Click here to view the agenda for this meeting
Click here to view the PCTV meeting recording
Berkshire Eagle and iBerkshires were both present at this meeting. PCTV recorded the whole tour and I would highly recommend watching their recording.
Continue reading “March 5th Joint Meeting Recap”Click here to view the agenda and packet information for this meeting
Click here to view the meeting recording
Restricting Virtual School Enrollment – Commonwealth Virtual Schools (CMVS) are virtual schools that serve the whole state and are approved by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Under Massachusetts State Law a school committee may “restrict enrollment of its students in commonwealth virtual schools if the total enrollment of its students in commonwealth virtual schools exceeds 1 per cent of the total enrollment in its district; provided, however, that no student enrolled in a commonwealth virtual school shall be compelled to withdraw as a result of that vote.”
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has determined based on student enrollment data reported to them on October 1st, 2023 that more than 1% of students from Pittsfield are enrolled in a CMVS. Under DESE Guidelines the School Committee must vote by March 1st if it is considering restricting student enrollment in the CMVS.
Based on this information, the School Committee voted to restrict enrollment in CMVS to 1% in a 6 – 1 vote (I opposed the motion).
Continue reading “February 28th School Committee Meeting Recaps”Update: The Regular Meeting at 5:15pm will be recorded by PCTV. The budget workshop will not be covered however.
The next Pittsfield School Committee meeting on February 28th is being divided into two meetings, a brief regular meeting with one item on the agenda, and our first budget workshop. Both meetings will be held at Reid Middle School (950 North Street) in the Library.
The regular meeting will start at 5:15pm.
The budget workshop will start at 5:30pm or after the regular meeting adjourns.
Click here to view the agenda for the regular meeting
Click here to view the packet information
The Pittsfield School Committee will have a meeting on Wednesday, February 28th at 5:15pm in the Reid Middle School Library (950 North Street).
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.
There is one item on the agenda for this meeting.
Restricting Virtual School Enrollment – Commonwealth Virtual Schools (CMVS) are virtual schools that serve the whole state and are approved by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Currently the two CMVS in the state are the Greater Commonwealth Virtual School (GCVS, and formally known as Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School) and TEC Connections Academy Commonwealth Virtual School (TECCA).
Under Massachusetts State Law a school committee may “restrict enrollment of its students in commonwealth virtual schools if the total enrollment of its students in commonwealth virtual schools exceeds 1 per cent of the total enrollment in its district; provided, however, that no student enrolled in a commonwealth virtual school shall be compelled to withdraw as a result of that vote.”
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has determined based on student enrollment data reported to them on October 1st, 2023 that more than 1% of students from Pittsfield are enrolled in a CMVS. Under DESE Guidelines the School Committee must vote by March 1st if it is considering restricting student enrollment in the CMVS.
Based on this information, the School Committee will discuss then vote on whether or not to cap enrollment to the CMVS.
Click here to view the agenda for the meeting
Click here to view the packet information
The Pittsfield School Committee will have its first budget workshop on Wednesday, February 28th at 5:30pm following the regular meeting in the Reid Middle School Library (950 North Street).
There will be no participation by the public for this portion of the meeting.
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I am utterly horrified by the death of Nex Benedict, a transgender student from Oklahoma. After months of bullying due to their gender identity Nex got into a fight with three older girls on February 7th, then suddenly passed away the next day. Nex died as a result of hate against the LGBTQ+ community. Hate that has been pushed by the highest leaders of the Oklahoma educational system who put partisan politics over the safety and wellbeing of the students these leaders served. Nex did not have to die like this.
Hate has no place in any of our schools, and no LGBTQ+ student should have to suffer like Nex did. I will always push for what is best for all of our students, and to ensure that our LGBTQ+ students feel welcomed and safe in the Pittsfield Public Schools.
To all LGBTQ+ students in Pittsfield and beyond, always remember that there are people who do care about you, want to make sure you are safe, and want to see you succeed into adulthood and beyond.
