cuevas, another Freeport parent, wrote in a text message. “How can such a major shift happen so abruptly, without clear explanation?
“Why move forward when families are already concerned about rushed decisions, lack of transparency, reputational challenges, and the unprofessional behavior of certain board members?” Cuevas continued. He also criticized the board for its recent actions: calling abrupt meetings, skipping agenda sessions, and rushing through “emergency” items without informing members of the public.
In most school districts in New York state, Cuevas added, safety and security are the purview of Pupil Personnel Services or directly overseen by the superintendent, but under the district’s new arrangement, these responsibilities would be handled by the business office, which he described as a “serious red flag.”
“This is not modernization,” Cuevas said. “It is dismantling.”
Saunders shared reports of faculty being overworked, with some taking on additional classes for stipends, straining both morale and the district’s budget.
He described a climate of fear among staff, saying that a number of staff members have approached him off the record, complaining about the board’s actions but being unwilling to go public for fear of retaliation.
Saunders and other concerned parents are calling for greater transparency, accountability and communication from the board.
“The cumulative effect of all of these things suggests that something is wrong,” he concluded.
The lack of communication extends beyond board meetings. The district has not provided updates on the status of the superintendent or the timeline for filling key vacancies.
In addition, Dina Skeffrey, an unelected board appointee, replaced Beverly Jouissance, a recently elected board trustee who was subsequently dismissed from the board when it was found after her election that she does not live in the district.
Even issues like construction delays at the Freeport High School football field, at which no home games can be played, have gone unaddressed in public forums.
Community members are now calling for the board to explain the rationale behind the administrative overhaul, correct inaccuracies in official records, provide clear information about the district’s leadership and future plans — and offer clear answers to their questions.
The Freeport School District responded to queries by the Herald in a series of statements submitted through a PR person.
"The Board, in consultation with the superintendent, periodically evaluates the district’s administrative staffing to determine if changes or modifications might better serve the district’s needs," a statement read. "In evaluating all current positions, it was determined that duplicative and repetitive responsibilities existed across positions that could be redistributed for better operational efficiency. We are confident that this new structure will serve our district well into the future."
Regarding the current job vacancies, the district's statement read "The Board of Education is currently discussing its options and what will be in the best interests of the district in terms of moving towards the appointment of permanent personnel in all positions currently being filled by interim administrators," adding that the community "will be updated when those decisions have been finalized."
About board member Sonia Dixon's vote of "no" regarding the elimination of the former assistant superintendent of educational and administrative service's role being recorded on the meeting minutes as a "yes," the district stated that it was a clerical error that has since been fixed.
In response to a question about the lack of public comments permitted at board meetings the district responded, "According to the New York School Board Association, although most school boards routinely include a public comment opportunity in their agendas, there is no legal obligation.
"School board meetings are meetings of the board of education that are required to take place in public; however, they are not actually meetings of the public. Rather, they are business meetings held to conduct board business."
The question as to why public comments were not allowed at recent meetings remained unanswered.
