By Elizabeth Barhydt
Laura Kostin is back on the ballot, and she got there the hard way — by collecting 568 signatures, five percent of registered Democrats in Greenwich, after the Democratic Town Committee declined to endorse her for a second term on the Board of Education. The process was affirming. “I feel like I was nominated by our community of Democrats, not a committee who thinks they have a right to decide who can run and who can’t,” she said. “Anyone qualified, with the time and skills to donate should be able to run for office without some committee telling them, ‘No” or “Go wait your turn.’”
“I was surprised they did not endorse me,” she said in an interview, her voice calm but firm. “But I will tell you in complete and total honesty, the way that I vote is really with the students in mind — never my party in mind. And if that is a source of frustration for my party, I don’t apologize.”
The experience of petitioning, she said, gave her a chance to connect with voters across town and hear what is on their minds. “People were very aware of what has been happening with the Board of Education this year,” she said. “Parents were much more aware this time, maybe more than any other year that I can recall.” She heard concerns about the operating budget, school start times, and transportation costs. “We always get a lot of email around budget time,” she said, “but this year, because of the start time changes, there was sort of a collective reaction about childcare and how to manage the change for working parents. That was really top of mind.”
Her campaign theme is “delivering results,” which she says reflects her work over the past three years. One of her key accomplishments was helping refine and ultimately support the district’s five-year Strategic Plan in early 2023. The plan set academic goals for English, math, and science and gave Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones and the administration a clear framework. “It was the right approach and exactly the right time,” she said. Results show test scores are up across the board. “We’re Top 5 in the state now,” she said. “I’d like to be Top 3. I want to be number one.” She expects a very detailed set of data to be presented at the next Board meeting.
Kostin also highlighted her work on capital projects. She voted to support the secure entryway at Greenwich High School, the renovation and expansion of Old Greenwich School, and the phased renovation of Julian Curtiss. She supported the Education Specifications for Riverside School and joined the Central Middle School Building Committee after that school was closed for safety reasons. “Once [the specifications] were approved, I joined the CMS Building Committee to help guide the construction of the new school,” she said. “We’re on track to deliver a new school in budget and on time for students to start school in the new building for the beginning of the 2026–2027 school year.”
Beyond capital improvements, she said she has focused on improving special education services and making sure the district adheres to PCG recommendations for those programs. “The theme of my campaign is delivering results, and that’s what I have been doing during my first term,” she said. “Getting Central Middle School off the ground, improving special education, making progress on education for all of our students — that’s what I will keep doing for our district.”
Kostin said she has been encouraged by the response from voters while petitioning to get on the ballot. “It forced me to do a lot of outreach out of the gate,” she said. “People don’t take kindly to the kind of undemocratic behavior by the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee. No one should never try to decide an election for voters, hard stop. Voters deserve choices. I’m happy with how I was nominated.
This year’s Board of Education race will include three Democrats and four Republicans, with all candidates confirmed for the League of Women Voters debate. Kostin said she looks forward to continuing the conversation with voters. “Whether you are a school parent or not,” she said, “you know that everyone in our town has a vested interest in public schools that are strong, vibrant places to learn and grow.”
