Pittsfield School Policy Panel Amends 'Core' Values

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
03:56PM / Tuesday, November 08, 2022Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The school policy subcommittee voted to adopt a revised Mission, Vision, Core Values policy after making two amendments during its meeting on Monday afternoon.

Member William Cameron proposed amending the draft to add "Academic Excellence" as a new section in the policy.

The revised section now says the public schools commit to "supporting a community that creates and sustains an atmosphere of intellectual excitement, high student achievement, critical thinking, innovative effective instruction, strong communication, and personal responsibility and growth."

Committee member Sara Hathaway noted that this policy encompasses all forms of student achievement, not just academic.

"One of the points that was driven home to me at the conference that we just attended was that student achievement is the purpose of school committees, helping to ensure that the school system is focused on that," she said.

"They also pointed out that student achievement isn't just academic, and I think this larger mission, the set of core values addresses that."

An "extensive process" of revising the policy began in May 2022, with the District Leadership Council but was then moved to a core committee of staff, family members and community members.

When Superintendent Joseph Curtis presented the draft to the School Committee during one of the meetings, Cameron raised the concern that the draft did not include academic excellence as evident in the proposed core values, Curtis said.

"At that time, I indicated that I would go back through kind of the extensive amount of notes that we have, throughout the process, starting back with the District Leadership Council. As I did recall, a core value relating to academic excellence was in one of the versions," Curtis said.

Curtis sent out the revised draft that included the core value of academic excellence that was in a previous version to the mission and vision committee.

They provided some comments and are now at the point of looking at the proposed draft, the feedback received, possibly making any edits to bring it back to the School Committee.

Tags: Pittsfield Public Schools,

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Fourth Shooting Occurs Day After DA Announces Gun Violence Task Force

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:20PM / Tuesday, August 18, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The day after Berkshire District Attorney Timothy Shugrue announced a task force to take on a spate of gun violence in the city, a another person was injured after shots were fired on Circular Avenue early Tuesday evening.

Pittsfield Police responded to a 5:30 p.m. ShotSpotter activation at 45 Circular Ave.on Tuesday night. Five rounds were shot, and there was one victim, police said.

"We're investigating it. We don't know if it's connected to anything else," Detective Lt. John Mazzeo said. "What's going on? We can't speculate. It's way too early for that, and the house was struck."

He could not speak to the identity or condition of the victim; a press release shortly afterward stated the victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Berkshire Medical Center by private vehicle.

By around 7 p.m. when iBerkshires was on site, the area near the intersection of Circular Avenue and Division Street was blocked off with tape.

This is the fourth gun violence incident in Pittsfield since mid-June.

On Sunday evening, three people were taken to the hospital after a shooting near the intersection of Linden Street and Francis Avenue. This is the third gun violence incident in Pittsfield since mid-June.

The investigation into all three incidents is still active, and police are confident that they are targeted acts of violence.

"Right now, our community is rightfully extremely concerned and troubled," Shugrue said in a statement released on Monday.

"There are many unanswered questions surrounding these incidents of violence. There is an understandable feeling of frustration and fear that no one has been arrested and limited questions have been answered."

The task force will be led by First Assistant District Attorney Marianne Shelvey, who formerly served at the U.S. Department of Justice's Violent Crimes and Racketeering Section. It will support the Pittsfield Police Department's work and provide additional resources, including additional personnel and overtime funding through grants awarded to the Berkshire DA to support the investigation.

Members of the Pittsfield Police, the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit assigned to the District Attorney's Office, and the Berkshire County Law Enforcement Task Force will be present.

On June 18, a person died after being shot in the area of Tyler Street and Pleasure Avenue, and another person was injured. Following an extensive investigation, PPD applied for and was granted an arrest warrant for Terry Martizna, wanted for murder.

On Aug. 4, there was a report of approximately 25 rounds fired around the intersection of Onota and Walnut Street, leading to two non-life-threatening injuries.

This past weekend, on Aug. 16, there was a third incident of gun violence in the area of Francis Avenue and Linden Street, and three individuals suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The DA said all three incidents shattered a feeling of safety in the city.

"At this point, we also know that the incidents of violence involve both adults and juveniles. The investigation into all three incidents remains active," the DA wrote.

"While it is unclear if the incidents are connected, based on the investigations to date, law enforcement are confident that the incidents are targeted and NOT random."

Mayor Peter Marchetti on Monday assured the community that the city is diligently working with law enforcement officials to identify those responsible, as "these acts of violence are not acceptable in this community, and I remain committed to holding those responsible accountable."

Marchetti, in a written statement posted to social media, said he is in regular communication with the police chief and DA as they continue investigations. He is thankful for the formation of the specialized task force and additional resources.

"As Mayor, I am committed to providing updates to the public regarding public safety matters, when appropriate. I share your frustration about the limited information released but I will not compromise the integrity of any investigation. As these investigations continue, the public should know that the DA’s Office and Pittsfield Police Department are using every available resource they have to bring the cases to a successful conclusion," he wrote.

"However, we cannot do this work alone. I continue to ask anyone who may have witnessed any of the incidents or who has information, photographs, or video that could assist investigators to contact the Pittsfield Police Department."

He emphasized that all individuals need to be held accountable, and said he cannot jeopardize the case by providing information before it is appropriate.

Pittsfield has seen gun violence incidents uptick during the summer in the past decade. In 2021, from May 12 through mid-June, there were 13 shootings in Pittsfield, most of which happened in the city's West Side.

The DA said this violence, while carried out by people, is amplified by access to guns and ammunition. Anyone with information of someone with an illegal firearm or any information regarding these incidents is asked to contact Pittsfield Police, 413-448-9700, or provide an anonymous tip by texting PITTIP and your message to TIP411 (847411).