Coonan resigns from Malverne Board of Education

In what Malverne school officials described as a “shocking” and unexpected decision, Dr. Patrick Coonan, a Board of Education trustee for nearly nine years, suddenly resigned from the board earlier this month.

Coonan’s departure was announced by board President Danielle Hopkins in a press release sent to the Herald on April 9. Hopkins noted that District Clerk Lisa Ridley had received Coonan’s resignation, which was effective April 6.

Last week, Coonan, dean of the School of Nursing at Adelphi University for eight years, told the Herald that he was also becoming the acting director of Adelphi’s Center for Health Innovation. It was, he said, “absolutely” the right time to resign.

“I’ve enjoyed my time on the board,” he said. “But I can’t give it the time it deserves at this point. My responsibilities at work have changed. I have no time — that’s basically it.”

Coonan, 58, is a life-long resident of Malverne and a product of the Malverne School District. He was first elected to the Board of Education in 1997, finished his term in 2001 and chose not to run again when he found himself in the middle of a job transition. He didn’t run again until 2007, when he was elected to his second term. He won a third term last May. He served as board president for four years, and also as first vice president.

School officials described Coonan as a committed and passionate board member who was unafraid to speak his mind. He is an active member of the community, and a strong supporter of the district’s music programs who can often be found at high school marching band events as well as concerts.

Superintendent James Hunderfund praised Coonan as a strong educational leader with a valuable perspective who was dedicated to the district. “He was one of my original board members who hired me for my position in 2007,” Hunderfund recalled. “He brought an awful lot of expertise to the position. He had a strong set of convictions about what education should be and how it should be for every child.”

Hunderfund, who described Coonan as a “real Malvernite,” added that though they did not always see eye to eye, Coonan always acted in the best interests of the district and its residents. He was also, Hunderfund said, a passionate board member, someone who firmly believed in and defended his principles.

“He would not hold back his feelings,” Hunderfund said. “He was not afraid to say things, and sometimes it offended people. That was misinterpreted as possibly being too aggressive for some. I did not always agree with him, but most of the time we really had a united front to leading the district.”

Hopkins echoed those sentiments, and said she was surprised — and saddened — to learn that Coonan had resigned. “It was a hard decision for him, but he’s committed to his job,” said Hopkins, who has served on the board since 2005. “He cared about the district. I enjoyed working with him.”

Coonan said that he was proud of his accomplishments in the district, including the passage of a $14.1 million education bond approved by Malverne voters in November 2010, with which the district upgraded, repaired and expanded its two elementary school buildings and athletic facilities at the middle and high schools.

“Pat was one of the first to say, ‘We need this, we have to convince people on that,’” Hunderfund recalled. “He was decisive. He brought stability, support.”

Hunderfund also noted that Coonan was one of several people who helped implement a fourth-grade instrumental music program in the district, a change from previous years, when the program began in the middle school. “If there was anything he loved,” Hunderfund said, “he loved the music department.”

Coonan said that in recent years, the board has formulated responsible budgets. “We delivered some relatively good budgets over the past four or five years,” he said, “while trying to keep the taxes down and quality of education up.”

Asked whether he thought the school district was moving in the right direction, Coonan declined to comment.

The board’s first vice president, Karen Aker, who announced at the March 13 board meeting that she would retire on June 30, after 16 years on the board, said she was “shocked” when she heard about Coonan’s resignation. “I didn’t expect it,” Aker said. “And I’m really sorry to see him go.” Asked what about him stood out the most, she said, “Sometimes, when things would get a little crazy [at meetings] with back-and-forth talk, he’d say, ‘All right now, this is what we’re doing.’ He told it like it was.”

Aker added, “And he was very big on the music department. Mostly the marching band. He was always there when the kids performed. He was on the field, helping move equipment. He was always in the mix.”

“He was there for every child,” Hunderfund added. “Hopefully, we’ll have someone who can step in and step up, and, hopefully, help us. But we’re going to miss him.”

After Coonan’s resignation, the board held a special meeting on April 11, Hopkins said, at which it passed a resolution to put Coonan’s vacant seat on the ballot for the May 15 district election. The new trustee will serve the three remaining years of Coonan’s term.

Two candidates have submitted their paperwork to run for Aker’s seat, including Michael Taylor, of Rockville Centre, and Kathleen Nolan-Kasal, of Malverne. Josephine Bottitta, of Malverne, Joann Krudis, of Lynbrook, and Sherwyn Besson, of Lakeview, will vie for Coonan’s seat.