The Croton-Harmon Board of Education devoted the bulk of its May 7 meeting to a wide-ranging and sometimes tense work session on technology use in the district, with trustees questioning data reliability, expressing alarm over student privacy, and ultimately tabling a planned iPad purchase until curriculum implications could be examined. The meeting also featured the Croton Free Library's pitch for a 55 percent one-time tax levy increase to fund a $9 million renovation and the formal opening of the public hearing on the district's $106.7 million proposed budget for 2026-27. Both go before voters on May 19. Technology update draws intense scrutiny Dr. Ellen Moskowitz, the district's director of technology and innovation, presented data showing that average student usage on one-to-one devices peaks at 42 minutes per day in eighth grade, drawn from Lightspeed internet filter logs between January and April. She walked the board through the vetting process for new software, outlined data privacy protocols governed by Education Law 2-D, and presented research from John Hattie's visible learning framework suggesting certain tech-assisted practices carry high effect sizes on student achievement. But the presentation quickly became a point of vigorous pushback from trustees who said the numbers did not align with what they had observed in classrooms and heard from parents. "I'm seeing things that don't quite line up with what we're hearing reported," said Vice President Anamika Bhatnagar, noting that eighth graders spend 20 minutes daily on Delta Math alone, leaving what she called an implausible 22 additional minutes for the rest of the day. She and other trustees pointed out that the data captured only one-to-one device internet traffic — not smartboard use, offline apps, or other forms of screen exposure that students experience during the school day. Trustee Allison Samuels, who has a background in educational technology, raised concerns about student images captured through classroom video projects and apps that encourage young children to act as content creators. She pointed out that data privacy agreements with vendors do not protect images of students from potential misuse, including deepfakes or exposure in an increasingly polarized political climate. "Every moment where we're trying to figure this out, student data and safety and learning experience is being compromised while we as adults are trying to figure this out," Samuels said. "I think we need to move more quickly to reduce things." Trustee Omar Mayyasi challenged the use of Hattie's research, arguing that the high effect sizes attributed to tech-assisted feedback reflected the feedback mechanism itself, not the technology. "Feedback is the mechanism that has the greatest impact on student achievement," he said. "I think the effect we're seeing here is a result of the feedback loop, not the technology." Superintendent Brendan Walker acknowledged that the district, like others nationwide, has "done some things with screens involving kids that are not good" and said the conversation needs to move from the technology department to the curriculum level. He compared the situation to a pendulum that swung toward maximum tech adoption during COVID and is now swinging back. Bhatnagar drew attention to the fact that the ISTE standards guiding technology education are funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation, Microsoft, and Google — comparing the dynamic to pharmaceutical companies funding medical research. "These are the standards that New York State is imposing upon us, but the research and grants are funded by the major technology corporations," she said. The board debated examples of student projects Moskowitz presented, including a second-grade video production about local businesses and a seventh-grade French class film project. Several trustees questioned whether filming was developmentally appropriate for young students, whether the finished products were actually created by the students or by older collaborators, and whether the projects prioritized a polished product over the learning process. "We can't be talking about technology in a vacuum," Bhatnagar said. "We have to compare technology versus the nontechnology — that's what we're arguing for here." iPad purchase tabled When the meeting turned to a budget item for fourth and fifth grade iPad purchases, the board voted to table it. Mayyasi said he was not comfortable approving the expenditure without understanding how the devices would be used instructionally and whether they aligned with curriculum goals and board policy. Walker explained the purchase had shifted from second and fifth grades to fourth and fifth as the district moves away from a one-to-one model in the lower grades toward shared carts. He said the board would revisit the item with additional context. Trustees propose technology committee Faced with the scope of the technology governance challenge and the technology committee's summer hiatus, Mayyasi proposed forming a joint committee of administrators and community stakeholders — including residents with relevant expertise — to develop recommendations before the 2026-27 school year begins. "Given the urgency of this and the end of year approaching, I would like the board to direct the administration to convene a committee of relevant stakeholders who can provide input and gain consensus in moving forward," Mayyasi said. Bhatnagar, Carrier, and Haber voiced support, with Haber noting that under board policy, the president can form the committee without a full vote. Teague said the item would be discussed at an upcoming board officers meeting. Cell phone policy deferred Moskowitz reported on the first year of the high school's phone-free policy, noting 21 devices were confiscated and five students were sent to administration for placing decoy phones in classroom caddies. But trustees said they could not adequately question the data because high school administrators were not present, and the discussion was deferred to a future meeting. Library seeks tax levy increase Croton Free Library Director Jesse Landeau asked the board to place on the May 19 ballot a proposition for a 55 percent one-time increase to the library tax levy, bringing the levy to approximately $11.5 million. He said the increase would cost the average village homeowner about $10.50 per month. The increase is driven by three priorities: a $425,000 debt service line item to support a $9 million renovation of a building last updated in the late 1990s, staff equity adjustments averaging 5 percent for professional librarians and 8 percent for support staff, and restoration of core services including museum passes and programming that had been funded through fundraising. Landeau said rising insurance and utility costs have consumed more than half of the library's permitted annual tax cap increase in recent years, forcing the library to dip into $30,000 in fundraising reserves just to cover basic operations. The renovation, designed by Butler Rowland Mays architects, would address infrastructure needs, improve accessibility, expand the children's room, and add a dedicated creative space. Bus electrification advocacy The board reviewed a letter to the state Public Service Commission supporting the Lower Hudson Electric Consortium's petition for an informational proceeding on electric grid readiness for school bus fleet electrification. Bhatnagar said Croton-Harmon, as one of the districts furthest along in electrification, is well-positioned to lend support. Trustees noted that Con Edison has repeatedly told the district it would take two to three years to deliver the necessary transformer — a timeline that has not changed despite years of requests. A bill in the state legislature would delay electrification mandates by five years, pushing the full transition to roughly 2037. Other business The board approved the updated policy 0000 for a second reading after a lengthy discussion about whether the district's vision statement should be embedded in the educational philosophy policy. Trustees debated replacing "pursuit of inspiration" with "pursuit of knowledge" before sending the policy back to committee for further refinement. Personnel approvals included tutors Amanda Frioli, Allison DeCarlo, and Lauren Gonzalez at $60 per hour, a CTA side letter agreement, and donations of $8,000 from the Croton-Harmon Education Foundation for a laser cutter at PVC and $2,000 from the high school PTSA for scholarships. The board also recognized Student Ex Officio Filomena DiMarco for her year of service, with trustees praising her outreach efforts to students who might not otherwise see themselves as leaders and her work expanding participation in student government.