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.

The irony of Greenwich First Selectman Camillo honoring a person whose position was ruled illegitimate, is why they say politics makes strange bedfellows. The Connecticut Centinal provides an illuminating history below of how this irony came about: Honoring outgoing board members - even rogue ones. This week and last, Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo honored the Board of Education (BOE) members whose terms just ended, including those involved in what he personally des

Ten of Greenwich's fifteen public schools were named by the Connecticut Department of Education as "Schools of Distinction" for the 2024-25 school year. This was the highest number of Greenwich schools that made the list this year. Greenwich has increased its presence on the list over the years. In 2021-22, there were 4 Greenwich Schools on the list, in 2022-23 there were 7, and in 2023-24 there were 8. The schools earn the "Schools of Distinction" recognition based on thei

Last week, the Greenwich school board heard a presentation about options to renovate or rebuild the GHS pool. The pool feasibility study was presented here. For $8 million you get a renovated pool and 1-2 year relocation during the process. For $60 million you get a brand new Olympic sized pool and eight new relocated tennis courts. The pool was constructed in 1968 and is significantly out of compliance with current codes. Compliance issues include diving height clearanc

Four new sets of speed cameras have been added to Greenwich school zones, making a total of nine speed camera zones now operating in Greenwich. The four new camera locations are: Central Middle School, Glenville School, Greenwich High School and Parkway School. At these locations, warnings will be issued until December 17, 2025 when fines begin. Five existing camera locations are now beyond the warning period and issuing real tickets. Tickets are mailed to the registered ow

A public meeting of the finance board (BET) chaired by Harry Fisher and First Selectman Camillo was held last week to obtain input from residents on capital projects. Many comments were made about improving the process for tracking the estimated $1.6 billion backlog of capital projects including making multi-year projections, prioritizing projects, and tracking cost estimates. Here is the recording of the meeting. There were numerous school related requests, including a sec

Last year the sky was falling. We were told the Greenwich public schools are underfunded - even though Greenwich spends the most per pupil ($28,000) of any school in the state. It was a year ago, that Superintendent Toni Jones requested another large +5.4% increase ($12 million) to the school budget, well above the finance board's (BET) non-binding guideline of 2.96%. To achieve a compromised 3.5% increase ($8 million), the schools responded with painful cuts, including a

The Democrat Party pulled off stunning victories in the elections across the region last night. The new mayor of New York City, 34-year old Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, won by a large margin. He promises lots of handouts that will be paid for by the wealthy. The Democratic wave also swept across Connecticut, where the party celebrated numerous high-profile flips and holds. Democrats won top-of-ballot seats in key towns like New Britain and Norwich, and wealthy subur

U.S. News just announced its 2026 middle school rankings. Of 561 public middle schools in Connecticut, Eastern Middle School ranked number 2, behind House of Arts Letters and Science Academy in New Britain. Greenwich has three middle schools: Eastern Middle ranking number 2 (same as last year), Central Middle ranking 31 (same as last year) and Western Middle ranking 41 (a drop from what appears to have been 18th last year). Between the Lines : Eastern can go to the head of

Local democracy is under direct threat, not by some abstract national crisis, but by the very officials elected to uphold its principles. Last week, a state court delivered a damning judgment against the Democrat members of the Board of Education (BOE) - Karen Hirsh, Laura Kostin, Sophie Koven, Kathleen Stowe. The ruling concerned an illegal emergency meeting they held in October 2024, in an attempt to bypass protocol and appoint their preferred candidate to a vacant Republic

Riverside School ranked first in the U.S. News 2026 rankings of the top public elementary schools in Connecticut. The survey included 500 CT elementary schools. Riverside School ranked 1 North Mianus School ranked 7 Int'l School at Dundee ranked 9 North Street School ranked 14 Old Greenwich School ranked 20 Parkway School ranked 41 Glenville School ranked 142 New Lebanon School ranked 151 Julian Curtiss School ranked 170 Cos Cob School ranked 183 Hamilton Avenue School ranke

Thank goodness there are alternatives to our local media. It's election season and the Greenwich Time has conveniently found a way to put its hand on the scales a week before the November 4 elections. The primary tool? As usual, the scare tactics about school budget cuts - the best the Democrats seem to have to offer. The Greenwich Time story on Monday ran with a headline that appears to be straight Democrat talking points: "Greenwich budget guidelines would likely mean cu

The Greenwich Patriots, a parent-led Board of Ed (BOE) watchdog group, delivered a scathing message at Thursday's Oct 23 BOE meeting, echoing what many residents were thinking. The Freedom of Information Court definitively ruled in favor of First Selectman Camillo on Wednesday October 22 declaring that the October 2024 actions taken by BOE Democrats (Hirsch, Kostin, Koven, Stowe) to call a meeting to install their preferred candidate (Jen Behette) into an open Republican seat

Forget about rushing through a school zone. New photo speed camera enforcement has arrived in Greenwich. This program was originally set to launch with warnings after October 6 and then tickets issued after November 5, but it was delayed for reasons unspecified. The program is now on track. Starting Monday, October 20, you will receive a warning in the mail for driving 10+ MPH over the posted limit. Starting November 19, the warnings stop, and tickets begin. $50 for the f