Chapter 70 Fix Adds $2.4M to Pittsfield School Budget

Pittsfield School Officials Dig Into 'Not Ideal' FY25 Budget

Superintendent Joseph Curtis reiterated that the $80 million spending plan is not ideal but assured that the district will continue to serve its community with pride, purpose, compassion, and understanding.

Pittsfield School Committee Approves Contracts, Resolution for Chapter 70 Aid

The School Committee on Wednesday OK'd several contractual items and a call for the state to adjust the inflation rate for Chapter 70 funding.

Pittsfield Committees Vote on Crosby/Conte SOI This Week

Two of the three votes needed to move forward with a proposal for a combined elementary school build will be made this week.

Pittsfield Officials Tour Schools Eyed for Combined Build

The School Department sees an opportunity to rebuild two insufficient schools on one site with shared facilities — now it needs support from the School Committee and City Council.

Pittsfield's Crosby Elementary Eyed For Combined School Site

Superintendent Joseph Curtis on Wednesday presented the details of a potential SOI to the Massachusetts School Building Authority for the elementary school that would combine Conte Community School and Crosby onto one campus with two buildings and shared facilities.

Pittsfield School Committee Sees Breakdown of FY23 Expenditures

While the majority is attributed to the budget approved by the School Committee, this also includes a healthy amount of state aid and funds from other city departments.

Pittsfield Schools Point to Online Resource for Bullying, Peer Conflict.

Power balance can mean a lot of different things from popularity, size, disability, economic disadvantage, race, ethnicity, gender, among other things, Nichols said.

Pittsfield School Committee Approves Vocational Admissions Policy, Courses

The School Committee approved a pilot tutoring program, courses, and the vocational admissions policy for Taconic High School last week.

Pittsfield Public Schools Community Engagement Sessions

The meetings will be held on Thursday Jan. 18 at 6 pm at Williams Elementary School and Thursday Jan 25 at 5:30 pm at Conte Community School.

Departing Pittsfield School Officials, Mayor Thanked for Service

Superintendent Joseph Curtis said they have been strong advocates for children and families, acting as much more than overseers.

Pittsfield Restructuring Survey Garners Engagement, Planners Faced with Alignment Options

The Pittsfield school district's restructuring survey garnered more than 2,800 responses from students, parents, staff, and community members.

Planners Present Possible Solutions for Pittsfield Public Schools Restructuring

A decline in Pittsfield's population has planners reviewing the size and number of the city's elementary schools, their grade configurations and the curricular offerings of the middle and high schools.

Pittsfield School Committee Calls for Shorter-Term Maintenance Solutions

School Committee members want to see shorter-range planning to address the condition of Pittsfield Public Schools.

Pittsfield School Officials OK Paraprofessional Contract

The School Committee last week approved a settlement agreement with the Pittsfield Federation of School Employees Local 1315 paraprofessional unit.

Pittsfield School Committee Asks for Input on Cell Phone Policy

Chair William Cameron called for an accelerated policy review with possible recommendations made at Wednesday's meeting.

Pittsfield School Restructuring Study Survey Opening to Community

The study will be reformatted to include the general public and will be reopening for the summer. Once released, there will be outreach to generate as many responses as possible.

Community Speaks on Pittsfield Public School's Restructuring Study

The School Department held the first of three public engagement meetings on last week at Morningside Community School.

Pittsfield School Committee Requests Bilingual Outreach for Restructuring Study

Its main suggestion was to include a dedicated public comment session for non-English speaking families of Pittsfield Public Schools.

Pittsfield School Committee Continues Budget Conversation Ahead of April 26 Vote

The committee is expected to adopt a budget on April 26 and have a joint meeting with the City Council no later than June 1.

Pittsfield School Panel Supports 'Culture & Community' Course

The one-semester course is designed to provide students with language and skills to understand their own identity and the identities of others in their community, communicate effectively with diverse populations, understand privilege and bias, and take action to change discriminatory practices.

Pittsfield School Policy Panel Amends 'Core' Values

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

Pittsfield School's Curriculum Panel OKs 2 Pilot Courses

Pittsfield Public Schools' curriculum subcommittee voted to approve two pilot courses — one on the history of math and the other on genocide.

Pittsfield School Committee OKs Unions' Higher Pay

During a special meeting on Thursday, MOAs for the 2021-2022 school year and the 2022-2025 school years were unanimously approved for bus drivers and attendants, cafeteria workers, paraprofessionals, and educational secretaries.

Pittsfield Public Schools Hold First Unified Game Day

The School Department held its first Unified Game Day on Friday that included the district's special needs children and families in a daylong Special Olympics event at Taconic High School.