The West Hartford Board of Education recognized outgoing members before holding a swearing-in and elected a chair, vice chair, and financial examiners on Tuesday night.

By Ronni Newton

Newly-elected members of the West Hartford Board of Education were sworn in Tuesday night followed by the election of leadership and naming of committee members for the upcoming term, and departing members were also celebrated.

Democrats Jason Gagnon, Jonathan Weiner, and Jennifer Herz, and Republican Miriam Bleich – who all won seats for for four-year terms in this year’s municipal election – were officially sworn in Tuesday night by Town Clerk Leon Davidoff. Gagnon was re-elected to his seat, while the other three are new to the Board.

With Superintendent of Schools Paul Vicinus briefly presiding over the meeting, Democrat Shannon Marimón, who was nominated by Gagnon, was elected as chair with unanimous approval of the rest of the Board.

Marimón nominated LaToya Yagaloff to serve as vice chair, and she was also approved unanimously. Gagnon will serve as secretary.

Each party has a financial examiner, and Weiner will serve in that role for the Democrats while Ethan Goldman will continue in the position of financial examiner for the Republicans.

Members of the Policy Committee were also named Tuesday, and they include Bleich, Gagnon, and Yagaloff.

Prior to the swearing in of new members, the three individuals who have left the Board of Education were recognized and thanked for their service.

Democrat Lorna Thomas-Farquharson, who served two terms and has been Board chair since November 2021, opted not to run for re-election this year. Democrat Clare Taylor Neseralla, who served since 2021, also decided not to run again. Republican Gayle Harris did not run for another term on the Board of Education but instead ran for and was elected to the West Hartford Town Council.

All three received words of praise from their colleagues for their contributions.

“I thank you for being so data-driven,” Gagnon told Harris, also noting that she always considered the mental health of students.

“I applaud your commitment to our town,” Marimón told Harris, noting her thoughtful and judicious approach to decision-making.

“I will miss your support and collaboration,” Goldman told Harris.

“Thank you for dedicating four years of your life to our town,” Harris told Neseralla, adding that her contributions as a teacher provided real insight into the Board’s conversations.

“Thank you feels too small for everything you’ve been to me,” Yagaloff said to Neseralla. “We need warriors who will step onto the front lines,” she said, stating that Neseralla is a model of true allyship with the Black community.

Thomas-Farquharson and Neseralla first formed a bond when they were part of the same Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) cohort 10 years ago. “You are someone who is fiercely determined to pursue whatever you put your mind to,” Thomas-Farquharson said to Neseralla on Tuesday. “I appreciate you, I respect you, I uplift you.”

Neseralla told Thomas-Farquharson that she never imagined they would be Board of Education colleagues when they met at PLTI, and now both also have daughters graduating from Conard. She thanked and praised Thomas-Farquharson for her “grace and strength during very challenging times” leading the Board.

Marimón said Thomas-Farquharson has “exquisite grace, diplomacy, and compassion,” and added that she is “profoundly grateful for the example you have set.”

Yagaloff echoed some of the same descriptions, adding that Thomas-Farquharson doesn’t just step up, but “walks the walk” every single day. She also thanked her personally for her support. “You lifted me up, you dusted me off, and you reminded me that I deserved to be here.”

Each outgoing Board member also shared some thoughts and reflections, and their thanks to other Board members and the administration.

Harris said she was proud of many things the Board did, disappointed in other things, but is overall proud of how they have worked together even when they did not agree. “At a time when there is so much vitriol, I am proud of how we conducted ourselves at this table.”

“It has been an honor, a challenge, an adventure, and a privilege all in one,” said Neseralla, who said she is not done advocating for special education and marginalized groups, and standing up for diversity, equity, and inclusion. “I feel confident that the Board is in good hands,” she added.

“It has been an honor to sit at this table in various seats for the past eight years,” Thomas-Farquharson said, offering heartfelt thanks to other Board members including the student representatives, the administration, and her family. Quoting the words of American educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune, Thomas-Farquharson urged all to “remember that our children should never lose their zeal for building a better world.”

As is West Hartford’s tradition, outgoing Board members received a commemorative wooden chair with the town’s seal and a plaque on the back noting their years of service.

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford! Click the blue button below to become a supporter of We-Ha.com and our efforts to continue producing quality journalism.