The Mineola Board of Education marked the end of two eras at last Thursday as long-time Trustee John McGrath sat in his last board meeting and Christine Napolitano completed her year-long term as board president.
McGrath lost his seat in the May school district election in a three-way contest with Napolitano and Artie Barnett, a community activist who joined forces with Napolitano against McGrath.
While they had been antagonists over the issue of reconfiguring the school district, with Napolitano supporting consolidation and McGrath opposed to shuttering schools, Napolitano offered words of praise for McGrath’s 13 years of service on the board.
“It’s not easy to serve on the board and he did it for a long time,” Napolitano said.
Terence Hale, who had been sharply critical of McGrath’s proposal to explore merging the Mineola School District with the Herricks School District, also spoke positively about McGrath’s service.
“Thanks, John. You brought a lot to the table,” Hale said.
Mineola Superintendent of Schools Michael Nagler joined in the praise for McGrath, calling the school board trustee position “a big job” and “a thankless job.”
“He’s been a pain in my neck sometimes. And he’s been my staunchest supporter at times,” Nagler said. “I respect his ability to fight for his constituents. John’s had my back for a lot of years. He will be missed.”
McGrath, in turn, reflected on his departure from the board.
“It’s been an interesting 13 years. On one level I’m going to miss having the position and helping the board make decisions. In another way, it’s going to be a relief,” he said.
McGrath said his wife and two children were happy with the results of the May election and he thanked them for tolerating his time away from home to work on the board.
“It’s not easy having a father on the board,” he said.
McGrath also reciprocated the sentiments his fellow board members expressed.
“I thank this board. We had our disagreements, but it was only over one discrete issue,” he said, referring to the reconfiguration plans. “The community needs to appreciate members of the board of education. They step up to do a thankless job. I thank the board for its comments.”
McGrath had been at odds with his fellow board members over the past two years over the reconfiguration. He claimed during the recent campaign that he had been opposed to the form it was taking, not the concept of reconfiguration itself.
The board’s reorganization meeting is scheduled for July 11. At that time, a new board president will be elected to replace Napolitano.
“Happy. Sad,” Napolitano said of her emotions upon completing her term as president. “I appreciate the time I’ve been able to serve as president. And I look forward to continuing on the board.”
She presided as president during the first phase of the school district’s consolidation. That included the leasing of the Cross Street School to the Solomon Schechter Day School last fall, the migration of fifth graders to the Mineola Middle School from the Jackson Avenue school and the movement of eighth graders from the middle school to Mineola High School.
The school board also approved the lease of the first floor of the Willis Avenue School to the Harbor Day Care Center, which will begin next fall, during Napolitano’s term as president.
She won re-election to the board in May for three more years as the reconfiguration continues to be implemented.
