Anamika Bhatnagar took over as president of the Croton-Harmon Board of Education on July 16 with a call for measurable district goals, as trustees pressed for clearer class-size data and safeguards for artificial intelligence in meeting records. The organizational meeting brought two newly elected trustees, Jacob Day and Elizabeth Laird, to the table and established two nonvoting student seats. The board elected Omar Mayyasi vice president; outgoing president Ana Teague remained a trustee. Bhatnagar described what the new leadership expected: “It's important to us and to our community that these goals need more than statements of intention. They need to include clear measures, timelines, and regular reporting to the board and the community.” Read 68:31▶ She said the board would work with Superintendent Stephen Walker on priorities and discuss them further with administrators, with reporting to the community as part of the process.

Two student voices at the table

All seven elected trustees attended: Bhatnagar, Mayyasi, Teague, Day, Laird, Theo Oshiro and Allison Samuels. Oshiro nominated Bhatnagar for president, emphasizing her accessibility and commitment to students; Day nominated Mayyasi, praising his advocacy and help with onboarding. Each officer was elected with six yes votes and their own abstention. Nikhil Mukherjee was appointed ex-officio student trustee for 2026-27. Madeline Kramer was appointed associate ex-officio student trustee for that year, followed by a term as ex-officio student trustee in 2027-28. Both took their oaths. The arrangement brings a junior and a senior into the board's discussions without giving them votes. The students also weighed in on how adult trustees should participate in the Student-Faculty Congress. Mukherjee favored a trustee who would listen, help clarify questions and bring an additional perspective back to the board. Teague proposed rotating attendance among trustees. Mukherjee welcomed that idea: “I also think it's a good way for students to build a connection with the entire board instead of just having one person that they know.” Read 39:51▶ The board discussed consolidating Advocacy work with Policy and Communications with Board Development, which it agreed to call Board Governance. Other liaison assignments would return for further consideration. The meeting included an executive session from 5:19 to 6:27 p.m., according to the official minutes.

Class-size averages meet questions about individual cohorts

Walker's presentation showed projected second-grade enrollment of 111 pupils across five sections, averaging 22.2 students per class for 2026-27. Projected kindergarten enrollment was 105 across five sections, although Walker said the actual count that day was 102. These were July planning figures, not final fall enrollment. Class-size presentation Mayyasi asked for minimum and maximum section sizes alongside averages. Laird sought comparisons with districts of similar size and resources. Samuels wanted to follow a cohort's experience from year to year and see the adult support available in classrooms, rather than treating class size as a stand-alone number. Walker argued that staffing decisions also include academic interventions and counseling support. He said: “yes, it's about class size and sections, but it's also about what the support structures outside of the general education staffing look like.” Read 92:42▶ Assistant Superintendent for Business Denise Harrington-Cohen noted that every kindergarten classroom had an aide. Walker said the district could bring staffing and cohort information back during budget planning; Samuels asked that the review include all three schools. In public comment, teacher and parent Jill Anderson urged the board to add another second-grade section, describing the effect on one cohort of moving from six sections with kindergarten aides to five sections without that support. Anderson said: “I think that historical data has a place, but you also need to look at a cohort.” Read 108:56▶ She also questioned the physical space available in second-grade classrooms and compared the proposed size with New York City's goal of 20 pupils at that age.

Human review of AI summaries

Teague raised concerns about AI-generated accounts of meetings. She relayed Village Manager Bryan Healy's explanation that AI-generated IDEA Committee minutes had been posted without being checked, then urged trustees to review material representing their own work. Her request was to “make sure that it is reviewed again by human eyes, that we don't just trust the AI.” Read 121:08▶ Bhatnagar clarified that the AI-generated summaries of school-board meetings under discussion came from outside the board: “those were not generated by the board of education.” Read 121:23▶ She said the district had not yet articulated a policy on AI use in meetings and raised questions about notice, consent, confidential information and student privacy. These were issues for policy development; the board did not adopt an AI policy that evening. Mayyasi emphasized the committee chair's responsibility for agendas, minutes and review before posting. Bhatnagar said she would consult counsel about timely committee-minute approval, including the question of email review. Teague also suggested asking prospective communications providers about their use of AI.

Appointments, grants and other business

The board appointed Bari Suman interim Director of Health, Wellness, Physical Education and Athletics, effective July 17, 2026, through June 30, 2027. Walker said she had recently retired from Mamaroneck, brought extensive experience and had already begun recommending improvements. Appointment agreement The board accepted nine donations totaling $3,100 for the 2027 Lacey Carr Memorial Scholarship. Carr would have been a member of the graduating class of 2026. It also accepted a $38,490 state grant for multi-factor authentication hardware tokens; Harrington-Cohen explained that the fobs would give staff an alternative to using a phone app for verification. Other approvals included a cooperative transportation agreement with seven other districts running July 2026 through June 2031; tutors and home instructors at $60 an hour; math teacher Derrick Davis's resignation effective August 3; and facility-use fee waivers. Teri Lukin was appointed the community member of the Health & Safety Committee. Annual organizational approvals covered board appointments, special-education committees, designations, payroll and purchasing authorities, policies and rates. They included superintendent authority for budget transfers up to $20,000 and a $1 million bond for designated financial officers. The consent agenda included approval of the June 11 and June 29 meeting minutes. The next meeting was scheduled for August 6. In other public comment, Anderson called for collaboration between the district and the Croton Community Collective around children's relationships with technology. Ed Riely welcomed the new members and urged skepticism toward education trends, citing Common Core, electric buses and testing policies; he also criticized the IDEA Committee and raised concerns about the planned cannabis shop. Those were his views during public comment.