Jessica Gupta, announces campaign to retain her seat on Rochester Community Schools Board of Education

Rochester resident and longtime Rochester Community Schools parent advocate Jessica Gupta recently announced her campaign to retain her seat as Trustee on the Rochester Community School Board of Education.

Gupta has lived in the Rochester area with her husband and son for the past 12 years. In addition to being an active volunteer with the Parent Teacher Student Association at Long Meadow Elementary, West Middle School, and Rochester High Schools, Gupta has also played an integral role on the Health and Wellness Committee and STEAM Committee at Rochester High School.

Holding a Masters of Social Science Administration in Social Work with a certificate in Nonprofit Management, Gupta’s professional experience includes being adjunct faculty at two universities. Her social work, nonprofit, and public policy expertise has helped shape her desire to work more closely with Rochester Community Schools.

“We have been a part of Rochester Community Schools since my son was in elementary school,” said Gupta. “After he graduated in 2020, it became more of a mission for me to stay involved and continue to see the district continue to be an amazing place for our future leaders to learn and grow. We have 22 excellent schools in this district and thousands of incredible teachers, parents, and students. I’m committed to being a part of positive changes that will help us work together for our students.”

Over the past six years, Gupta has volunteered as Team Manager of the Rochester High School Robotics team overseeing a program of more than 60 students each year. Along with her husband, she also oversees 70 FIRST Robotics Programs throughout the RCS district, including students from kindergarten through grade eight. Through this work, RCS has been able to establish robotics programs at every school in the district since 2018.

“The robotics program has been a labor of love,” said Gupta. “It is so important to see this diverse group of students from across the district come together to learn from each other in the field of robotics, something they will take with them for the rest of their lives.”

In addition to her volunteer work, Gupta was also a founding member of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Parent Network. This group of parents from across the RCS district advocate for a better understanding of students’ different cultures and lifestyles to create better dialogue and support for RCS students.

“As a therapist serving children and teens in the Rochester area for more than a decade, I am beginning to see the fruits of the labor pay off as more clients are experiencing the positive benefits of the transformations that continue to take place in our district,” said Gupta. “I continue to be an advocate for more social-emotional learning, emotional support, and understanding for students throughout K-12.”

Gupta was appointed to the RCS Board of Education in April of 2022 after Board Trustee Mike Zabat resigned. “Our district needs individuals in leadership with the expertise and understanding to have difficult conversations and remain focused on positive outcomes for our students,” said Gupta. “I intended to run for school board in this election. When the seat opened earlier this year, I knew it was the right time to step into the arena and do my part.” For more information on Gupta, follow her on Facebook or visit www.jessforrcs.com.