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To the editor: The challenges Pittsfield faces must be dealt with care and an understanding of the nuances, rather than soundbites.

This election, I am supporting Dan Elias and Heather McNeice for Pittsfield School Committee, and Sara Hathaway for city councilor at large.

Having served with Elias during my time on the School Committee, he has shown his ability to understand all sides of an issue and understand the nuances that come with serving on the committee. Having served on the committee for 30 years, he brings great experience of what has worked and not worked for the district as well as much knowledge of the collective bargaining process. While some may say that we need a completely new school committee, having a committee with six new members and a mayor who has only served for two years will cause disruptions and potentially repeat mistakes that the committee has made in years past. Elias will ensure that there is a relatively smooth transition between this committee and the next.

I also believe McNeice would be a great addition to the School Committee. Having had her as a teacher at Taconic, I can say with confidence that she is very passionate for Pittsfield Public Schools. She understands the complexity of the jobs and issues that face the School Committee, such as the issue of cellphones in class and the middle school restructuring project. I believe her strong passion and organizational skills will be a great benefit to this new School Committee, and potentially even as an officer of the committee.

On the City Council, I believe Sara Hathaway would be a great addition. Having served as Pittsfield mayor back in the 2000s and on the School Committee for the past four years, she understands the bigger picture of how both the city and school department function. She wants to build a better relationship between the City Council and the schools, rather than the tense relationship that is present currently. She is solution-oriented, focusing on how we can address the many issues the city faces, understanding the nuances of the issues rather than trying to sound good and play to the camera. She will bring a much-needed collaborative voice to the council.

William Garrity, Pittsfield

The Pittsfield City Council will have a meeting Tuesday, March 26th at 6pm at City Hall in City Council Chambers. (Agenda)

Anyone interested in speaking during the public comment period must sign up with their name and address before 6pm at the podium. There is a 3 minute time limit for public comment per person.

The following educational items will be on the agenda:

14. A communication from Mayor Marchetti submitting a resolution to seek a full inflation adjustment of Chapter 70 school aid for the fiscal year 2025 (the School Committee approved the same resolution at our last meeting)

18. A communication from Superintendent Curtis requesting the City Council to authorize the Superintendent to submit a Statement of Interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (the School Committee voted to authorize the Superintendent to submit a Statement of Interest at our last regular meeting).

19. A communication from Superintendent Curtis on petitions from Councilor Amuso and Wrinn requesting an organizational chart that defines the number of positions in each department, the number of classrooms, and the projected number of students for the 2024-2025 school year

Items automatically referred under Council Rule 27 unless a member objects to the referral

• 31. Refer to the Mayor and Superintendent: A petition from Councilors Amuso and Wrinn requesting an inventory and update of all city owned vehicles
• 32. Refer to the Superintendent: A petition from Councilors Amuso requesting a detailed list of each item that ESSER monies are used for
• 33. Refer to the Superintendent: A petition from Councilors Amuso and Wrinn requesting an update on all city buildings, offices, locations and shared spaces owned or leased by the school system

The Pittsfield School Committee held its first meeting of its 2024 – 2025 term last Wednesday, January 10th.

Click here to view the agenda and packet for this meeting

Click here to view a recording of the meeting

Meeting Recap

Election of School Committee Officers

The Pittsfield School Committee elected its officers for the current term. They are:

Chair – William Cameron

Vice-Chair – Daniel Elias

Clerk – William Garrity

I am honored to be elected by my colleagues to serve as clerk of the Pittsfield School Committee and I look forward to serving in that role this term.

Overview of Winter Academic Benchmarks

The district conducts regular benchmarks to see how students are progressing academically. This year the district’s main focus is on student literacy with a mid-year goal of having “At least 70% of all students, in each school, will have typical growth, or greater, as measured by FastBridge mid-year literacy benchmark assessments.”

Superintendent Curtis presented the benchmark results and next steps for the district. His presentation is linked here. Here is an overview of the results:

The biggest takeaway I had from this presentation is that at the elementary school level the literacy coaches funded by ESSER are working and are having an impact on student literacy and benchmark results. 

The district will conduct an overview of the winter benchmark results for families on January 16th. A Zoom link to register has been sent to families via email and text message. 

Acceptance of Donation

The School Committee voted to accept the following donations:

• Guardian Life – A $5,0000 donation to Herberg Middle School for purchasing instruments and supplied for their band and orchestra programs, catering family nights for students, and awards for students exhibiting school expectations.
• RBD Electronics – A donation of laptop backpacks and sleeves for any student or staff member who needs one to carry their Chromebook or laptop.

If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback about any of these topics feel free to reach out to me at my contact information below!

Upcoming Subcommittee Meetings

January 16th @ 5:30pm Personnel and Negotiations Subcommittee Meeting via Zoom – Executive session to discuss strategy in respect to collective bargaining  with the United Educators of Pittsfield (Teachers Union). (Agenda)

January 17th @ 5:30pm Curriculum Subcommittee Meeting at Mercer Administration Center – Meeting to discuss the adoption of various new textbooks, programs, and new courses. (Agenda)

Upcoming Dates

January 18, 2024 – Taconic Winter Arts Night Click here for more info.

