Monica DiCostanzo

Monica DiCostanzo

Democratic Party

Personal

Profession

Church administration

Monica DiCostanzo Democratic candidate for an unexpired term as at-large representative on the Stamford Board of Education in Connecticut. The special election was held on November 3, 2015. Monica DiCostanzo lost the general election on November 3, 2015.

Biography

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DiCostanzo works in administration at St. Maurice Church. She is married and has one child who attends district schools. As of the 2015 election, DiCostanzo did not have any family members employed by the school district.

Elections

2015

See also: Stamford Public Schools elections (2015)

Five seats on the Stamford Public Schools Board of Education were up for election on November 3, 2015. The following three at-large incumbents' seats were up for regular general election in 2015: Lorraine Olson (R), Jerry Pia (R) and Polly Rauh (D). Additionally, two unexpired terms were also up for special election following resignations from the board. Rauh was the only incumbent to seek re-election; her defeat saw all five seats go to newcomers. The election did not change the board's Democratic majority; post-election, the board had six Democrats and three Republicans. This is the highest single-party majority allowed by law.

Republicans Mike Altamura and Andy George won two of the three full-term seats up for election while fellow party member Gerald Bosak won one of the unexpired terms. The Stamford Republican Town Committee initially endorsed Gerald Bosak and Prasad Tungaturthy for the one-year terms and Mike Altamura, Andy George and former board member Nicola Tarzia for the three-year terms. Tungaturthy, however, withdrew from the race on August 31, 2015. John Ciuffo was selected as the new Republican in Tugnaturthy's place. Republicans Altamura, George and Tarzia ran as a slate called 2015BOE Team.

Democrats David Mannis and Jennienne Burke won a three-year and one-year term, respectively. The Stamford Democratic City Committee did not endorse any of its incumbents for re-election. Instead, the party endorsed Angelica Gorrio, David Mannis and Ligia Marroquin for the three-year terms and Jennienne Burke and Monica DiCostanzo for the one-year terms. Democrats Gorrio, Mannis and Marroquin also formed a slate for the election.

Incumbent Rauh still sought to retain her seat on the board despite lacking her party's nomination. The Democratic board member chose to run as an unaffiliated candidate instead of forcing a primary election within her party. Rauh's party registration as a Democrat, however, meant the state law requiring a minimum of one-third of the board's seats to be held by minority parties following each election still applied to her in this election. John Zito also ran as an independent petitioning candidate in the regular-term race. Rauh placed seventh and Zito eighth out of the nine candidates running in the election for three-year terms.

Rolf Maurer was the sole Green Party candidate for the election. He sought a three-year term, but he placed last in the nine-candidate race.

Results

Stamford Public Schools, At-Large (1-year terms), General Election, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Gerald Bosak	27.4%	5,735
	Democratic	Jennienne Burke	25.8%	5,384
	Democratic	Monica DiCostanzo	25.2%	5,264
	Republican	John Ciuffo	21.6%	4,517
Total Votes				20,900
Source: Connecticut Secretary of State, "Prescribed Form for Return of Votes Cast At A Municipal Election," accessed November 5, 2015

Endorsements

DiCostanzo received no official endorsements in this election.

Campaign themes

2015

DiCostanzo provided the following answers to questions from the Stamford Advocate:

Why are running for the Board of Education? What qualifies you for the job?

“	There are many exciting things happening with Stamford Schools and I want to be part of the team that supports and leads through these dynamic times. I currently serve on the Board of Representatives for District 7. I am an active member of the Glenbrook Community and a very involved parent at Stark School. I have a lot of experience in Quality Management and Performance Improvement. I believe my strong collaboration and problem solving skills, as well as the respectful and productive way in which I work in teams, lends well to the type of Board that our community is calling for.	”
—Monica DiCostanzo, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)

What are the district’s strengths and weaknesses?

