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.
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:
The Pittsfield School Committee will have a meeting on Wednesday, January 24th 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
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 is making the following recommendations for appointments:
Berkshire Legislative Delegation: Hon. Peter Marchetti
Berkshire Athenaeum Board of Trustees: Diana Belair
School Building Needs Commission: William Cameron
Berkshire Compact for Higher Education: TBD
Berkshire Chamber of Commerce: Sara Hathaway
City Council: William Cameron and Sara Hathaway
School Councils: Daniel Elias
Berkshire Educational Resources K-12: William Cameron
Scholarships
Acceptance of a New Scholarship Tim Connolly Scholarship – A scholarship in honor of Timothy J. Connolly. It will be an annual $500 scholarship given to “a graduating senior from Pittsfield and/or Taconic High School who will be attending college to major in journalism, English, communication or other related field and/or work as a journalist.”
Acceptance of Criteria Amendment to the Marcia and Shane Cassavant Scholarship – An amendment to allow students who are pursuing a degree or certificate in a post secondary Career and Technical Education program, and increase the amount given to each high school to $250 per year.
First Reading on New Textbooks – The School Committee will conduct a first reading on the following new textbooks
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
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.
First Reading on Pilot Program – UFLI Foundations (Morningside)
First Reading on New Course Pilots
High School Playwriting & Directing (PHS)
High School Musical Theatre Performance (PHS)
Middle School STEM Lab (Reid)
Middle School Personal Finance (Reid)
Middle School Introduction to Digital Literacy (Reid)
First Reading on Adoption of Pilot Program – 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.
Annual Review of Career Vocational Technical Education Admissions Policy – Per Department of Elementary and Secondary Education regulations the school committee shall review its Career Vocational Technical Education Admissions policy once a year.
Presentation on Paraprofessional Educational Opportunitie
Executive Session – There will be an executive session to discuss negotiations with the United Educators of Pittsfield (teachers union), the Pittsfield Educational Administrator’s Association (educational administrators union), and non-union personnel.
Subcommittee Assignments
Per the City Charter the chair of the School Committee shall appoint members to subcommittees of the School Committee. The Chair has made the following subcommittee appointments:
AUDIT
Liaison – Assistant Superintendent for Business & Finance
William Cameron, Chair Sara Hathaway
Approves payment of bills (2 times/week)
CURRICULUM
Liaison – Deputy Superintendent
Diana Belair, Chair Daniel Elias Sara Hathaway
Reviews new course proposals and adoptions, curriculum models, textbook adoptions, district assessment programs, pilot programs and costs associated with these proposals. The work of the subcommittee will also ensure a bias review occurs at the district level when any new curriculum or materials are adopted.
FINANCE & TRANSPORTATION
Liaison – Assistant Superintendent for Business & Finance
William Cameron, Chair Daniel Elias Dominick Sacco
Reviews preliminary budgets, state and federal funding, review of House and Senate budgets, review of contractual obligations and impact on personnel. Additionally, this committee will address any transportation issues (including costs, routes, etc.) that come before the school committee.
PERSONNEL & NEGOTIATIONS
Liaison – Director of Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion
Daniel Elias, Chair William Cameron Sara Hathaway
Conducts all types of contract negotiations, hears grievances and other personnel issues and litigation. The work of the subcommittee will also support the lens of diversity and equity with regards to recruitment and hiring practices of the district.
POLICY
Liaison – Deputy Superintendent
Sara Hathaway, Chair William Cameron William Garrity
Works with administration on writing of new policies or amendments to current policies, making sure policies comply with the law.
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING & SCHOOL SAFETY
Liaison – Deputy Superintendent
Dominick Sacco, Chair Diana Belair William Garrity
Works with administration in addressing SEL needs and identifying ways in which to fill these needs including programming and staffing. This group will also work with administration to ensure the Code of Conduct is equitable and meets the state requirements pertaining to student discipline including the use of restorative practices as outlined in the Code of Conduct. Additionally, this subcommittee works with administration in ensuring the safety of our schools including the physical safety of students and personnel.
