Berkshire Benchmarks Releases State of the County Update

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Benchmarks data team recently released a State of the County Update for 2023. 
 
This brief report builds on the Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County Report published in May 2022 and highlights notable changes in regional indicators over the past year. The berkshirebenchmarks.org website has also been updated to reflect the most current available data. 
 
The purpose of the Benchmarks initiative and report is to highlight the region's successes and challenges.
 
The 2022 Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County report provided a comprehensive overview of our region's performance across eight sectors: Economy, Education, Environment, Government, Health, Housing, Social Environment, and Transportation.  
 
In the future, the Berkshire Benchmarks team will continue to monitor these and other indicators to aid with the regional understanding of changes in these sectors and whether the work happening throughout the region is having the intended impact. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks is a collaborative initiative managed through Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC). Our sources are publicly available data, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the American Community Survey, various Massachusetts data sets, and periodic surveys of Berkshire County residents. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks aims to work with the community to understand priorities and help inform the region on how we are doing and if we are improving. Berkshire Benchmarks enhances the region's access to quality data and analysis. 

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Ex-Miss Hall's Teacher Indicted on Rape Charges

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A former Miss Hall's School teacher accused of sexually assaulting students at the girls' school has been indicted by a Berkshire grand jury.
 
Matthew Rutledge, 63, was indicted on Tuesday on three counts of rape following testimony provided by Melissa Fares and Hilary Simon, former students.
 
Pittsfield Police opened an investigation into Rutledge in 2024. Rutledge was alleged to have sexually assaulted students while serving as a teacher at Miss Hall's School dating back to the 1990s. In October 2024, the Berkshire District Attorney's Office announced that there were no charges able to be brought forward at that time; however, the office kept the investigation open. 
 
In late fall 2024, Berkshire District Attorney Timothy Shugrue took over the investigation, then tasked a team of special prosecutors and the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit, including resources from the Unresolved Cases Unit, to continue investigating the allegations.
 
In 2025, a summary of a report authored by Aleta Law Firm was released to the public. The report, which was commissioned by the Miss Hall's Board of Trustees, consisted of numerous interviews examining the school's culture. The report detailed a pervasive and chronic pattern of inappropriate staff conduct.
 
Using information gathered by both the DA's Office and the Aleta report, the team of special prosecutors say they found Rutledge to have violated state law. 
 
"It took a long time to get to Tuesday's indictment. I commend the prosecutors and detectives who worked tirelessly to bring this case forward," said Shugrue in a statement. "Most of all, I would like to recognize and commend Melissa Fares and Hilary Simon for their bravery and continued cooperation throughout this long, arduous process. 
 
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