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Some Thoughts About the Pittsfield School Committee Election

Posted on by William Garrity

Last month the City Council voted, again, to ask the School Committee to release redacted versions of the PHS Investigation Reports. The next day, the new School Committee voted 6-1 to also release a redacted version of the reports.

I’m not going to get into my thoughts about this, partially because that itself deserves its own blog post that I’m not sure I’m ready to write just yet. However, I want to push back on an argument Councilor Warren made in supporting this vote that “there is no confusion in the
publics vote in the November election, they want transparency” (page 11 of the City Council packet that contained the minutes of this meeting), inferring that the voters wanted the report released and voted accordingly in the election.

I do not buy this argument as I believe the voters were not given much of a choice this past election. Most of the candidates either supported releasing the report (Batory, Muil, Buerger, Smith, and Barry) or didn’t say much about their support or opposition (Klein and McNeice). There were only two candidates who supported the past School Committee’s decision to not release the full PHS, Elias (who ultimately voted against the motion to release the report) and Yon (while she supported the motion she seemed to support the Committee’s handling of PHS during the election). If voters wanted to elect School Committee members that were happy with how the School Committee handled the PHS incidents, then they were out of luck.

This argument also falls apart when you take a deeper look at the election results, which is what I did for a talk I gave to the MCLA Political Science Club.

As you can see, McNeice was the highest vote getter, and was the highest vote getter in every precinct. I would argue that this support came from being very well known in the community for being a long time Taconic teacher. In 2nd and 3rd place overall were Elias and Yon. Already this refutes the claim that the voters were clear about their views on the PHS report because if that were the case then Elias and Yon wouldn’t have been high up, if elected at all.

But to get a better understanding of this support, you need to look deeper. Looking at the second place winner in each precinct, Elias was the 2nd place winner in every precinct except for 2B, where he was in 7th place, and 7B where he was in 3rd place. In both of those precincts Batory was the 2nd place winner. If there was true, widespread support of releasing the full PHS report and dislike of the School Committee’s handling of the PHS incidents, then Elias would have not been the 2nd place winner in these many precincts.

Taking a look at the 3rd place winners in each precinct, Yon was the 3rd place winner in 6 precincts, 1B, 2B, 3A, 4A, 4B, and 6A, and tied with Barry in 5A. Batory was the 3rd place winner in 3 precincts, 1A, 6B, and 7A, and tied with Muil in 5B. Muil was the 3rd place winner in 2 precincts, 2A and 3B, and ties with Batory in 5B. Elias was the 3rd place winner in 7B. I feel these results show a more mixed picture of what voters wanted in a School Committee in this election.

Additionally, if you take a look at Sara Hathaway’s numbers in her unsuccessful at-large councilor bid, she got 2761 votes, more votes than every school committee candidate except for McNeice and Elias. If voters were this dissatisfied with the former School Committee’s handling of the PHS reports, Hathaway would have not had such a large vote count even for an at-large councilor seat.

Ultimately, I think these election results really show two common themes in local politics: voters tend to prefer incumbents and familiar faces. No incumbent lost their seat this last election, and in the 2023 Pittsfield election only one incumbent lost their seat. For the amount of criticism both the city government and the school department get on places such as Facebook and the Berkshire Eagle, voters who show up to vote tend to be happy with the current state of local government in Pittsfield. I don’t feel these results really show support for any certain agenda or mandate to do something, voters just like stability and familiar faces in government.

Letter: Pittsfield School Committee needs a chair with public school experience

Posted on by William Garrity

This letter to the editor was in the January 2nd, 2026 paper of the Berkshire Eagle.

To the editor: As the Pittsfield School Committee is experiencing almost complete turnover, and with the current chair not returning, the new committee will be electing a new School Committee chair.

Having served on the School Committee this past term and having worked closely with our current chair Dr. Cameron, I understand the importance of having a chair who understands how public schools function inside and out.

Given the challenges that the Pittsfield Public Schools currently face and will continue to face over the next several years, I believe it is extremely important that the committee elects a chair with a background in public school education to lead the district through these tough times. The School Committee needs a chair who understands the potential of what our schools could be like. A chair who understands the goals and aspirations of public education. A chair who understands that our school system is more than dollar signs, budget line items, and the bottom-line budget number but all the hard-working staff, faculty and administrators, and most importantly our students that make our school system run. A chair who can lead with compassion and put the needs of our students and teachers front and center, rather than making decisions to score local political points. Only a chair who has experience in education would be able to do just this. I believe there are a few new members who I feel can meet this challenge of being chair in these times.

I know some will be concerned with the idea of having someone without prior experience on the School Committee to serve as chair, but that should not be a hindrance. The Massachusetts Association of School Committees has many trainings and support systems for new and aspiring chairs, and there are many people in Berkshire County and beyond who know well the role of the chair and would be able to guide a new member through serving as one.

I hope these members step up the plate and offer to run for chair. Having a School Committee chair with a background in education would be in the best interest of our students and the wider Pittsfield Public Schools community. This would ensure that the committee’s work remains focused on making the best decisions for our students and staff rather than serving local political interests.

