MSBA: No Stearns in Proposed West Pittsfield School

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Stearns may not be part of the proposed consolidated West Side elementary school after all. 

During the School Building Needs Commission meeting on Monday, the owner's project managers, Skanska, reported that the Massachusetts School Building Authority would not fund a three-school project. 

Stearns Elementary School had been included in the feasibility study to see if Crosby Elementary, Conte Community School, and Stearns Elementary could all be located at 517 West St. All three school locations listed in the feasibility study had to be considered; Conte has several site challenges.

Project designers TSKP reviewed 12 different school options, and it was relayed that only the rebuilds of Crosby and Conte could be fully funded. Pittsfield would have to pay for Stearns. 

"I also think it's important to look at long-term and affordability, and if we choose to keep Stearns in, we're going to make the decision to keep PHS out," Mayor Peter Marchetti said. 

"The city cannot afford it all." 

He added that he would vote "no" on Pittsfield High School if the city is doubling down on Stearns. The city is also pursuing a statement of interest to the MSBA to fund repairs to the high school, which is almost a century old. 

"I'm not going to go to the taxpayers and say, 'give me two debt exclusions so we can build new schools,'" the mayor said.