CT Patch Candidate Profile: Abby Tolan For Board Of Education

WESTPORT, CT — The 2025 election is heating up in Connecticut and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

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

Candidate's Name:
Abby Tolan

What office are you seeking?
Board of Education

What town do you live in?
Westport, CT

Campaign Website
https://abbytolanboe.com

Party Affiliation:
Democrat

Occupation:
Educator for 15 years, Volunteer & Advocate for 12 years

Family:
Husband, Bob, Twin sons, 18

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
No

Previous public office, appointive or elective:
I am a current member of the Board of Education.

Why are you seeking this office?
My goal is to ensure that we are meeting the needs of all of our students whether they have an IEP, whether they have a 504, are in the gifted program, taking all AP classes, find themselves in the middle, whether they are struggling emotionally, socially or academically, I want to help them shine.

Education should be as suited to a student’s individual talents and needs as possible. That is something my background as a teacher of special education has taught me. When we individualize instruction as much as we can, any student can succeed.

I am especially focused on how we can better support kids who are struggling. Not everyone’s needs are addressed by a change in curriculum or approach. The social and emotional supports we have introduced at the high school need to be expanded to the elementary schools. And there is still more we can do to make high school and middle school more welcoming and inclusive.

And of course, every student should see themselves in the curriculum, in the classroom and in the library.

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____, and this is what I intend to do about it:
Artificial Intelligence. The integration of AI into schools is both an educational and moral endeavor.

Our responsibility is to equip students to use technology thoughtfully and responsibly, without letting it replace the deep processes through which they learn. We must also incorporate strong soft skills into our program, which both research and day-to-day living confirm are both vital to success and increasingly lacking in graduates.

Our strategic plan addresses this dual challenge by creating a forward-facing, flexible program that balances technological fluency with human-centered growth. We must recognize technology’s potential while affirming the importance of human judgment, creativity, and compassion, producing graduates who are each prepared to contribute meaningfully to the future.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
I am the only candidate with expertise in Special Education. I brought that expertise to my role as member and chair of the Special Education PTA and then to the Board of Education, and it resulted in improvements to our reading program, among other things. I’ve actively followed best practices in literacy since I left teaching full time. That led to successful advocacy for state of the art approaches. Among them, the Orton Gillingham approach, which was expanded to classroom teachers in grades K-2 in 2022.

Three years on, the results speak for themselves: 96% of all our third graders read at or above grade level, according to AimsWeb testing, and Westport was recognized as a model district at the National Dyslexia Conference.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?
In addition to AI, Facilities and Mental Health. Facilities: Top notch facilities are expensive but vital. For years we fell behind in capital investments, resulting in a crisis at Coleytown Middle School. In the last few years, the administration and board, have completed a stepped-up schedule of projects, prioritizing keeping our schools temperate and dry, as well as secured a new Long Lots and Stepping Stones Preschool. However, more projects await, including an overhaul of Coleytown Elementary.

We need to plan a timetable that recognizes capital needs throughout town. I am committed to attending all of the facilities committee meetings going forward. I am always ready to learn, just like our students.

Mental Health. We've seen an uptick in mental health challenges, like school refusal and emotional dysregulation, since COVID and the increasing use of screens. Teachers need strategies and skills for helping students manage emotions, so kids can access the curriculum. We do have programs in place in our high school that help students, like Effective School Solutions and Kids in Crisis, but those can be expanded to our other schools and more broadly utilized by our faculty and students.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
I've been an active and engaged member of the Board for over two years now. It is not always easy-- we tackle important and contentious issues at times--but it is always rewarding and I am proud of the results. Our schools are in an excellent place with record-setting reading scores, thoughtful budgets that were unanimously passed by our funding bodies, and a recent security assessment and plan.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Know what matters to you, your values, your priorities, your purpose, and make your choices accordingly.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
I have learned a great deal in my two years on the board. I've been through two budget cycles and negotiated three union contracts. I understand better than before the task of educating 5,000 students. That experience combined with my background as an educator, parent and PTA leader, has prepared to deliver on my priorities of bringing our humanity to the use of AI, protecting the mental health of our students, and maintaining facilities that will stand the test of time and benefit our students, faculty, and taxpayers.