William Garrity, Pittsfield

Partisanship and School Committee: Our Work is Partisan

Posted on by William Garrity

iBerkshires.com released its candidate profile for all of the candidates running for Pittsfield School Committee, go check it out here.

One of the questions they asked was “What political party are you affiliated with?” The candidates responded as follows:

Batory: “Independent, but I don’t believe political affiliation should play a role in public education. School Committee members are elected to serve all students, families, and staff — regardless of political party. My focus is on transparency, accountability, and making decisions that benefit our children, not partisan interests.”

Muil: “Democrat”

Elias: “Registered independent.”

Yon: “N/A”

Klein: “Unenrolled.”

Beurger: “None.”

McNeice: “I am registered as Independent, but most often lean toward the Democratic party”

Smith: “This is a nonpartisan position.”

Barry: No response to iBerkshires.

While the School Committee, and all elected offices in the City of Pittsfield, are in fact non-partisan, that does not mean our work is non-partisan.

The job of the School Committee is to serve our students, to support them and protect them. While we may disagree on how this School Committee has done that, I think we can all agree that this is the purpose of the Committee. Unfortunately, in this day and age, protecting students and even people now falls into partisan categories.

When you have a federal government who is attacking public education, defunding offices in the Department of Education meant to protect special education students and other minority groups, when you have a federal government that is going after LGBTQ+ students, primarily our trans and non-binary students, when you have a federal government who is forcefully going after immigrant families, making them live in fear of being removed from this country, our work to protect students becomes partisan.

When you have conservative groups, such as Moms for Liberty, who support conservative school board candidates to run for office who run on banning LGBTQ+ books, rights for LGBTQ+ students, and teaching of subjects around diversity, equity, and inclusion, our work and our advocacy becomes partisan.

The School Committee got involved in partisan politics when we voted unanimously to adopt my resolution affirming our support for our LGBTQ+ students and declare “that the Pittsfield School Committee declares the Pittsfield Public Schools to be a safe space for all students, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, and a safe space for students to explore their gender identity and/or sexual orientation”, because one party has decided that stripping rights away from these students is their stance and what they will continue to push. We took a stand because we believe we have a duty to support and protect our students.

It’s not enough for us education leaders to bury our heads in the sand and say “we are staying out of partisan politics” when our student’s rights and their wellbeing are on the line. I hope that all candidates start to understand this, and voters understand it when they go to the polls next week. I also hope the new School Committee will understand this, and continue to support our students even if that means getting involved in partisan politics.

March 20th Pittsfield School Committee Special Meeting Recap

Posted on by William Garrity

Click here to view the March 20h meeting packet

Click here to view the March 20th meeting recording

Click here to view the March 20th budget hearing recording

Approval of Memoranda of Agreement Between the Pittsfield School Committee and the Pittsfield Educational Administrators’ Association (documents coming soon) – The School Committee approved the memoranda with the Pittsfield Educational Administrators Association (PEAA) to address compensation for certain individuals that had extra work commitments due to the absences of staff they had to cover for.

Approval of Settlement Agreement Between the Pittsfield School Committee and the United Educators of Pittsfield – The School Committee approved a settlement agreement with the United Educators of Pittsfield (UEP teachers union) to update some language in the contract regarding the sick leave bank and compensation for teachers in substantially separate classrooms.

Approval of Memorandum of Agreement Between the Pittsfield School Committee and the Pittsfield Federation of School Employees, Bus Drivers’ & Attendants’ Unit – The School Committee approved an agreement with the Pittsfield Federal of School Employees Bus Drivers and Attendants Unit which raises the rates at which bus drivers and bus monitors are paid to hopefully attract more drivers, as well as include rates for 7D drivers (used for special education transportation) so the district can hire 7D drivers instead of relying on contractors to reduce costs.

Approval of a resolution received from the Haverhill School Committee to seek changes in the calculation of the inflation factor used in determining Chapter 70 funding for FY 2025 and thereafter – The School Committee approved this resolution.

March 13th School Committee Recap: The Budget Presentation

Posted on by William Garrity

I am splitting the recap from our March 13th Meeting into two parts, one just on the budget presentation and one on everything else during the meeting.

Budget Presentation

Superintendent Curtis and Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Behnke presented the administration’s FY25 budget proposal.

Continue reading “March 13th School Committee Recap: The Budget Presentation”

Upcoming School Committee Meeting and Budget Workshop February 28th, 2024

Posted on by William Garrity

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.

Upcoming Regular Meeting

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.

Agenda Highlights

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.

Upcoming School Committee Budget Workshop

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.

Agenda Highlights

  • Building an Understanding of the Budgeting Process
  • Overview of State Aid, Enrollment Projections and Grants (usually a presentation given at a regular School Committee meeting)
  • Small Group Discussions with the District Leadership Team

Newsletter

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Statement on the Death of Nex Benedict

Posted on by William Garrity

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

Resources for LGBTQ+ Students

The Trevor Project

Rainbow Youth Project USA

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

School Committee Meeting Recap February 14th, 2024

Posted on by William Garrity

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.

Next School Committee Meetings

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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