Career Educator Launches Bid For Brookline School Committee

BROOKLINE, MA — A resident has officially launched her campaign for the Brookline School Committee.

Laura Baines-Walsh held a campaign kick-off event at Esmai’s restaurant in Coolidge Corner on Sunday, March 22. The career educator moved to Brookline 12 years ago and is making her first run for a committee seat. Baines-Walsh has spent the last seven years as a Town Meeting voter.

“I’m running for the Brookline School Committee as an educator, a parent in the district, and someone who takes civic engagement seriously,” Baines-Walsh said in a statement. “Together, these experiences shape how I think about students, families, and the responsibilities of public leadership.”

Baines-Walsh’s six priorities for the public school district she wants to implement if elected are clear educational goals and benchmarks, a stronger middle school experience, an emphasis on critical thinking and civil discourse, technology policies, financial responsibility, and meeting needs of all students.

Baines-Walsh has received multiple endorsements for the role, including from current Committee member Dr. Bob Weintraub. She graduated from Boston College with a PhD in American History. She is currently an advanced placement U.S. Government and history teacher at Newton Country Day School.

“For the past 15 years, I have taught World History, U.S. History, and U.S. Government to students of different ages, abilities, and learning styles. In my classroom, I help students understand how democratic institutions work, why evidence matters, and how thoughtful disagreement strengthens a healthy society,” Baines-Walsh said. “The skills developed through research—careful analysis, intellectual humility, and respect for facts—are the same I would bring to School Committee deliberations.”

Baines-Walsh resides in town with her husband, Greg, and their two children. She named the district as a driving force behind she and her husband's decision to raise their children in Brookline.

“Our daughter is an eighth grader at the Baker School, where she participates in musical theater and the Gay-Straight Alliance, and plays goalie for Brookline Youth Hockey,” Baines-Walsh said. “Our son is a 5th grader at the Driscoll School and part of the Language and Academic Homebase program; he loves soccer and plays with Brookline Recreation and the Brookline Soccer Club.”

The townwide election is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, May 5.

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