Meeting Recap
Click here to view the agenda and packet for this meeting
Click here to view a recording of the meeting
First Reading on New Curriculum Materials and Courses
School Committee policy require all changes to curriculum and adoption of new curriculums and courses to be approved by the School Committee, with the proposals being read (voted on) at two different meetings.
The following came up for a first reading and will be on the agenda again at our next regular meeting.
New Textbooks (All approved)
- Environmental Science for the AP Course – For AP Environmental Science at PHS
- Young Producers Group Complete Curriculum – For Music Production 1 and 2, Music Appreciation, Career Awareness for Young Producers
Pilot Programs (All approved)
- UFLI (pronounced you-fly) Foundations at Morningside – New literacy curriculum developed by the University of Florida based on “science of reading” principles with the goal of improving literacy outcomes for students.
- TeachTown’s Meta Play – Meta Play is a Pre-K curriculum “offers a systematic, play-based approach to fostering the development of imagination and play skills in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disabilities, developmental delays, and social and emotional disabilities.”
New Courses (All approved)
- PHS
- High School Playwriting & Directing
- High School Musical Theatre Performance
- Reid (these elective courses were developed to rearrange elective course offerings in response to teacher turnover)
- STEM Lab
- Personal Finance
- Introduction to Digital Literacy
Approval of New Tutoring Program – Ignite Tutoring Program
Ignite! Reading is a “new approach to reading instruction that is built to teach non-readers to READ”, utilizing 15 minutes a day of 1:1 virtual tutoring. Tutoring is for qualifying first graders based on reading ability.
At the meeting it was reported that the program has been working and the kids are very happy about meeting with their tutor/”friend” each day!
The School Committee voted to approve the pilot program.
Approval of School Committee Representatives
Per School Committee policy at its meeting after its organizational meeting the School Committee shall appoint members to serve as representatives to various bodies and groups. The Chair made the following recommendations for appointments, which the School Committee approved:
- Berkshire Legislative Delegation: Hon. Peter Marchetti
- Berkshire Anthenaeum Board of Trustees: Diana Belair
- School Building Needs Commission: William Cameron
- Berkshire Compact for Higher Education: TBD (the Chair does not know if this organization exits anymore)
- Berkshire Chamber of Commerce: Sara Hathaway
- City Council: William Cameron and Sara Hathaway
- School Councils: Daniel Elias
- Berkshire Educational Resources K-12: William Cameron
Presentation on Paraprofessional Educational Opportunities
Due to a communication issue, this item was tabled until the next meeting.
Budget Updates
Governor Healey released her proposed state budget for Fiscal Year 2025 (which runs from July 1st, 2024 to June 30th, 2025). After the release of the Governor’s budget, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE’s) released it’s preliminary estimates of Chapter 70 school aid (which is where Pittsfield Public Schools gets most of its funding from).
Based on DESE’s estimates, Pittsfield is estimated to receive $61,496,778 in Chapter 70 aid this fiscal year. This is a $649,248 increase compared to last physical year.
For comparison here are the increases in Chapter 70 aid spanning back to FY18:
- FY18: $390,423
- FY19: $2,119,739
- FY20 $5,020,681
- FY21: $477,007
- FY22: $1,497,516
- FY23: $4,594,226
- FY24: $6,592,719
For a state education funding’s expert on this, I would highly recommend checking out Tracy Novick’s Whos of Who-cester Blog Post Governor Healey FY25 budget recommendation. But here is the highlight of the post:
If you’re in a district with falling enrollment and not a high rate of low income students (thus meaning you’re not getting the driving push of the SOA increases in low income rates), a 1.35% inflation rate isn’t going to be enough to push a significant increase. It’s certainly made it harder for districts still in hold harmless to get back out, particularly on top of the $60 per pupil minimums last year.
Even the Gateways–and yes, I’m including Worcester in this–aren’t seeing the same increases we have in past years, when the inflation rate was being driven by the pandemic spending of previous quarters.
And no one’s budget is increasing by 1.35%.
More to come on the FY25 budget process at our next School Committee meeting in February.
Upcoming Subcommittee Meetings
- January 29th @ 5:30pm Personnel and Negotiations Subcommittee Meeting at Herberg Middle School – Executive session to conduct collective bargaining sessions with the United Educators of Pittsfield (Teachers Union). (Agenda)
- January 30th @ 5:30pm Personnel and Negotiations Subcommittee Meeting at Mercer – Executive session to conduct collective bargaining sessions with the Pittsfield Educational Administrators’ Association (PEAA) (Agenda)
Upcoming Dates
- January 22-February 2, 2024 – Annual Family Survey Range
- February 2, 2024 – Secondary Families Receive Notice of Quarter 2 report cards
- February 2, 2024 5-7p.m. For the LOVE OF ART Exhibit Opens @ the Lichtenstein!
- February 2 – February 9th – One Week to Celebrate our LOVE OF ART!! Join to view midway Senior Portfolios, Drawings & Paintings, Photography, and Ceramics works by Pittsfield High School artists!
- Empty Bowls Project: A handmade bowl. A simple meal. A way to fight hunger. Help us fill the bowls in our community! Join us for our Empty Bowls Event. All the proceeds raised during this event go to the St Joseph’s/ Christian Center Food Pantry in Pittsfield. Dinner of soup and bread “to go” will be available with a suggested donation for the one-of-a-kind ceramic bowls that are taken home after.
- February 14th, 2024 – Next regular School Committee meeting