January 18, 2024 @ 6p.m. – PPS Restructuring Study Community Engagement Meeting @ Williams Elementary School

January 19, 2024 – Elementary Trimester 2 Progress Report Grades Close

January 22-February 2, 2024 – Annual Family Survey Range

Pittsfield Public Schools in the News

• Berkshire Eagle – Eagle Archives, Jan. 8, 1935: Sleigh riding to school is no novelty for Stearns students who live in country (paywall)
• Berkshire Eagle – The Pittsfield School Committee selected a new clerk, as members prepare to tackle budgets, Chromebooks and other issues in fresh term (paywall)
  • iBerkshires – New Pittsfield School Committee Meets for First Time

Recommended Education Articles to Read

• Whos of Who-cester (Tracy Novick) – The midyear budget cuts are bad, but the news on FY25 is worse
  • Important bit: “For FY25, that is $40.202 billion. That’s $208 million LESS than was passed last year for the fiscal year we’re in now. It will be more than what this year’s budget is projected to be now that they’ve rolled back the bottom line, but it’s crucial to understand: it will be LESS than what we used for this year during budget deliberations.”
• Berkshire Eagle – New Pittsfield City Council says it’s ‘sending a message’ by asking Mayor Peter Marchetti for a level-funded budget (paywall)
  • iBerkshires – Pittsfield Council Divided on Level-Funded Budget Petition
• The New Yorker – Has School Become Optional? (paywall)
• EducationWeek – Supreme Court Declines Case on Corporal Punishment for Student With Autism (paywall)
• The New Republic – West Virginia Bill Could Ban All Transgender People from Schools

Newsletter

If you are interested in receiving weekly updates about the Pittsfield School Committee in your inbox, then sign up for my weekly newsletter here!

Click here to view the agenda and packet for this meeting

The Pittsfield School Committee will have its first meeting of its 2024 – 2025 term on Wednesday, January 10th at 6pm in City Hall Council Chambers (70 Allen St). The meeting will also be broadcasted on PCTV Channel 1302, PCTV’s Facebook page, and PCTV Select.

Any member of the public may wish to speak during our public comment period. Public comment is limited to 3 minutes per person and the public comment period is limited to 15 minutes unless the school committee votes to extend the public comment period. Anyone wishing to speak during the public comment period may be required to sign up before the meeting starts.

Agenda Highlights

• Election of School Committee Officers – At the first school committee meeting we elect members to serve as Chair, Vice-Chair, and Clerk.
• Overview of Winter Academic Benchmarks – The district conducts regular benchmarks to see how students are progressing academically. This year the district’s main focus is on student literacy with a mid-year goal of having “At least 70% of all students, in each school, will have typical growth, or greater, as measured by FastBridge mid-year literacy benchmark assessments.” The district administration will be presenting the results of the winter benchmark and how students are progressing in regards to the district’s literacy goal. More information about the district’s literacy goal can be found in this year’s District Improvement Plan.
• Approval of the FY25 Budget Calendar
• Acceptance of Donations – School committee policy requires the school committee to accept any donation of $5,000 or more to the Pittsfield Public Schools.
  • Guardian Life – A $5,0000 donation to Herberg Middle School for purchasing instruments and supplied for their band and orchestra programs, catering family nights for students, and awards for students exhibiting school expectations.
  • RBD Electronics – A donation of laptop backpacks and sleeves for any student or staff member who needs one to carry their Chromebook or laptop.

Upcoming Subcommittee Meetings

January 10th @ 5:15pm Personnel and Negotiations Subcommittee Meeting at City Hall – Executive session to discuss strategy in respect to collective bargaining  with the United Educators of Pittsfield (Teachers Union) and the Pittsfield Educational Administrators’ Union (Administrative Union), and to discuss negotiations with nonunion personnel. (Agenda)

Upcoming Dates

• January 12, 2024 – Half Day of School (Dismissal Elementary School: 11:45, Middle School: 11:00, High School: 10:50)
• January 15, 2024 – No School in Observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Recommended Education Articles to Read

• Berkshire Eagle – The teacher whose Great Barrington classroom was searched for ‘Gender Queer’ book is taking a temporary leave of absence (paywall)
  • Berkshire Edge – School district held private meeting to discuss ‘Gender Queer’ controversy, teacher takes leave of absence
  • Berkshire Eagle – Massachusetts Teachers Association speaks out on book search at Great Barrington classroom (paywall)

Newsletter

If you are interested in receiving weekly updates about the Pittsfield School Committee in your inbox, then sign up for my weekly newsletter here!

Letter: In defense of students on IEPs following candidate Krol’s remarks

To the editor: I attended the United Educators of Pittsfield’s Oct. 19 Mayoral Q&A session so I could learn about the mayoral candidates’ positions on educational matters.

