Beacon school board re-elects leaders

By Maeleeke J. Lavan
The Poughkeepsie Journal

BEACON -- Things remained mostly the same at the reorganization meeting of the Beacon Board of Education Tuesday.

One newcomer and two incumbents took their oaths of office, in addition to the election by the board of the school board president and vice president.

Once again, the board voted Deborah Sheers and William Zopf to their positions as president and vice president, respectively.

Incumbents Michael Riehl and Alyson Chugerman, along with newcomer Donna Pineiro, were sworn in to three-year terms. Pineiro defeated three-term incumbent Charles Walker in the May election. Earlier in the year, Chugerman was appointed to the board to fill Matthew Leber's seat.

''Both Alyson (Chugerman) and Donna (Pineiro) were both involved in parent groups in their children's schools,'' Board President Deborah Sheers said. ''Parental involvement is always a concern for us. That's an absolute strength that they both bring to the board.''

Walker to be missed

Even with new board members coming in, Sheers said, the enthusiasm Walker maintained during his nine years will be missed.

''He certainly showed us a lot of enthusiasm and diligence,'' she said. ''He always kept an eye on the finances and we appreciated his enthusiasm for our students and his emphasis on literacy. He will be missed.''

With all nine seats filled, the board is looking ahead to the coming school year.

''I think our main focus right now is the transition from old Beacon High School to the new Beacon High School,'' Sheers said.

She added the district plans on continuing to help students reach higher standards of learning.