Town Government
School Committee & Superintendent
The Superintendent
Timothy Lee
Sandisfield is too small to run a school district by itself, so it runs one jointly with Otis. Timothy Lee is the Superintendent of the Farmington River Regional School District, which enrolls about 105 students in a single building, the Farmington River Elementary School at 555 North Main Road in Otis. The Superintendent proposes the school budget, sets academic priorities, and runs the district day to day, and is hired by and reports to the elected School Committee. Because the district is regional, that committee answers to two towns at once: three of its five seats are elected by Otis voters and two by Sandisfield. Note what this means for the money: the school budget is the one large piece of town spending the Town Manager does not build. It comes from the Superintendent to the School Committee, and then to the Town Meetings of both towns.
| Role | Superintendent of Schools, Farmington River Regional School District |
|---|---|
| District phone | (413) 269-4466 |
| Website | frrsd.org |
The School Committee
The Farmington River Regional School Committee has five members serving staggered three-year terms, three filling Otis’s seats and two filling Sandisfield’s. The committee sets district policy, approves the school budget, and hires and evaluates the Superintendent who runs the schools day to day. Sandisfield’s two seats are on the town ballot like any other town office, so this is a board a Sandisfield resident can run for. It meets in the Farmington River Elementary School library, and the meetings are public, which means a Sandisfield student who shows up can speak.
Denise Hardie
Carl Nett
Kate Meierdiercks
Stacey Schultze
Douglas Miner
In 2026 Denise Hardie was re-elected to a three-year Otis seat with 206 of the 278 votes cast. The district posts its current roster at frrsd.org.
The District at a Glance
- Enrollment: about 105 students, PreK through grade 6.
- Schools: one, the Farmington River Elementary School in Otis.
- Grades 7 to 12: the district holds tuition agreements with the Berkshire Hills Regional and Lee Public Schools, and families choose between them.
- State data: DESE profile (code 06620000).
Meetings & Participation
- When: monthly, generally on the first Monday evening, in the Farmington River Elementary School library at 555 North Main Road, Otis.
- Public comment: the committee welcomes community members to speak on matters within its purview. Check the posted agenda for the procedure.
- Agendas & minutes: numbered and posted on frrsd.org.
- A live question: Sandisfield has an active committee studying its school options and the regional agreement, so how the town educates its children is itself on the table, and Town Meeting is where that gets decided.
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