Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Freeport school board election results were announced on May 19 and determined that the trio of Gabriela Castillo, Edward Gordon and Michael Pomerico have been elected to serve as school board trustees.
The district's adopted school budget of $260 million was also approved by voters, with a vote of 1,342 to 526. The spending plan represents a $9.8 million, or 3.99 percent, increase over the current year’s budget.
The Freeport Memorial Library budget of $7.23 million was also voted upon, and was passed with 1,437 to 406.
Castillo, who served on the Freeport school board from 2019 to 2022, received 1,352 votes. Gordon received the second highest total votes with 1,343. Both will start their terms on July 1 and conclude their terms on June 30, 2029.
Since Pomerico, who was on the Freeport school board from 2007 to 2019, received the third most votes, with 1,314, began his term immediately and will only serve a two year term, ending on June 30, 2028.
Incumbents Scott Richardson and Dina Skeffrey received 473 votes and 429 votes respectively.
Marie Carmel Houanche got 204 votes, and Beverly Jouissance, who was elected to the school board last year before being removed, received 217 votes. There were 20 write-in votes.
Before the election, Pomerico told the Herald that if he, Castillo and Gordon were voted in, they would use their majority on the five-member board to elect Pomerico as president and Castillo as vice president in July.
"While I wait for my running mates to get appointed, I will be vetting upcoming personnel appointments, reviewing consultant contracts and associated fees," Pomerico told the Herald after the results were released Tuesday night at the Caroline G. Atkinson Elementary School.
A separate budget proposition authorizing the use of $2.5 million in capital reserve funds, was also approved, 1,545 to 283.
The budget had no tax levy increase for the third consecutive year, meaning that Freeport taxpayers will not have their taxes raised due to board spending.
Despite the budget's success, several residents have noted their concern with the item line "administrative expenses," which has more than doubled from $120,000 to over $280,000. Other residents suggested online that the district was “wasting” funds on the Perkins Group, the district’s consulting firm, with costs ranging into several tens of thousands of dollars.
The district has continued to pay reassigned former Superintendent Fia Davis while a lawsuit filed by the district is still being addressed in court. Since her reassignment, the district has also had to pay Alice Kane, who was hired to be the interim superintendent for nearly a year before she returned to retirement on April 1, and Shakirah Miller, who took over the interim position on April 2.
During several budget presentations, district administrators did not clarify whether the increase in administrative spending was attributable to three superintendent salaries or other factors.
Pomerico, Castillo and Gordon had attracted a great deal of vocal support for their campaign from Freeport residents. Over the past few weeks, the trio pledged to make school board operations more transparent. One key group that backed them was the Freeport Teachers Association.
“The Freeport Teachers Association stands in full support of the Castillo, Gordon and Pomerico team for our school board,” Patricia Langan, the union’s president, told the Herald. “The educators of this district wish to devote our time, skills and love to the children of Freeport. Under the current board, we have been battling poor working conditions, compliance issues and retaliatory behavior. We need change.”
Langan added that the FTA believes that trio have “no agenda but our students’ welfare.”
“This team will weed out the dishonesty and the corruption that has damaged the people who educate and protect the children of Freeport,” Langan said. “We support this team because we love our students.”
Not all voters were as confident in the winners. Pomerico, in particular, was the subject of some ire from district residents after he made controversial comments about transgender students when asked about diversity, equity and inclusion during a candidates forum at John W. Dodd Middle School last Friday.
“Everybody should be the same — but there is one place where I draw the line,” Pomerico said. “If you’re born a male, you’re born a male. If you’re born a female, you’re born a female. I shouldn’t have males — just because this week or this year, you want to think you’re a girl, and you should go in the girls’ locker room. I’m against that.”
Freeport Pride, an organization that focuses on advocacy and resources for the village’s queer communities, published a lengthy news release focusing on the perceived “reduction or disruption of outside services” connected to anti-bullying and LGBTQ advocacy, in addition to alluding to Pomerico’s public comments.
“As an organization, we want to be absolutely clear: all students, including LGBTQ+ students, deserve dignity, respect, safety and support within our schools,” the statement read.
It went on to acknowledge that several candidates, presumably including Pomerico, made clear statements against harassment and discrimination of all students, but expressed frustration in what it deemed inadequate or inconsistent support of LGBTQ communities by district administrators. Freeport Pride’s Facebook account showed support for Pomerico, Castillo and Gordon when the Herald broke the news of their election.
Pomerico was sworn in as soon as the election results were made official. He was scheduled to take part in his first school board meeting on Thursday at 5 p.m. at Freeport High School, after the Herald went to press.
This story has been updated.
