The Mineola Board of Education held its annual reorganization meeting last week as new board trustee Terry Hale was sworn in, replacing former trustee Mary Ellen Williams. Also taking the oath of office in public was trustee Will Hornberger, although Hornberger was sworn into office in May immediately after his victory in the school board election.

If the majority of community members who voted in the last two school board elections demanded change, they certainly got it. The majority of five-member school board is virtually new with trustee Laraine Salvatore having been elected last year and Hornberger and Hale having been elected in May. Trustees John McGrath and Steve Siwinski are the veterans of the board.

At the annual reorganization meeting, the board elects a president and vice president for a year. The board unanimously chose Siwinski as its president and Salvatore as its vice president.

The major decision of the board in the upcoming months will be whether to close a school or schools or keep the education program as it currently stands. The board has elected to have another community focus group in September during which community members will have the opportunity to give input on a variety of options presented to the community during a survey.

The two options that received the most support during the survey include the fourth option, which called for using five of the seven schools (one for pre-K and first grade, one for grades 2-5, one for grades 6-8 and one for grades 9-12) and the third option, which also called for using five schools (one for pre-K and first grade, one for grades 1-4, one for grades 1-4, one for grades 5-7 and one for grades 8-12). Both options require the closing of two schools.

Trustee McGrath has already said he is in favor of leaving all schools open and continuing the educational program as it currently is being delivered.

One action the board took during the reorganization meeting was voting to begin board meetings at 7 p.m. in the Willis Avenue School cafeteria instead of beginning the meeting with a 6:30 p.m. work session in the second floor staffing room and the public meeting beginning at 7:30 p.m.

The next meeting of the board is scheduled for Thursday, July 17.

- Joe Rizza