During his opening statement, mayoral candidate John Krol made the following remark: “There’s three different types of students in every single classroom. There are high performers, there are middle of the road and then there are those who are on IEPs, and those kids that also can be disruptions in our classrooms.”

As a person on the autism spectrum and as a former student who was on an individualized education plan throughout most of my time in the Pittsfield Public Schools, I find this remark highly offensive not only to me but to our students on IEPs in our district.

Sure there are some students on IEPs with behavioral issues, but there are IEP students who are on them to receive academic support, there are some who are on them to receive social and emotional support, and there are some who have physical disabilities and are on them for extra support. The needs of IEP students differ greatly between each student and some, like me, have been known to be very high academic achievers. To paint a wide brush that these students are all the same and that they are not high achievers or even “middle of the road” is ableist — plain and simple.

What does it say for our students on IEPs for the highest person in power in the city, the mayor, to say that IEP students are a separate category from “high achievers” and lumped together with disruptive students? It says that these students will never be able to reach their full potential because they are on an IEP, and that is downright false.

All School Committee members have a duty to all our students, including our students on IEPs, to support them adequately and equitably so they can do their best through their educational journey. This statement goes against this fundamental principle and I feel it is my duty to the students that I will represent if elected to say something about these hurtful and offensive remarks.

I sincerely hope that John Krol shows true leadership and retracts these offensive remarks. Our students deserve a mayor who values inclusion over exclusion for our IEP students and wants to see them thrive in our school system.

William Garrity, Pittsfield

The writer was Taconic High School Class of 2022 valedictorian and is a candidate for Pittsfield School Committee.

Letter: My response to a critique of my debate comment about IEPs

To the editor: It has been brought to my attention that a candidate for school committee, Mr. Garrity, was critical of statements I made at the recent teacher’s forum in a recent letter to the editor. (“Letter: In defense of students on IEPs following candidate Krol’s remarks,” Eagle, Nov. 1.)

While I fully appreciate the writer’s opinion, the statement he is quoting is taken completely out of context. I by no means was associating children with individualized education plans with disruption. I understand that he is a strong supporter of my opponent, and that there is a motive to paint me in a negative light.

I am a dad of five children in the public school system. I am very well aware of IEPs and their purpose. I should have chosen my words more carefully. However, the fact of the matter is, many parents have contacted me throughout this campaign to express their concerns with regard to how their children’s IEPs are not being serviced properly. This is why I raised it as an issue. I believe there is a direct correlation to lack of staffing and resources in the classrooms and the concerns parents are conveying to me. Clearly, this is a real issue and why it is imperative that we place emphasis on providing more resources in the classrooms so that our children — all children — can be successful. I also encourage every parent to understand their rights and the rights of students with IEPs and advocate for appropriate services. In fact, even those parents who strongly advocate for their child have struggled to receive proper services. We need to do better.

I encourage Mr. Garrity to join me in this effort to address a critical issue impacting our families and our schools. Let’s get to the heart of the issue, be honest with what is really happening in our schools, and do the hard work to improve. That is the leadership our families and our community deserve from a mayor and a member of the School Committee.

John Krol, Pittsfield

The writer is a candidate for mayor of Pittsfield.

My testimony to the Massachusetts Legislature’s Join Committee on Education regarding the Student Representative Voting Rights bill H.474 introduced by Rep. Farley-Bouvier (was the last one to testify):

Good evening Chair Lewis and Chair Garlic as well as the honorable members of the Joint Committee on Education,

I’m William Garrity, I’m 19 years old, and I am a former student representative to and current candidate for a seat on the Pittsfield School Committee. I am here to speak in support of H.474 An Act Relative to Student Representative Voting Rights.

Cities and towns in Western Massachusetts have been having a hard time attracting and retaining members to public bodies such as school committees. For instance, in my race for a seat on the school committee there are only 6 candidates for 6 seats, leaving such an important race uncontested. In neighboring Lenox there were no candidates on the ballot for the 3 open school committee seats this past election cycle, though 3 write-in candidates did step up to the plate. This is starting to become a recurring problem that is only going to get worse as time goes on.

What is a better way to get more people serving on our public bodies than to prepare them young. This is why I support giving two student representatives, elected by their high school peers, full voting rights on their school committee. For the students it gives them a voice on the most powerful body in which its actions directly impact their educational environment while giving them a learning experience into the inner workings of government and how to serve on a public body. And hopefully these student representatives will come back to serve on a public body again.

Lets face it, the role of student representatives has been deprioritized by school committees. There are quite a few school committees that do not even have student representatives. And for the ones that do most do not follow the legislative intent of the law, which is to have a student voice at the table on matters before the committee, not to only give reports on school sporting events and plays. Giving student representatives voting rights on their school committees will re-energize the role of the student representatives while also getting more students involved in the government process, and hopefully continue to stay involved after they graduate like I have.

I thank you for your time and I respectfully ask for this bill to be reported out favorably.