PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee held a special meeting last week to settle contracts for the new, institutionally different school year. 

During a virtual meeting, members approved a contract with the Pittsfield Federation of School Employees for fiscal years 2026 to 2028, and a memorandum of agreement with the United Educators of Pittsfield for the new bell schedule. 

The Pittsfield Federation of School Employees represents bus drivers and monitors, cafeteria and custodial staff, paraprofessionals, and secretaries. 

For Pittsfield Public Schools, staff returns on Aug. 26 and students' first day is Aug. 31; pre-kindergarten and kindergarten begin school on Sept. 2. The district will have one less elementary school, as the committee voted to retire Morningside Community School earlier this year and reassigned students to Allendale, Capeless, Egremont, and Williams elementary schools, and a different middle grade model. 

PPS now has an upper elementary and junior high school, with Grades 5 and 6 attending Herberg Middle School and Grades 7 and 8 attending Reid Middle School. This concept is also new to the 2026-2027 school year and has altered bell times, staffing, and transportation. 

An MOA with the Pittsfield Educational Administrators Association for school assignment changes after the contractual timeline was tabled.  It will be taken up at the next meeting with an executive session. 

The School Committee also updated the district's policies and procedures for physical restraint, time-out, and seclusion to align with revised state regulations.  It was adopted on the first reading. 

"We're not proposing any changes that haven't been suggested per the law," Superintendent Latifah Phillips reported.