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Liaison – Special Education Director
William Garrity, Chair Diana Belair Dominick Sacco
Reviews programs and mandates pertaining to special education. The committee will work with administration to ensure special education programming and staffing meets the needs of diverse learners as well as meets the guidelines as outlined by federal and state education agencies.
Upcoming Subcommittee Meetings
January 23rd @ 5:15pm Personnel and Negotiations Subcommittee at Mercer Administration Building – Executive session to discuss strategy in preparation for negotiations with non-union personnel or to conduct collective bargaining sessions with non-union personnel. (Agenda)
January 24th @ 5:15pm Personnel and Negotiations Subcommittee at City Hall – Executive session to discuss negotiations with non-union personnel. (Agenda)
Upcoming Dates
January 22nd – February 9th – PPS Annual Family Survey(link)
January 23rd @ 8:30am – School Resource Officer Meet and Greet at Herberg
January 23rd @ 6pm – PPS School Safety and School Resource Officer Presentation via Zoom(link to register here)
January 25th @ 5:30pm – PPS Facilities and School Structure Study Community Engagement Session at Conte Community School
January 26th – Elementary Trimester 2 Progress Reports
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)
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.”
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
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.
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.
I hope you are doing well. As I am taking a course at Berkshire Community College on Tuesday and Thursday evenings throughout June, I am unable to attend the public comment period at the June 13th City Council meeting. Therefore I am sending my comments to all councilors via email before the meeting.
I am still recommending that the City Council file the petition regarding term limits for public office, which was charter objected at the May 24th meeting.
After sitting through the deliberation on this problematic petition, I want to respond to two major arguments that were brought forth.
Speak at the next Pittsfield City Council meeting to protect youth voice in this city and to prevent a proposal putting an age requirement for serving on the School Committee from moving forward!
When: Tuesday June 13th @ 6pm (come early to sign up) Where: City Hall Council Chambers, 70 Allen Street
The City Council will continue to discuss a proposal amending the City Charter to implement term limits for office and requiring School Committee members be of 30 years of age.
This proposal will harm youth voice in the city in a time where it is desperately needed!
Though this proposal has a long ways to go before even being enacted, stopping it now is the best way to ensure youth voices no longer remain on the chopping block in this city!
Ask the City Council to file this petition instead of referring it to the Charter Review Committee for consideration!
Unfortunately due to a class I am taking at BCC I am not able to attend the next city council meeting to speak during public comment. However, I have sent all City Councilor’s an emailed copy of what I would have said at the meeting, which you can find here.
I’m William Garrity, I reside at 64 Alcove Street in Pittsfield, and I am a 19 year old candidate for School Committee. I’m here speaking on item number 15 regarding amending the City Charter to implement term limits and “rotation” of elected officials. I am recommending that the City Council file this proposal instead of referring it to the Charter Review Committee.
I believe this is a problematic proposal that will lead to instability in city government. By design this proposal would make it so that all elected positions on the city council and the school committee would change between elections, which would lead to mass instability in leadership between terms. There is a reason why the surrounding towns around us have staggered terms for office, as that allows for a more smooth transition if the whole composition of an elected body changes.
I also believe this proposal would not solve the problem that it is supposed to solve, limiting incumbency in office, as it does not limit how many non-consecutive terms elected officials can serve. In fact it could lead to a situation where there are still a set of incumbents in office, though which set of incumbents flips back and forth every term.
And this amendment also contains a proposal to require that school committee members be of the age of 30 years or older in order to serve on the school committee. Nevermind the fact that this proposal doesn’t contain an age limit for mayor or city council, I am against any measure to put an age requirement for running for any office in the city of Pittsfield. In a time where young people in Pittsfield are leaving, Pittsfield should be attracting young people back to this city. By putting an age limit for office, the city would be implying that it does not care about the voices of young people like me in this city. How would this implicit statement help to keep and attract young people to this city in a time where it is very much needed for our future?
For these reasons, I believe this petition should be filed and not be referred to the Charter Review Committee as I feel it would not be the most effective use of the committee’s time deliberating over this problematic petition that would not even solve the stated problems it is supposed to fix.
