The frustration of Greenwich residents about the new school zone speed cameras has officially hit a fever pitch. At the Board of Selectmen meeting on Thursday, March 12, what was meant to be a routine update turned into a discussion of the rising number of "nasty" complaints flooding Town Hall. Your BMW Can't Go That Slow? First Selectman Fred Camillo didn't mince words, reporting that his office has been inundated with calls from residents—many of whom are not exactly us

If you’ve lived in Greenwich long enough, you know the name William Effros . For 23 years, this neighbor of Greenwich High School (GHS) has been the primary antagonist against nighttime stadium lights. While many dismiss this saga as a localized spat, the stakes just escalated. On a freezing February 12 evening, the 83-year-old Effros claims that the Greenwich Police entered his home, handcuffed him, and forced him to stand in a foot of snow in his slippers without a coat. E

On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, the Budget Committee of the Greenwich Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) held its "Decision Day" hearings and the news for taxpayers is sobering. Out of a sizable $479 million annual operating budget, only $1 million in operating expenses and $777,000 in capital items were cut. Unless the full board finds more serious savings later this month, the required tax levy (total amount of money the town needs to raise through property taxes) is expecte

On February 27, 2026, Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones updated families on the district's transportation strategy following a week of weather-related delays. In addition to announcing that Monday, March 9, would be a regular school day to recoup lost instructional time, Jones highlighted plans for a satellite-based bus tracking app—a move intended to provide real-time data to parents. However, this digital promise comes late in the season and as the district enters its seventh m

The residents at the Old Greenwich Gables luxury condominium complex are fed up with the noise and fumes of the yellow school buses parked nearby. The complex abuts the Old Greenwich Train Station parking lot on the New York-bound side, where about 24 buses have been parked on what was supposed to be a temporary basis. The Complaints: Kevin Conway, president of the residents association at the Gables, described some of the complaints in a memo to tenants dated Sept. 30, 2025

In Greenwich, the morning commute has transitioned from a routine to a high-stakes calculation. If you drive through District 7, you are currently at the center of the town’s new automated traffic enforcement experiment. T own Hall Advice: First Selectman Fred Camillo addressed the growing backlash. He acknowledged hearing from a "number of residents who are upset" about the new automated citations but remained firm on the policy. Camillo argued that the program is a matter o

First Selectman Fred Camillo recently released his "Community Connection" newsletter here addressing confusion regarding the newly completed revaluation of the Town's grand list and what it means for your property taxes. There are a lot of moving parts. Chair of the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET), David Weisbrod (D) said here that the average 27% increase in property values will not increase your taxes, unless your home's value has increased more than 27%—i.e., you l

The new $112 million Central Middle School (CMS) is near the finish line. At a cost of $800 per square foot, the 135,000-square-foot facility stands as the most expensive school construction project in Greenwich history. Capacity: The new two-story structure, located just north of the original 1958 building, is designed for a "future-proofed" capacity of 660 students (expandable to 720). This is a significant expansion, considering that recent CMS enrollment has trended be

Republican State Senator Ryan Fazio has made a central promise in his 2026 gubernatorial race: removing the "public benefit charge" from your utility bill. We all saw our electric bills skyrocket, but for a long time, no one knew why. It wasn't until Fazio pushed through legislation requiring utilities to separate and disclose these charges that the truth came out. That charge—representing about 20% of your bill—was being used to subsidize green energy projects and unpaid

Education Secretary Linda McMahon was scheduled to visit McKinley elementary school in Fairfield, CT, as part of her 50-State "History Rocks" tour—until her visit was abruptly cancelled. A handful of parents raised "concerns" about the event, which was slated for Friday, January 30. American History Celebrated. In the initial announcement on Wednesday, January 28, McKinley Principal Christine Booth praised the program: "Students will enjoy a dynamic, interactive assembly th

