LONGMEADOW — At a joint meeting of the Select Board and School Committee, Estelle Jordan was chosen to fill an empty seat on the committee. The vacancy opened after former School Committee member Mary Keene won reelection in June but was unable to fulfill the role due to health issues. Jordan will serve in the seat until the townwide elections in June 2025.
Interviews for the position were conducted by the Select Board and School Committee on Sept. 16. Aside from Jordan, three residents were interviewed for the position — Sara Grzejszczak Fernandes, Bisrat Abebe and Georgia Robert. Jina Fast had applied for the seat, but did not attend the interview.
Jordan is communications commander with the Connecticut Air National Guard, Cybersecurity. She has taught more than 80 students as a lecturer on aerospace studies at Yale University’s Air Force ROTC Department.
As a first-generation Korean American and the first in her family to achieve a college degree, she said, “I understand the transformative nature of education.”
Rosenblum questioned Jordan about the role of artificial intelligence in education. In her work and as a member of the town’s Cyber Taskforce, she said she sees both the potential and threat of technology. She said, “I bring a unique perspective on the technological resources available to our children.” AI has its place as a study “aid,” she said, but added, “Our students should still understand how to think critically.”
As Zwirko had asked Abebe, Levine wanted Jordan’s opinion on how the school department can improve. She said she was passionate about advocating for student with special needs, in part because her brother-in-law with cerebral palsy had gone through Longmeadow Public Schools and “benefited from the dedication and high standards.” However, she said getting her son placed in speech therapy had taken “forever.”
Jordan also said military families are a portion of the school community that is sometimes overlooked. “I want to be the voice for those families,” Jordan said. She spoke about taking the time to find the right solution and hearing the concerns of the community.
Gold asked how her background made her uniquely qualified for the committee. She said she understands internet threats and believes students need to be educated about them, as well as lessons that teach students “to seek the truth and know what the truth is.” Gold followed up, asking about phones in schools. After taking a moment to consider the issue, Jordan said that the committee “can’t deny” the prevalence of phones in students’ lives, but said the challenges around their use is “an etiquette thing. It should be used in a manner of respect” and for emergencies.
During the interviews, several board and committee members commented that the town had “an embarrassment of riches” in terms of qualified candidates, each with a different background and set of skills.
Fernandes is a licensed mental health counselor and behavioral health analyst, directing the In-Home Therapy/Intensive Hospital Diversion/Crisis Stabilization Flex Team at The Gandara Center. She said she wanted to help improve professional development, and address student mental health and wellbeing.
Abebe is the father of two Longmeadow High School students. Professionally, he is a licensed clinical social worker and associate vice president with Community Health Resources, with a background in financial management and administration. In the education sphere, Abebe Is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Connecticut School of Social Work and assistant dean of student support at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has served on the town’s Coalition for Racial Justice Task Force and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Advisory Committee.
Georgia Robert works as a high school assistant principal in Simsbury, Connecticut. The veteran educator has 26 years in the field. She is a mother to two students at Longmeadow High School and is a self-described “music mom” and “sports parent.” Robert is a board member for Breakthrough T1D, formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and has been a member of the Simsbury Public Schools Strategic Plan Committee.
Discussion and decision
Considering the candidates they had interviewed, Hensch said “diversity of thought” is important when choosing a candidate. He specifically called out Jordan’s military background as adding an absent perspective to the committee.
School Committee member Michaela Fitzgerald said it would be a priority for the new person to “hit the ground running.”
Choiniere agreed with Fitzgerald and with Hensch’s point about varied perspectives, saying it makes for a more “effective” committee. For her part, Choiniere said a strong understanding of the role of the School Committee is key.
Both Abebe and Robert said they would consider running for a full term in June 2025.
The bodies met again on Sept. 24 to make their decision. Using a form of ranked choice voting, each member of the Select Board and School Committee, except Hensch, who was absent, cast a vote for their preferred candidate. In the first round, Jordan received five votes, Robert received four and one vote was cast for Abebe. In the second round, Jordan received the required six votes.
After the vote, Choiniere thanked all the candidates and Hemavathi urged them to run for an elected position or volunteer on a committee.
