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The Board of Selectmen is reviewing department budgets for fiscal 2019.

Adams Selectmen Wary of Police Rank Hike in 2019 Budget

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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ADAMS, Mass. – The Selectmen on Thursday questioned a $3,400 increase in the $1,685,243 police personnel services budget that represented a rank increase in the department.
 
The board is currently meeting with department heads to review the preliminary $15,643,072 fiscal 2019 budget,
 
"There is a need for it and it is not adding additional personnel or taking away it is just giving the individual additional duties and bringing him from a supervisory position to more of an administrative," Police Chief Richard Tarsa said. "He can take on some of the daily operations."
 
Selectman Joseph Nowak took some offense to the rank increase and said he knew the specific employee was interested in retirement.
 
"What I don't like is if someone wants to retire and they don't because they get a promotion and some more money," Nowak said. "To me, that person really doesn't want the job and you are giving it to them because they are ready to retire. I don't like that in an employee if they wanted to stay longer they would have ... it is a matter of principle."
 
Nowak also asked when the force had last had a lieutenant.
 
Tarsa said there has been no lieutenant since his promotion to chief, but he has taken on the additional duties that leaves him less time to do his own work. He added the sergeant in question already performs some lieutenant responsibilities.
 
"It makes the chain of command more structured ... right now patrolmen go to senior sergeants than directly to me," he said. "This will may everything easier overall."
 
He added that this officer will also be able to write grants and take care of scheduling.
 
Tarsa added that if the sergeant retires instead of ranking up, there will be staffing gaps this summer because there are two officers retiring this summer and there will undoubtedly be vacations.
 
He said he could be five officers down at any given time this summer.  
 
"We can't go through the staffing issues that we have gone through over the past couple of years. It has been a nightmare," he said. "We need to stop the bleeding and anything that can lessen the blow is good. And the cost of this is so low it is a drop in the bucket."
 
He said these issues could extend into the year as he hopes to send new officers to the academy.
 
Tarsa added that there will be savings and the overtime line, which over the years has been drained, will be relied upon less. 
 
Interim Town Administrator Donna Cesan said she thought the promotion was an excellent idea and told Nowak that these kinds of promotions were standard throughout police departments, private industry and government.  
 
"What you are doing is taking a senior employee and you are using their senior expertise in a way that helps the organization," Cesan said. "Yes they may be ready to retire in terms of normal duty but you are keeping that expertise."
 
Selectwoman Christine Hoyt agreed with Cesan and noted the rank increase is not only a request of the chief but of the other officers. She said during her recent ride along, three officers told her there is a great need for a lieutenant in the department. 
 
Tarsa added that the department plans to purchase another cruiser for $42,000 this year.
 
The Selectmen also reviewed the library budget and had some discussion on the $184,162 personnel budget that represents a 10.29 percent increase.
 
Library Director Holli Jayko asked the Selectmen approve a grade increase and promote the administrative assistant to an adult services librarian.
 
"Upgrades like these were requested in 2008 and it has been a long time coming and we are hoping the board will be amenable to these changes," Jayko said. "She would be responsible for the library when I am not there, which she already does and she should be compensated."
 
Jayko also asked that the children's librarian be returned to full time and be increased by a grade.
 
Jayko said these increases will bring the library closer to the state municipal spending goals that the library either has to meet or apply for a waiver in order to receive state aid.
 
She noted that this would also reduce the overtime line item.
 
Although the selectmen will vote on the budget at a future meeting, they appeared to be in favor of the increase. 
 
"I think the child librarian should be full time and children love books," Nowak said. "I am for this."
 
Earlier in the evening, the board reviewed the $18,085 Board of Health budget that is down 8 percent.
 
Although there were no requests to increase the budget, Cesan asked to draw down the $9,500 nursing line item to increase legal services from $1,500 to $2,500 and the trash removal fee from $1,500 to $4,000 to better reflect needs in the department.
 
The Selectmen also looked at the building inspector's budget and Inspector Don Torrico asked to continue to draw down money from the nursing line to bump us his legal service line from $500 to $2,500 and engineering from $1,000 to $2,000.
 
The selectmen reviewed other budgets, however, they were either level-funded or slightly decreased or increased.
 
The board will continue to review the budget in the coming weeks.

Tags: adams_budget,   fiscal 2019,   

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Hoosac Valley High School is Moving and Shaking

There have been some major shifts within the Hoosac Valley Regional School District recently, all of which have focused on enhancing the student experience to make it a place where ALL students can find their path.
 
In 2023, Hoosac Valley High School was designated an Innovation Pathway School by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and has since restructured the Program of Studies, utilized creative scheduling, and expanded internship opportunities. Part of this transformation includes participating in a "Portrait of a Graduate" cohort alongside four other Berkshire County schools to determine a collective vision for student success, in partnership with the BARR Foundation.
 
The Innovation Pathways at HVHS are designed to give students coursework and experience in a specific high-demand industry, such as technology, engineering, healthcare, or life sciences. Currently, Biomedical Science & Healthcare and Environmental Studies have received official state IP designation. In addition to the IP designated pathways, HVHS offers programs in Engineering & Technology, Business & Entrepreneurship, Arts & Entertainment, Education, and Sports Medicine. The result is that students have an opportunity for a transformative experience – enabling them to build essential skills, gain awareness of future career opportunities, and make informed choices about post-secondary education in promising fields.
 
Principal Colleen Byrd notes, "What makes our program special is that entry into the Pathway of your choice allows a student to access Advanced Placement and dual enrollment college courses, as well as internships in the community to set them up for success after high school."
 
The Portrait of a Graduate initiative consists of a team of Hoosac educators and students who exemplify the essential skills, practices, and beliefs that define learning experiences across the district. They work to outline the competencies, values, skills, and knowledge that define our vision for student success – keeping in mind that not every student's pathway will look the same. The District's goal is to ensure that all students graduate as responsible people, prepared individuals, lifelong learners, global citizens, critical thinkers, and thoughtful communicators.
 
Another recent change district-wide in grades K-12 is the "Crew" culture. Teachers and students now have time each day to create positive connections and build authentic relationships with one another. Through Responsive Classroom at the elementary school and Crew at the middle and high schools, students and staff gather for 30 minutes each day to engage in meaningful experiences rooted in mutual and shared interests. 
The Crew block is a prioritized structure that allows staff to support all students socially, emotionally, and academically – anchoring them and promoting the Portrait of a Graduate competencies. Crew takes many forms at the high school, such as gardening, bird watching, yoga, and sports talk with visits to college games.
 
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