Malverne schools trustee to retire

After 16 years on the Malverne Board of Education, Trustee Karen Aker announced at the March 13 board meeting that instead of running for re-election in May, she will retire on June 30.

At the meeting, a small group of faculty, parents and students — along with school officials and fellow board members — gave Aker a standing ovation, and expressed their gratitude and admiration for her work in the Malverne Union Free School District.

Trustee Gina Genti, who has served on the board for five years, thanked Aker for her years of service and lauded her for her commitment to students. “She always voted her conscience — she always voted a way that was best for the students,” Genti said after the meeting. “There was never an agenda. She was there for the taxpayers and for the students.”

Aker, who is 64, recalled that when she first ran for the board in 1996, she had been working in the Howard T. Herber Middle School for 10 years as a monitor in the special education department, assisting students with reading and completing assignments, among other tasks. She spoke of the commitment that comes with being a trustee, and how she wanted to make a difference in the lives of students by serving on the board.

“I came home and told my husband, Forrest, I was going to run for school board,” Aker recalled. “I quit my job as a monitor and left my job to campaign. You can’t work for the district if you’re a board member. And I won.”

Aker, who lives in Lynbrook, said that it was the right time for her to retire, and that she gave the idea a great deal of consideration before making her announcement. “I’m leaving because good things are happening and I truly think it’s time for me to leave,” she said. “I wanted to [announce this] at the last meeting so that if residents are interested in running, they can have enough time to do what they have to do.”