On Tuesday, May 20, New Rochelle residents will head to the polls for the City School District of New Rochelle school board election and budget vote. Voters will elect candidates to fill two vacant seats on the board of education for five-year terms beginning July 1 and ending on June 30, 2030. The candidates with the highest and second-highest votes will be elected. Early voting at City Hall began on May 7. Voters can vote for two candidates.
Below is information regarding two of the candidates running for seats on the school board.
Elana Jacob
Jacob combines her legal expertise, business acumen and community involvement in her candidacy for the New Rochelle school board. As both a parent and a professional, Jacob expressed, “I am experienced in navigating complex systems, offering a fresh perspective complementing the board’s educational expertise.”
Jacob is a vice president and senior counsel for global merchant services at American Express. She leads lawyers supporting crucial business operations. “I believe my analytical skills are valuable for addressing the district’s fiscal challenges. Previously, as a corporate associate at Paul, Weiss, I gained insights into corporate governance, which is essential for effective school board service.”
Jacob feels her dedication to educational excellence stems from her mother, who served as a reading specialist, assistant principal and principal in the New York City Department of Education. Academically, Jacob holds a J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and a degree in policy analysis from Cornell University. Jacob and her husband, Josh Rehr, chose New Rochelle for its diversity, quality schools and community bonds. Their family includes Sammy (second grader at Davis Elementary), Sydney (pre-K), and Olivia (age 2). Jacob values “Davis Elementary’s personal atmosphere, caring teachers, and diverse cultural curriculum exemplifying the enriching education I believe all children deserve.” Jacob noted that in addition her family enjoys YBNR baseball games, board games, swimming and hosting neighborhood barbecues. The Jacob-Rehrs are active members of Beth El Synagogue Center.
Jacob’s platform has three components. First, educational excellence. Jacobs stated, “Despite the significant financial challenges our district faces, including the $33 million deficit highlighted by Superintendent Reynolds, we must maintain our commitment to educational excellence. I will leverage my analytical expertise to help identify creative solutions that protect core academic programs while addressing fiscal realities. I understand the difficult choices ahead regarding potential reductions in workforce and adjustments to services, but I am committed to ensuring these decisions prioritize student learning.
“I am committed to asking questions and learning from constituents and educators. I will advocate for maintaining diverse learning opportunities, like the PAVE program, and supporting educational approaches that embrace our community’s multicultural identity. I am dedicated to ensuring every child can discover their own passion for learning in an environment that celebrates New Rochelle’s unique diversity of perspectives, backgrounds and approaches to learning.
“The complexity of school district budgets and decision-making processes can create barriers to community understanding and trust,” she continued. “I will bring my professional experience in explaining complex matters to ensure genuine transparency about the challenges we face and the choices being made. I am committed to creating accessible budget communications that clearly explain how financial decisions connect to district priorities and educational outcomes.
“I will support Superintendent Reynolds’ community conversations about the budget and go beyond formal public hearings to engage stakeholders where they are. With six years of administrative turnover behind us, I believe transparency is essential to rebuilding stability and trust, allowing for long-range planning that transcends annual budget cycles and focuses on sustainable solutions, rather than quick fixes.”
Jacob believes “successfully addressing our district’s challenges requires proactive community participation from the earliest stages. Rather than asking stakeholders to merely react to completed budget proposals, I will advocate for involving community members in shaping budget priorities from the beginning of the process. I am committed to ensuring all voices, especially those traditionally underrepresented, have meaningful opportunities to influence decisions before they’re finalized.”
Utilizing her legal expertise, Jacob will make complex educational policies and budget matters accessible to all community members, creating multiple pathways for everyone to participate beyond formal board meetings. “By restructuring the budget development timeline to include earlier public input sessions, I aim to foster genuine collaboration where community priorities directly inform spending decisions. My goal is a school board environment where decisions are made with integrity, transparency and an unwavering commitment to putting our students first, with community members as active partners rather than after-the-fact reviewers.”
To learn more about Jacob, visit www.elana4newro.com.
Jessica Klein
“I’ve been a teacher for 30 years, a regular classroom teacher, and I really believe that teachers need to have a voice in the decisions that are being made,” explained Klein on why she is running. “The teachers are the frontline of this entire endeavor, and they should have a voice in the decisions that are being made, and on what’s going on in the classroom.
“In addition, I’m one of the associate directors of Westchester Summer Day and I teach second grade congregational school at the Center for Jewish Learning in Rye. I fell into the Westchester Day School by answering an ad in the Pennysaver in September 1999 and never looked back. For 20 years, I taught early childhood through second grade, organized school-wide learning engagements, created and developed curriculum including adventure education and maple sugaring on campus, piloted an innovation-winning outdoor classroom during COVID, and tirelessly organized and marched WDS up 5th Avenue for the Celebrate Israel Parade every June.
“Last winter, I decided to transition out of the classroom, ‘retired,’ and moved into a new endeavor, getting the summer camp accreditation from the American Camp Association. I’m proud to say WSD achieved accreditation this past November, opening doors for grants and funding for both camp and WDS to benefit. During COVID, I went back to school and completed a Harvard School of Education and Harvard Business School joint certificate program in school leadership and management. I am proud to serve as a mental health advocate, volunteering with the NEABPD Family Connections program, counseling and assisting parents with children or loved ones in active suicidal crisis.”
Klein and her husband, Joel, are married 26 years and have two children, Sam and Ava. Both attended the local schools. “Education and community engagement have always been a passion of my family. Since moving from Boston, I’ve taught in WDS, Rye Community Synagogue, Beth El and Kol Ami in White Plains. My family has provided 20 years of service to our community, as PTA volunteers in all the kids’ schools and for local sports teams including YBNR, New Ro youth lacrosse, NRHS varsity lax and Israel lacrosse. Through Volunteer New York! we’ve participated in many 9/11 service days at Iona College, Glen Island cleanups and assisting in COVID vaccine clinics throughout New Rochelle.
“On Halloween, we are The Wilmot Woods house with the firepit, pizza and s’mores. I’m incredibly excited about this opportunity to help our community and navigate through the current concerning situation our district faces. I believe our school district’s greatest strength is its diversity of perspectives, backgrounds, and approaches to learning. With my extensive classroom experience and deep community ties, I hope to ensure our schools continue providing an environment where every child can discover their own passion for learning, just as I discovered mine.
Klein’s campaign platform focuses on three key areas: a teacher’s perspective on post-COVID education, embracing our diversity as our strength, and community engagement and inclusive listening. “If elected to the board of education, I will advocate for maintaining educational quality while addressing budget constraints; supporting our district’s efforts to secure additional state aid; ensuring any necessary reductions have the least possible impact on student learning; preserving programs that develop the whole child through arts, athletics and experiential learning; strengthening communications between the district and families, especially regarding budget decisions; and working collaboratively with all stakeholders to find creative solutions to our challenges.
“I believe that by focusing on these priorities, bringing an educator’s perspective to post-COVID challenges, embracing our diversity, and fostering inclusive community engagement, we can build a stronger, more responsive school system that truly serves every family in New Rochelle while navigating our current fiscal realities.”
To learn more about Klein visit www.jessicafornewrochelle.com or on Instagram @jessicaklein4newro.