“	Number one strength would be the cultural diversity of our students - Stamford students know what “the real world” looks like the day they enter kindergarten and are encouraged to embrace and learn in a global environment on a daily basis. The district has worked hard to build amazing community partnerships which help bridge gaps not covered in budgets and provide wonderful enrichment opportunities for students. Intra-district promotions and great school spirit and pride are big positives for Stamford. The district has also greatly improved technology across the entire district, allowing our students to gain the critical skills needed to compete in a 21st century world. However, we need to do a better job with our long-term planning, especially in the areas of growth and facility management. School administrator red-tape, convoluted processes, and lack of data, especially testing results, need to be addressed to allow our school administrators to be as nimble and effective as possible.	”
—Monica DiCostanzo, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)

How well has Superintendent Winifred Hamilton performed? Do you agree with her decision to retire?

“	Dr. Hamilton has been a very positive and visible advocate for Stamford Public Schools. Administrators and staff I have spoken with have felt supported and grateful that she has provided personal development growth paths (i.e. championing Administrative Intern positions) and feel that she’s provided much needed support for the ever-changing local school environment. As a parent of an SPS student and member of the Board of Representatives’ Education committee, I have seen and heard of many positive steps taken under her leadership and felt she’s been fiscally responsible. But student safety is sacred - trust and confidence were shattered - I absolutely agree with her decision to retire.	”
—Monica DiCostanzo, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)

Should the search for a new superintendent be delayed until after the election?

“	Yes, I believe the new board should be in place for all steps in the search process to avoid rush decisions and allow all members to weigh in and take ownership of the process without feeling they were forced to accept actions of previous board members. Incoming members will not view things the same way as outgoing members. Even though search and hiring experience may be lost, board unity and fresh perspectives will be gained.	”
—Monica DiCostanzo, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)

How do you think the current board handled the Stamford High School sex scandal? What might you have done differently?

“	At a time when leadership was needed, the current board fell apart and members went on the attack. Despite legal restrictions on public comments, I feel board communications could have been more timely and effective - instead, they caused community confusion, frustration, suspicion, and anger to mount.	”
—Monica DiCostanzo, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)

The condition of the district’s facilities has been called into question lately. Should the Board of Education bring its facilities management in-house or should it continue to contract with an outside firm? Why?

“	Before in-house or outsource decisions can be made, I believe a full evaluation of the district’s facility management process is in order, including a full process and cost/benefit/effectiveness review. An assessment of current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats should also be done to understand how far on or off the mark we are with our current situation. If we choose to continue to outsource, we need a stronger bid process every few years to validate that we’re optimizing our purchase decisions and keeping pace with what the market has to offer.	”
—Monica DiCostanzo, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)

Define what you think the school board’s role should be in the district. Does the superintendent currently have too much power?

“	Board and superintendent roles are both clearly defined in the Stamford Board of Education Bylaws. As written, the power extended to the superintendent is in line with what I would expect it to be.	”
—Monica DiCostanzo, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)

How specific should the Board of Education’s goals be for the superintendent?

“	Not only should they be very specific but they should be clearly measurable, actionable, relevant and time-bound (the SMART principle). The board should be clear on the “what” that is expected, leaving the superintendent and staff to determine “how” best to meet these goals. A critical piece is to align the goals of all personnel to support the superintendent’s goals and provide for a strong reward and/or recognition system to motivate all district employees to do their part to achieve overall district success.	”
—Monica DiCostanzo, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)

Would you make expanding preschool programs a priority?

“	Yes! The more preschool opportunities parents have to choose from, the better off Stamford children are. As Stamford grows and as our diversity expands, the need for preschools becomes even greater. Investing in early education will save us many dollars in the long run, will lead to greater overall student achievement, and will create stronger students and family units.	”
—Monica DiCostanzo, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)

How should the district better support the mental health of its students, given its limited resources?

“	It must continue to partner with mental health providers in the community and continue to expand family support and outreach opportunities wherever possible. Health clinics in the higher grades, trauma teams, and crisis centers are all effective resources that need to be optimized. The district should continue to find ways to fund more social workers and parent facilitators.	”
—Monica DiCostanzo, Stamford Advocate candidate Q&A (2015)

Recent news

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Monica DiCostanzo - Google News

See also

• Stamford Public Schools, Connecticut
• Stamford Public Schools elections (2015)
• Incumbency no guarantee of success in Nov. 3 school board elections (November 6, 2015)
• What happened in Nov.'s top board elections? (November 4, 2015)

External links

Suggest a link

• Stamford Public Schools