The Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District Board of Education honored former board president and longtime Trustee Laurie Kowalsky on Tuesday with a plaque of appreciation, recognizing her 10 and a half years of service to the district and its students.
Kowalsky, who stepped down from the board on Dec. 31, was joined at the meeting by her husband, Keith, as current board members and district leadership reflected on her tenure, which spanned periods of academic reform, fiscal constraints and the unprecedented challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
Superintendent Francesco Ianni praised Kowalsky’s commitment to accountability, collaboration and student-centered decision-making. Her work, he said, helped guide the district through years marked by stringent budget restrictions under the state’s 2 percent tax cap, rising costs and shifting educational needs, while still advancing new initiatives.
Ianni predicted that the trust and professional respect Kowalsky earned would endure beyond her formal service.
“I have worked with many different leaders, but Ms. Kowalsky’s commitment to excellence and accountability is something I will always value,” he said. “She recognized that dreams are only possible through sacrifices and hard work, and she applied that truth to every decision made for the benefit of our students and community.”
Kowalsky announced her decision to step down in a Facebook post, describing her decade on the board as “a meaningful and rewarding experience” and expressing gratitude for the opportunity to serve the community. She also highlighted a series of accomplishments during her time on the board, many of them under Ianni’s leadership: improvements in academic performance, gains in graduation rates from the mid-80-percent range to consistently high-90-percent levels, and increases in four-year college applications.
Kowalsky also pointed to the district’s strong Moody’s rating as an indicator of financial health, noting that those advances came while it navigated Covid disruptions, high inflation and the constraints of the tax cap.
The day after the ceremony, Kowalsky reflected on her path to the board, which began with years of involvement in the schools as a parent, and volunteering in the community. She served on the PTA and the PTA Council in the 2000s, and oversaw the parking for Oyster Fest for several years at Roosevelt School and Oyster Bay High School.
Her initial motivation to seek a seat on the school board, she said, stemmed from a belief in public education and concern about the district’s reputation at the time.
“A lot of friends had told me, ‘You can’t put your kids in Oyster Bay schools. Just terrible. And don’t do it,’” Kowalsky recalled. “I really believe in public schools, so I wanted to figure out why the ratings were so low and why people felt that way about the school, and maybe there was something we could do about it.”
Describing herself as “data-driven,” Kowalsky said she believed that real change required a superintendent willing to closely examine performance metrics. She credited Ianni with doing just that, particularly in areas such as Advanced Placement results, graduation rates and postsecondary outcomes.
“One of the things that bothered me a lot was that it was like we could only get, like, 60 percent of the kids — I think it was 62 percent of the kids — three or above on an AP exam,” she said. “To me, that’s failing.”
That number rose to about 84 percent over several years, she added, reflecting what she believed was the district’s untapped potential.
Kowalsky also spoke about the challenges the board faced during the pandemic, including the search for a new superintendent, surging inflation and decisions about reopening schools. The district was among the first in Nassau County, she said, to bring students back to classrooms full time, driven by concerns about the impact of prolonged remote learning, particularly on younger students.
At the same time, the board was grappling with rising costs that far outpaced the allowable tax levy increase. Kowalsky said the board challenged district leadership to avoid cutting programs or staff despite increases in the consumer price index of 8 and 9 percent.
“We had to say, ‘How are we going to navigate this?’” she recounted. “‘We don’t want to cut programming. We don’t want to cut staff.’”
Kowalsky singled out current board President Nancy Castrogiovanni, Vice President Maryann Santos and Trustee Mike Schindler as particularly influential collaborators. Their focus on academics, finances and getting students back into classrooms, she said, was central to the district’s progress.
Her decision to step down, Kowalsky said, was driven by family and professional considerations. One of her daughters has moved to Miami, and her other children spend a significant amount of time in Florida. Increased work travel and return-to-office requirements made balancing board responsibilities increasingly difficult.
“It was becoming just so hard to get back, between work travel and board meetings,” she said, adding that January was a natural transition point as her commitments increased.
She also noted how the community has changed over the years, particularly with the addition of universal busing and prekindergarten, which she said reflect the needs of today’s two-income families.
Looking ahead, Kowalsky said she believes the district is well-positioned for continued success, with new initiatives such as a science program aimed at future Regeneron competition and continued academic focus under the current board leadership.
“I really do believe,” she said, “that the school district is in good hands.”