The Town budget for 2026-27 was presented to the public on Tuesday January 27 and it is a whopper. Projected annual operating spending is $543 million, the capital budget is a staggering $100 million per year, and a surprisingly large cutback in federal and state funding could mean an aggregate property tax increase of +6.85%. Based on the existing grand list values, taxpayers could face a mill rate of 12.765, an increase of +6.01%. First Selectman Camillo's presentation i

On Sunday, January 25, 2026, at the height of the severe winter storm, a private charter bus was engulfed in flames on I-95 North in Darien. The fire broke out around 1:00 PM near Exit 11. The bus, operated by DATTCO, was carrying about 50 passengers returning to Fall River, Massachusetts, after a cruise departure from Brooklyn. While the scene was chaotic, officials report that most injuries were minor. However, five individuals were transported to area hospitals for furt

The debate over the new Central Middle School (CMS) has shifted from blueprints to an uncomfortable reality: the town built a school too big for the current neighborhood. The new facility is sized for 660 students, but the local neighborhood currently provides only 450-500 students. Open Enrollment? Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones recently recommended "Open Enrollment" to fill the seats and the response was immediate. Of the 21 students raising their hands to move in the ini

The "phased occupied" renovation of Old Greenwich School (OGS) was pitched as the pragmatic choice—a way to modernize while keeping the location intact and the costs under control. However, as 2026 rolls in, the numbers suggest that "pragmatic" is becoming synonymous with "pricey." The rising cost of staying put. When the project was first greenlit, the vision was a $43 million overhaul with a 2025 start date. Fast-forward to today, and the math has changed drastically. At

According to First Selectman Fred Camillo, some residents aren't happy about being ticketed by the town's new traffic cameras for exceeding the speed limit in Greenwich school zones. As of January 8, 2026, the trial period ended, meaning the entire town-wide system—spanning eight school zones and ten cameras—is now fully live. Real tickets are being issued at $50 for the first offense and $75 thereafter. Typically, a citation is triggered if you exceed the limit by 10 mph o

At the December 11, 2025, Board of Education (BOE) meeting, Greenwich Police Chief James Heavey delivered two startling updates. While the town's new speed cameras have been remarkably successful in curbing reckless driving, they also caught an unexpected group of offenders: our own yellow school buses. Video from the BOE meeting is available here . A 90%+ drop in speeding. The cameras, currently active at eight schools in nine school zones, are already showing their effic

On Wednesday, December 17, 2025, a Greenwich High School math teacher was placed on administrative leave after the district learned of a sexual abuse lawsuit filed against him by a former student in New York. The teacher, Joseph Perlman, joined Greenwich Public Schools in August 2023. In the lawsuit, filed September 2025, the former student alleges that officials within the Rye Neck Union Free Schools District failed to act on "inappropriate behavior and clear signs of groomi

Leading up to the Greenwich Board of Education (BOE) meeting (video here ) on Thursday, December 18, the clamor to halt any school staffing cuts reached a fever pitch. For days, letters to the editor poured in from the teacher's union and staff. During the first hour of the school board meeting every speaker - from teachers and students to PTA members - seemed to be singing from the same playbook: "Delay, don't cut." But a look at the actual ledger suggests a more complex

CBS News NY has picked up on local reporting regarding the deteriorating parking issues with Greenwich school buses (video here ) . What was intended as a temporary fix has devolved into a multi-month quagmire. The buses are currently parked on muddy fields at Western Middle School until a permanent location can be found. The bus drivers are complaining about a lack of basic infrastructure. There are no break rooms, no proper bathrooms, and no field lighting. Beyond the l

For more than a decade, Connecticut’s English Language Learner (ELL) student population has acted as a critical buffer, masking a broader, underlying decline in overall public school enrollment. That period has officially ended, delivering a fiscal one-two punch that towns across the state have been dreading. For the first time in over a decade, the number of ELL students statewide has dropped significantly, declining by over 2,000 students from 57,055 to 54,915 this year.