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Board names Kristin Young chair of School Facility Utilization Task Force and sets new public comment rules for the study
Summary
The board appointed Kristin Young as chair and BOE liaison to the School Facility Utilization Task Force, outlined a new SFU‑TF process run with consultant SP+A, and discussed public access and recording of task force meetings; public comment for the task force will be in person or via a dedicated email.
The New Hartford Board of Education appointed Kristin Young as chair and board liaison to the School Facility Utilization Task Force (SFU‑TF) at its Feb. 3 meeting and outlined an organizational process led by SP+A consultant Michelle Miller.
Kristin Young said the SFU‑TF’s first meeting on Jan. 22 focused on establishing process and roles; Michelle Miller presented a study timeline and recommended the board designate a member as chair. Superintendent Jeffrey Sousa will step back from directing the task force and assume an audience role, Young said, while Young and Michelle Miller will run future SFU‑TF meetings.
Thomas Buzzi, chair of the former Outreach Subcommittee, said that if the town is spending $50,000 on the facility study “the School Facility Utilization Task Force meetings should be broadcasted and recorded just as the Board of Education meetings are rather than having a member use an owl,” expressing concern about access and transparency. Board members and the consultant discussed a dedicated SFU‑TF email address for public input (NHTaskForce@newhtfd.org) and that public comment for the task force should be submitted in person or via that email rather than virtually through other platforms.
The SFU‑TF scheduled two additional meetings for April 22 and May 27, 2026. Board members emphasized transparent communication: Kristin Young said the process document used to structure the task force will be shared with the consultant and the board. Some board members also suggested listing SFU‑TF meetings and materials on the district website and integrating task force meeting notices with other civic postings.
Public commenter Samantha Wald, representing the NH PTO and the SFU‑TF community, urged the board to add a standing community outreach agenda item to regular board meetings and raised concerns about how posts are shared on Facebook groups. The board later voted to remove the Community Outreach Subcommittee as a standing committee and discussed making outreach a recurring agenda item instead.
