Longtime Great Neck Board of Education Trustee Barbara Berkowitz said in a letter she will not file the necessary resignation documents right now, though her intention is to still step down June 30.

Berkowitz announced her intention to resign from the board after more than three decades of service during a meeting of the Board of Education earlier this month. The longtime trustee and former president of the board, in a letter to Blank Slate Media, said filing her notice of resignation to the district clerk would give her just 30 days to step down from her post before creating a vacant seat.

“It is imperative, therefore, that I officially wait to submit my letter to the district clerk so that there will not be three seats up for election on May 16 (one, in addition to the seats currently held by Rebecca Sassouni and Jeffrey Shi),” Berkowitz said in the letter. “To ensure that this does not happen, I will only be turning in my paperwork at a date yet to be decided after June 1.”

The third-longest tenured member in the board’s history, Berkowitz expressed her gratitude for the Great Neck community and district officials she has worked with since first being appointed in 1992. She said previous colleagues, friends and other district stakeholders have reached out to her since announcing her intention to step down on Feb. 15.

“I’ve been amazed at just how many have implored me to reconsider my decision and I’ve been humbled by the gratitude expressed for my many years of service,” she said in her letter. “I’ve also been touched by all the memories shared of various times spent together, as well as the offers of other boards for me to now join.”

Berkowitz served as a board president from 2006-2021, vice president from 2000-2003 and chair for the board’s Policy Committee from 1992-2006. Before becoming a board member, Berkowitz served the school district community in other ways, including being a member and executive board officer for the E.M. Baker School Parent Teacher Association.

She was also a member and budget chairperson for the United Parent-Teacher Council and a member of Shared Decision-Making Committees at both Baker School and North Middle School.

Berkowitz also expounded on some accomplishments and initiatives she has helped develop since joining the board, including a Family Math Program, a Multicultural Parent Appreciation Program, a new policy manual for the board of education and a Pre-K program at JFK school, among others.

She reiterated her appreciation for the other district officials and board members who spent time volunteering their work to Great Neck’s public schools.

“Thirty-one years of service on the Board of Education, more than half of them as an officer, including a record 15 consecutive years as president, has been a unique privilege,” Berkowitz said. “I’ve had the honor of working closely with four superintendents, eight assistant superintendents, 11 board trustees, many staff members, and watched with pride as thousands of students passed through our schools.”

During Berkowitz’s most recent re-election bid in 2021, her challenger, Michael Glickman, touted the importance of having someone with new ideas and a different outlook on the board throughout his campaign.

“I think I bring a level of fresh eyes and a clear-eyed perspective about what else we’ve got to be doing and to make sure that we’re putting the resources behind getting these kids consistently the education and the resources that they need,” Glickman told Blank Slate Media in 2021.

Berkowitz, during the race, also touched on some “hurt feelings” on her end as a result of previous letters submitted by Glickman regarding her. When asked if the election was framed differently and Berkowitz would be on the board at the same time as Glickman and if she could work with him, Berkowitz said there would probably need to be some discussions first.