McCann School Committee OKs $8.8M Budget for Fiscal 2016

The School Committee on Thursday approved an $8.8 million spending plan for fiscal 2016.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The McCann School Committee on Thursday approved an $8.8 million nearly level-funded budget for fiscal 2016.

"It's not a whole lot different than last year," said committee member Daniel J. Maloney Jr. "Unfortunately, as we have every year, we asked the superintendent to come in with as lean a budget as possible."

The budget is up 1.8 percent overall from this year, from $8,687,831 to $8,846,251, or a $158,000.

Maloney pointed to fixed costs, health insurance and state minimum spending that is not keeping pace with cost increases

"There isn't a single school district in the state that can live with those minimum numbers," he said. "It's extremely challenging."

The largest culprit is health insurance costs, accounting for $1.4 million of the budget.

"The main driver that seems to be the problem for all of us is health insurance costs," Maloney said, adding that insurance reform does not seemed to have helped. "It doesn't put one single book in a classroom, it doesn't turn the lights on, it doesn't do anything else. It's $1.4 million we do not have access to yet it goes out."

Superintendent James Brosnan said the school district's insurer, Berkshire Health Group, was up 15 percent for the coming year. He had been able to ameliorate some of the health costs by using grant money to fund certain positions, thereby lowering salaries and insurance costs incurred by the school.

"If we didn't use the grants it would be over $900,000," Brosnan said of the $873,000 line item.

Still, health costs for employees are up $43,000 over this year and $24,000 for retirees.

"If you look out down the road a couple of years, there will certainly be some difficult decisions to be made as to what and how we do things," Maloney said.

Member towns are assessed based on enrollments and, for capital costs, valuations and population, so they may see their costs change from year to year.

North Adams will pay the most at $909,644, up $49,000, with Adams second at $788,446, up $70,000. Cheshire is also up, about $20,000, while Lanesborough should see its assessment drop by about $30,000.

McCann Tech School Budget for Fiscal 2016 by iBerkshires.com

North Adams Unveils Hometown Heroes Banners

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
04:30PM / Friday, May 22, 2026

Carol Ethier-Kipp holds up the first aid kit her father used as an Army medic in World War II. See more photos here. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City of North Adams honored its own on Friday afternoon, unveiling 50 downtown street banners representing local veterans who served — and continue to serve — the community and the country.

 

More than 300 residents packed the front lawn of City Hall as the community took a moment to reflect on its "Hometown Heroes" during the morning unveiling ceremony.

 

"In a city like North Adams, service is personal. The men and women we honor today are not strangers to us. They are our neighbors, our classmates, our parents, our grandparents," Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the crowd. "... These banners are far more than names and pictures hanging along our streets. They are visible reminders of the values that define North Adams: courage, sacrifice, humility, duty, resilience, and the love of country. They remind every person who passes by that this community remembers our veterans."

 

The banner program launched exactly a year ago. Veterans Services Agent Kurtis Durocher opened applications in October and spent the next six months working with families to bring the project to Main Street and over the Hadley Overpass. 

 

"We gather to recognize the brave men and women from our community who have served or who are currently serving in the United States armed forces," Durocher said. "These banners are more than images. They bear a tribute to service, sacrifice, courage, and pride, and they remind us that the freedoms we enjoy every day have been protected by our neighbors, family members, friends, and Hometown Heroes."

 

Each banner features a portrait of a veteran alongside their military branch and dates of service.

 

Durocher noted that the program was something residents clearly wanted, pointing to how fast applications flooded his desk. He praised the volunteers who stepped up to get the banners made and displayed — including city firefighters and Mitchell Meranti of Wire & Alarm Department, who were installing them as late as Thursday night.