The Edina School Board will be appointing a replacement for Leny Wallen-Friedman, vice chair, after he resigned on May 31, 2022. Voters will go to the polls on Nov. 8 to elect either Regina Neville or Christina Jordan for the role. 

Once elected, the new member will fulfill the term until its expiration on Dec. 31, 2023, but won’t necessarily continue Wallen-Friedman’s role as vice chair after this date. 

As teachers, both Neville and Jordan would contribute unique perspectives to the school board. “I’ve taught in Edina Public Schools for over 30 years in the K-12 level,” Neville said. “My experience was primarily as a long-term substitute teacher.” 

During her time in the district, Neville has worked on numerous activities, including directing the Valley View Middle School theater program and teaching at the Success Center, a program that provides students with additional reading and math support.

With 12 prior years of experience on the school board, Neville is interested in supporting projects that are already in progress. “The district has a strong strategic plan. There’s great work happening to advance literacy for math and reading with the comprehensive literacy plan that’s moving forward,” Neville said.

Jordan has a similar perspective. “I’m an educator. I was a classroom teacher for 25 years. I own a consulting firm and work with school districts all over the country,” Jordan said. “So education has always been my career and it’s always been something that I was passionate about.” 

As someone who has worked with a variety of educators, Jordan believes her experience is valuable. “Because my job takes me not just across the country, but internationally, working with schools and school boards of education around the world, I can bring that national and global perspective that nobody else on the school board can,” she said. 

Jordan feels that the time is right for her to run for the school board. “I had thought about running for the Board in the past and I had been approached by some people who asked me to run, but the time just wasn’t right,” she said. “Now all three of my kids have graduated from Edina High School and my business is up and running.”

If elected, Jordan would like to work towards strengthening communication between the school board and its constituents. “We need to do a better job of giving [Edina residents] a platform, so we can hear their concerns,” Jordan said. “We represent everybody in the district.”