The Everett School Committee began 2017 by electing a new Chairman and Vice Chairman, as Berardino D’Onofrio and Robert Carreiro were unanimously elected to lead the committee during an important period of growth for the district.
Newly elected School Committee Chairman Berardino D’Onofrio and Superintendent of Schools Frederick F. Foresteire.
“This is, without a doubt, the best group of gentlemen I have ever worked with,” said D’Onofrio, a three-term committee member who is succeeding Frank Parker in the chairman’s role. “I look forward to this new adventure and thank you for putting your faith in me.”
Carreiro brings decades of experience to his leadership position. In addition to being a veteran member of the committee, he is a former teacher and a past president of the Everett Teachers Association. He also served as chairman of the committee in 2011.
“I congratulate Mr. D’Onofrio and Mr. Carreiro on their deserved appointments,” said Superintendent of Schools Frederick F. Foresteire. “This is a committee that never fails to put our students’ interests above all else.”
The committee’s biggest priority for the coming year is to continue the district’s work with the state on a new elementary school. The new building will alleviate overcrowding in existing schools and account for continued expansion of the school system’s student population in the coming years. The district received initial approval from the Massachusetts School Building Authority in 2016, but it has to continue to reach benchmarks and meet deadlines to bring the project to fruition.
“Our schools are housing more students than were intended when they were first constructed,” said Superintendent of Schools Frederick F. Foresteire. “While our teachers, administrators and staff are doing a great job of meeting the needs of our students, expanding enrollment figures require us to act now.”
This is an era of great community-wide cooperation among school leaders, city and state officials, service organizations, and businesses. “I have never seen everyone pulling together like they have in recent years,” Superintendent Foresteire said. “From the mayor’s office to the state house, we have dedicated people doing everything they can to help us provide a world-class education to our students.”