New Pittsfield School Bus Fleet Arriving

By Joe DurwinPittsfield Correspondent
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Superintendent Jason McCandless said the school district spends less per student on transporation than comparable municipalities.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The first of a newly purchased fleet of school buses arrived this week, Superintendent Jason "Jake" McCandless told the city's Public School Committee on Wednesday.
 
The school bus purchase proved controversial this year, failing by one vote in the first of two votes and narrowly passing on the second, but McCandless defended the district's choice to maintain its own bus fleet amidst some level of public criticism.
 
"I continue to hear that people are really troubled by the fact that we didn't just move to privatize the buses, and go out and contract with a company," said McCandless.
 
Citing data available through the Department of Education, McCandless said Pittsfield manages transportation at a per-student cost that is much lower than the county or state average.
 
Pittsfield's average annual transportation cost per student comes out to $261, McCandless noted, compared to expenditures in other small cities, such as $634 in Chicopee, $520 in Marlborough or $630 in Taunton.  
 
"The state average across the commonwealth is that it costs, for each student in your school system, $483 per year. The city of Pittsfield does it for $261," stated McCandless, who said the Berkshire County average is $699, even excluding the most rural local systems that run much higher average mileage per student.
 
McCandless acknowledged that this price does not include health insurance and retirement costs, which are paid for out of the city's budget.
 
"I would dare say more careful analysis would suggest that even including those costs on an annual basis, the way we do bus operations is still an economically very wise way to do bus operations," McCandless told the committee. "If you add in the flexibility and the ability to do things that serve our city and serve our students and families, there's no comparison between having a private contractor and doing it ourselves."
 
The superintendent said pushback on privatizing the bus operations is "a reoccurring theme," but not necessarily one that is supported by data.
 
"We're 300 or 400 less per pupil per year than these comparable school districts," McCandless added. "I think that's worthy of noting, because I think that the School Committee made a good decision in moving forward with this purchase, and I'm grateful to the City Council for confirming that decision."
 
The superintendent said the new buses and the district's transportation operations should nonetheless undergo some review over the next three years, prior to the new buses hitting their half-life point.

Tags: Pittsfield School Committee,   school bus,   

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MassDOT Project Will Affect Traffic Near BMC

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Prepare for traffic impacts around Berkshire Medical Center through May for a state Department of Transportation project to improve situations and intersections on North Street and First Street.

Because of this, traffic will be reduced to one lane of travel on First Street (U.S. Route 7) and North Street between Burbank Street and Abbott Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday through at least May 6.

BMC and Medical Arts Complex parking areas remain open and detours may be in place at certain times. The city will provide additional updates on changes to traffic patterns in the area as construction progresses.

The project has been a few years in the making, with a public hearing dating back to 2021. It aims to increase safety for all modes of transportation and improve intersection operation.

It consists of intersection widening and signalization improvements at First and Tyler streets, the conversion of North Street between Tyler and Stoddard Avenue to serve one-way southbound traffic only, intersection improvements at Charles Street and North Street, intersection improvements at Springside Avenue and North Street, and the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of First Street, North Street, Stoddard Avenue, and the Berkshire Medical Center entrance.

Work also includes the construction of 5-foot bike lanes and 5-foot sidewalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps.  

Last year, the City Council approved multiple orders for the state project: five orders of takings for intersection and signal improvements at First Street and North Street. 

The total amount identified for permanent and temporary takings is $397,200, with $200,000 allocated by the council and the additional monies coming from carryover Chapter 90 funding. The state Transportation Improvement Plan is paying for the project and the city is responsible for 20 percent of the design cost and rights-of-way takings.

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