BCC to Offer High Schoolers Free Communications Course

PITTSFIELD, MA — Berkshire Community College (BCC) invites Berkshire County high school students to apply for a free Introduction to Interpersonal Communication (COM-104) course and earn three credits towards their college education.

Taught by Interim Dean of Teaching and Learning Innovation Tattiya Maruco, the course will be held on Wednesdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m., beginning Sept. 14 and concluding Dec. 21.  The hybrid course combines in-person meetings with online coursework.

Students learn how to actively build strategies for effective interpersonal communication with a diverse audience, conflict management and self-advocacy by experimenting with language, non-verbal cues and the art of listening. Classes feature presentations, active projects, guest speakers and discussions. 

To meet eligibility, participants must be Berkshire County high school students that have a minimum 2.7 GPA or a college-level reading and writing placement by Accuplacer, an assessment test used to determine skill level in mathematics, reading and writing. While the class is open to all grades, freshmen and sophomores must placed by Accuplacer. 

The communications course is part of a larger Early College program at BCC. Eligible high school students may take up to 15?credits this fall, academic schedules permitting. Three options are offered within the program:  

• Bridge to College: Available to high school seniors only, this option offers waived tuition and fees for one course per year.  
• Concurrent: Students enroll in a high school course approved for BCC college credit. 
• Dual Enrollment: High school students enroll in a BCC college course. Normal tuition and fees are waived.  

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis?until classes begin on Sept. 6, 2022.  Early registration is recommended as class sizes are limited. For more information, including helpful webinars, resources and how to apply, visit?www.berkshirecc.edu/early-college. 

Pittsfield Council Gives Preliminary OK to $82M School Budget

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
12:31PM / Thursday, May 23, 2024

State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, with Superintendent Joseph Curtis, says the Student Opportunity Act if fully funded this year. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council left no stone unturned as it took four hours to preliminarily approve the school budget on Monday. At $82,885,277, the fiscal year 2025 spending plan is a $4,797,262 — or 6.14 percent — increase from this year.

It was a divisive vote, passing 6-4 with one councilor absent, and survived two proposals for significant cuts.  

"I think we have fiduciary responsibility to the citizens of Pittsfield and to have a budget that is responsible, taking into consideration the huge increase in taxes that it had the last couple of years, the last year in particular," said Councilor at Large Kathy Amuso, a former School Committee chair, who unsuccessfully motioned for a $730,000 reduction.

Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren responded with a motion for a $250,000 cut, which failed 5-5.  

The Pittsfield Public School budget is balanced by $1.5 million in cuts and includes about 50 full-time equivalent reductions in staff — about 40 due to the sunsetting of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds. With 27 FTE staff additions, there is a net reduction of nearly 23 FTEs.

This plan does not come close to meeting the needs that were expressed throughout the seven-month budget process, Superintendent Joseph Curtis explained, but was brought forward in partnership with all city departments recognizing that each must make sacrifices in financial stewardship.

"With humility, I address the council tonight firmly believing that the budget we unveiled was crafted admits very difficult decisions, struggles, along with some transformative changes," he said.

"It is still important though that it did not even come close to accommodating the urgent requests we received throughout the entire budget process."