Wallingford Election 2025: Caroline Raynis Running For Board Of Education

WALLINGFORD, CT — The 2025 municipal election is heating up in Wallingford with plenty of races on the ballot.

Voters will cast their ballots in the Nov. 4 election for the position of mayor, along with seats on the Town Council and Board of Education.

Wallingford Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Caroline Raynis is running for re-election to the Wallingford Board of Education as a Republican.

Campaign Website
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Occupation:

I am a wife, mom, volunteer, homemaker, and active citizen. My primary occupation is to care for my children, household, and husband (who is a disabled veteran), though also I do part-time legal work.

Family:
My husband, Allan V. Raynis, Jr., is a retired municipal police officer and a Gulf War veteran. Together we share five children: Abigail (20), Nathan (17), Lila (15), Lara (11), and Little Al (8). We also have rescue cats and an adorable dog.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
My mother served the judicial branch as a J.D. clerk, where she was the ADA compliance point-person. My father served the executive branch as a principal appeals referee for the CT DOL, where he was well-known for his mastery of the law and reversal of bad decisions, as well as for his service as vice-president of Local 269 for many years. I always tell people that my parents are outstanding, ethical lawyers, who were raised by teachers. My grandfather also worked for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where he was an engineer, in the World Trade Center, until 9/11.

Previous public office, appointive or elective:
I am currently serving my first-term on the Wallingford Board of Education and continue to serve an appointed position as an alternate for the Wallingford Inlands, Wetlands, and Watercourse Commission.

Why are you seeking this office?
I am a firm believer of the Leroy Eldridge Cleaver adage that if you are not a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem. During my first-term on the Board of Education, I have seen things that I can’t unsee and I have heard things that I can’t unhear. My parents instilled in me to “leave something better than you found it.” I do not believe that my work is done, yet, on the Board of Education. Our district is strong, but we do have work to do. I think that infrastructure, student (and employee) safety, and student performance can be further optimized. Furthermore, our teachers need more support in their classrooms, and we often battle what has been dubbed as “teacher truancy.” With test scores not where they could be and teacher absenteeism on the rise, we are battling an employee morale problem in our district. Also, middle school schedule conflicts should be further explored, as well the concerns involving our collective art and music programs in our district. I would like to utilize my vast background and experience to address issues that need addressing and to keep Wallingford schools great! My viewpoint is people before politics and laissez-faire economics/government.

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____, and this is what I intend to do about it:
The most pressing issue is the merger of Sheehan and Lyman Hall High Schools—where the site will be and if it comes to fruition. I intend to facilitate transparency, listen to the public and my constituents, and vote in representation of my constituency.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
I think that the major differences between myself and the other candidates are my educational background and my professional experience. Holding degrees in multiple disciplines currently helps me, in my role on the Board, to best analyze any situation or issue that may arise. Having both a masters of business administration and a juris doctorate degree enable me to clearly and concisely articulate issues that the public brings forth and to actively troubleshoot and develop recommendations for action plans to problem-solve. Furthermore, I understand the reality that the superintendent works for the Board and it’s not the other way around. I appreciate and respect the proper holding of the chain-of-command. I believe in project accountability to the Board and the concept of checks-and-balances, and the role that the Board serves in “checking-and-balancing” for our school system and administration. I work hard to advocate for my constituency and not for any personal or political agenda.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?
Other issues that need addressing are: having a contingency plan if we are unable to bring one high school to fruition; seeing that the Sheehan track is properly replaced by the original company and that future maintenance issues are properly addressed by the Board; art and music program availability, enrollment, and livelihood; increasing test scores; building teacher morale to address attendance issues; giving teachers the resources in the classroom that they need; funding; changing agenda policies so that the public can ask questions and/or comment, in live-time, after each item and/or before a vote (as is the practice with Town Council); changing agenda policies so the Board (and the public) has adequate time to effectively ask for corrections to be made, if needed; ensuring transparency and emphasizing that reviewing information that the Board receives minutes before a meeting is not best practices for the public’s interests to be fully represented; infrastructure and keeping the concept of the condition of our school buildings and the “broken windows theory” of disorder in the forefront—i.e. a peeling fence or a dilapidated basketball hoop does not live in isolation, but breeds contempt that other poor conditions continue to fester as the norm for this district; student (and employee) safety; the well-being and education of the whole student; special education program needs; expanding the adult education; among other issues.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
I am currently serving a term on the Board of Education. I work hard to address the concerns of my constituency, which often entails putting items on the agenda. During the meetings I ask the hard questions and never lose sight that I work for the people. I strive to be a voice for my constituency and the students in our district.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
The best political advice that I have received, thus far, came from a fellow Wallingford citizen, Ed Bradley, who said to "always vote your conscience." The best life advice: "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you make them feel." -Maya Angelou. (I think this especially rings true with the issue of the one versus two high schools and the merger. The public will never forget how it was made to feel—erosion of trust and feeling unheard—during this whole process.) And the most profound advice I’ve been following while serving the Board stems from the brilliant Civil Rights activist, whom I referenced earlier, Leroy Eldridge Cleaver: “if you aren’t a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem.”

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
If I am re-elected, I will work hard for Wallingford. I will listen to my constituents. I will do whatever it takes to ensure that the best interests of our children are always put first. I support keeping two high schools and I do believe that there is more than one way to maintain two high schools in this town. This project was done backwards. We do not have to continue down a linear path regarding this issue and Board decision, especially since the Board has yet to select or solidify a piece of property, and the Board itself, to-date, has not been informed as to where the property that all of these tests are being done is located. “An error doesn’t become a mistake unless you refuse to correct it.” -JFK