Thursday, October 1, 2026
Sunday Coward, who served as a Freeport Board of Education trustee for a combined 11 years, resigned last week following months of noticeable tension and differences in opinion between Coward and fellow trustees, particularly after she lost the board presidency to Michael Pomerico in July.
Coward’s resignation from the board was made public during a school board meeting on Sept. 9, at the Caroline G. Atkinson Elementary School. While board members have declined to speak further on what they believed led to Coward’s resignation, Pomerico explained that he and the other remaining trustees — Gabriela Castillo, Alphonso Hardwick and Edward Gordon — are seeking to appoint an interim replacement.
Coward, who was absent from the Sept. 9 board meeting and the one prior to it, did not respond to the Herald’s requests for comment as of press time.
Coward spent a total of 11 school years as a Freeport school board trustee, first from 2000 to 2006, and later from 2021 to 2026. She served as board vice president for four school years, from 2001-2002 and 2021-2024. Coward also was selected by her fellow trustees to serve as board president for the 2002-2003 and 2024-2026 school years.
She earned the support of many Freeport voters, and even received an endorsement from a previous Herald reporter, running on her decades-long career in higher education where she held several positions, including the director of the Search for Education, Elevation and Knowledge program at New York City’s Hunter College.
After a 15-year hiatus from the school board, Coward was a part of the administrative team that helped guide the school district out of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, several controversies and complaints about district leadership led to her and her fellow trustees’ popularity decreasing among some parents and much of the Freeport Teachers Association.
Most notably, the school board’s handling of a lawsuit connected to the suspension of Superintendent Fia Davis and the tens of thousands of dollars the district spent on services from the Perkins Consulting Group under Coward’s leadership led to growing frustration among district stakeholders.
Castillo, Gordon and Pomerico campaigned together and were elected to the board after publicly criticizing decisions by Coward and the former board members- Hardwick, Sonia Dixon, Scott Richardson and Dina Skeffrey.
Pomerico and Coward often argued with one another during public meetings in front of district employees and parents, especially after Pomerico took over her board president seat. Coward alleged in public that the current board was “segregated” after the board elected Pomerico as president during a private executive session meeting.
Coward also had been the lone dissenting voice on many changes the board has instituted since then, some which are direct reversals of policies and decisions that were implemented during her board presidency. Some of the changes she was overruled on were the termination of the district’s Perkins Consulting Group contract, the reinstatement of various administrative positions and the hirings of some administrators.
During the Sept. 9 school board meeting, the only trustee to explicitly mention Coward was Hardwick, who briefly thanked her for her years of service to the district.
Hardwick is now the sole remaining trustee who was on the board prior to Pomerico and his fellow trustees' election during the May vote. At least publicly, Hardwick has not been in direct conflict with other trustees.
In a short survey of residents conducted in a Freeport Facebook group by the Herald, a sample of 67 participants were split on whether a fully unified board or one with mixed opinions and some disagreement would be more advantageous.
37 percent of participants selected an option stating that complete board unity is best for the schools, while another 17 percent said dissent can make the district stronger. Another 37 percent selected an option stating that disagreement can be okay, but not in the public manner Coward and Pomerico displayed.
Asked what specific qualities, if any, the school board would be looking for in an interim trustee and when that appointment will be made, Pomerico, via email, stated that the board has just begun discussing the criteria of the appointee.
“Obviously, we will be looking for someone whose background demonstrates a genuine commitment to children and education,” Pomerico wrote. “Beyond that, however, there is no single set of qualifications or requirements.”
Pomerico added that the board views the diverse backgrounds among its current members as a strength, while being united in the shared purpose of serving Freeport students and the community.
“The individual we will finally select must share that vision, and is ready to work collaboratively with the board, our administration, our educators and the community to do what is best for our children,” he said.
In his written response to the Herald, Pomerico said that a process for selecting candidates, commencing interviews and eventually choosing someone for the position has yet to be firmly established by the board. The interim trustee would serve on the board at least until the May 2027 school board trustee elections, which will take place at the same time as the annual school district budget vote.
No specific timeframe was given for the process, and Pomerico stated that no specific deadline for the process has or will be set. He did say, however, “I anticipate that we will be able to make a selection before the end of this calendar year.”
