Thursday, October 1, 2026
Dina Skeffrey, current school board trustee hoping to be elected to the same position on May 19, says that support, especially for students, has been integral to her own development and her professional life. From her childhood as a student at the Columbus Avenue School and graduating from Freeport High School in 1993, to becoming an educator and role model for many, support has been a common theme.
“I have had amazing teachers in Freeport, especially in the high school, that ground me,” Skeffrey said. “They shaped my future, as well as my village. I come from a culture of really strong women and just a strong familial sense, so I always have the village.”
Skeffrey 51, attributes her love and value of education to her Jamaican parents’ upbringing, which she subsequently passed on to her own son who is a junior at Freeport High School. She began her school leadership journey while still attending Freeport High School when she started an HIV/AIDS awareness group at the school, which was one of the first of its kind during the early 1990s. She was honored by the Long Island Association for AIDS Care for this work and has left a legacy at the school through it.
Skeffrey went on to earn four different higher education degrees, including a master’s in business administration from Dowling College and a Ph.D. in curriculum instruction, science of learning and equity and justice from the University at Buffalo. With this training she we would earn various school administrative roles at Binghamton University in addition to serving as a marketing and business management professor at New York University. It’s through these roles that she feels equipped to serve Freeport as a school board trustee.
“It’s all the leadership,” she said. “It’s being within the community, it’s being active in the community, being a parent in the community (that has prepared me). So, your ears are always to the ground, and your eyes are always focused on students and student advocacy and just ensuring that our children have the most success.”
Skeffrey is currently the newest school board trustee, although she was not previously elected. In August 2025 Skeffrey was specially appointed by the school board after former trustee Beverly Jouissance was dismissed from the board when it was discovered that she did not live in the district. Jouissance was elected in May 2025 and is running in this year’s school board trustee election again. Scott Richardson is the only other incumbent in this year's election.
After being chosen by the board, Skeffrey hopes that Freeport voters will choose her to continue to serve. Skeffrey’s top priorities, assessing and strengthening the current curriculum, promoting various pathways for students towards college and other career or trade opportunities, valuing student well-being and establishing genuine avenues for families to express opinions and concerns to the board, all lead to her passion for supporting students.
“Looking and making sure that we’re really data driven and looking at assessments, looking to see where we need to improve in curriculum and making sure that we’re looking at pathways for college and pathways for the children that decide that they don’t want to go to college…must be enacted.”
A significant concern expressed by district employees and parents for months has been the perceived lack of transparency and accountability from the board on a variety of issues. Skeffrey clarified that while trustees are limited in what they disclose to the community, particularly when it comes to personnel matters, if elected she says she would help improve communications channels between the board, its employees and community stakeholders.
Ultimately, Skeffrey envisions Freeport Public Schools working as a community to do what is best for its students.
“I want to make sure that our children are having the most success within their high school years and within their elementary years that prepare them for the optimal academic and professional trajectory. Your voice, our schools, our future.”
This is a profile and not an endorsement of any candidates. The Freeport school board trustee’s election and budget confirmation will be on May 19. Freeport residents can register to vote Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Freeport Public Schools administration building.