Resources for LGBTQ+ Students
For more information about the death of Nex Benedict and the impact it is having on LGBTQ+ students in Oklahoma and beyond
Rolling Stone – ‘That Could Have Been Me’: Queer Teens Mourn Nex Benedict
Click here to view the agenda and packet information for this meeting
Click here to view the meeting recording
Acceptance of Donation for Taconic’s Auto Technology Program – Toyota Motors North America, Inc. is looking to donate the use of a 2023 Toyota GR86 with an estimated value of $25,723 for 5 years for Taconic’s Auto Technology Program. School Committee policy requires the committee to accept any donation of $5,000 or more to the Pittsfield Public Schools. The School Committee voted to accept the donation.
Report on Education Spending Outside of School Committee Budget and Governor’s Budget Update
Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Kristen Behnke gave the presentation. Here is the most important information:
Big takeaway: If Pittsfield was in group 11 we could possibly receive $1 million to $1.5 million more based on rough estimates. More information will come during our budget workshop on February 28th.
Discussion of Submittal of an SOI with the MSBA Regarding Crosby Elementary School and the Submittal’s Role in the Restructuring Planning – The district is looking at a potential new building project on the Crosby site as a part of its restructuring project. In order to get state funding for the project, the Superintendent must submit a Statement of Interest (SOI) to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) by Friday, April 12th. The School Committee and the City Council must vote to authorize the Superintendent to submit the SOI.
Superintendent Curtis gave an overview of the work the School Building Needs Commission and the school restructuring consultant DRA (who were the architects for the Taconic High School building project) have done. Here are some highlights of the presentation:
The proposed Joint City Council and School Committee Workshop would also include a tour of the Crosby and Conte sites.
This is the district’s master plan spanning out to 2046. Click here to view a larger version.
When asked about PHS administration mentioned that it would cost approximately $120 million to renovate PHS. It would also be difficult to run two building projects at once.
Approval of Memorandums of Understanding with the United Educators of Pittsfield and the Pittsfield Pittsfield Federation of School Employees/AFT, Local 1315, Bus Drivers’ & Attendants’ Unit – These Memorandums were tabled until our next regular meeting.
At the moment our next meeting will be our budget workshop on Wednesday, February 28th at 5:30pm at Reid Middle School. Due to the nature of the workshop format this meeting will not be recorded (though the first portion of the meeting which is a group presentation might be, more information to come).
Our next regular meeting that is scheduled is Wednesday, March 13th at 6pm at City Hall in City Council Chambers.
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Click here to view the agenda for the meeting
Click here to view the packet information
The Pittsfield School Committee will have a meeting on Wednesday, February 14th 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.
Acceptance of Donation for Taconic’s Auto Technology Program – Toyota Motors North America, Inc. is looking to donate a 2023 2023 Toyota GR86 with an estimated value of $25,723 for Taconic’s Auto Technology Program. School Committee policy requires the committee to accept any donation of $5,000 or more to the Pittsfield Public Schools.
Report on Education Spending Outside of School Committee Budget and
Governor’s Budget Update
Discussion of Submittal of an SOI with the MSBA Regarding Crosby Elementary
School and the Submittal’s Role in the Restructuring Planning – The district is looking at a potential new building project on the Crosby site as a part of its restructuring project. In order to get state funding for the project, the Superintendent must submit a Statement of Interest (SOI) to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) by Friday, April 12th. The School Committee and the City Council must vote to authorize the Superintendent to submit the SOI. More information will be discussed at the meeting.
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 the Pittsfield Federation of School Employees/AFT, Local 1315, Bus Drivers’ & Attendants’ Unit.
Approval of Memorandums of Understanding with the United Educators of Pittsfield and the Pittsfield Pittsfield Federation of School Employees/AFT, Local 1315, Bus Drivers’ & Attendants’ Unit – These Memorandums will be discussed in executive session and then the School Committee will vote on them in open session. The Memorandums of Understanding will be released after the executive session.
Click here to view the agenda and packet for this meeting
Click here to view a recording of the meeting
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)
Pilot Programs (All approved)
New Courses (All approved)
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.
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:
Due to a communication issue, this item was tabled until the next meeting.
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:
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.
Click here to view the agenda and packet for this meeting
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.
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.
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)
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
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.
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:
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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.
The School Committee voted to accept the following donations:
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!
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)
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
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.
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)
If you are interested in receiving weekly updates about the Pittsfield School Committee in your inbox, then sign up for my weekly newsletter here!