MCLA Degree Completion Program to Hold Reunion Event

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts will hold a reunion event for alumni and current students of its Degree Completion Program from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4, at the MCLA Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation. 
 
All alumni of the College's Degree Completion Program are welcome to attend. 
 
During the event, MCLA will formally celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2020 and Class of 2021, as well as honoring the five-year graduation anniversaries of two Early Childhood cohorts.  
 
 The College will also recognize the contributions of Professors Marianne Reiff, Deborah Foss, Lauren Goodman, Annie Kleeman-McGurk, and Luke Polidoro.  
 
The event is co-hosted by the MCLA Alumni Association and is free to attend for alumni. Students and guests at this and other MCLA events will follow current COVID-19 public health protocols as outlined by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, including mask-wearing and social distancing. 

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Clarksburg Students Write in Support of Rural School Aid

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

Mason Langenback calculated that Clarksburg would get almost $1 million if the $60 million was allocated equally.
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Eighth-graders at Clarksburg School took a lesson in civic advocacy this week, researching school funding and writing letters to Beacon Hill that call for fully funding rural school aid. 
 
The students focused on the hardships for small rural schools and their importance to the community — that they struggle with limited funding and teacher shortages, but offer safe and supportive spaces for learning and are a hub for community connections.
 
"They all address the main issue, the funding for rural schools, and how there's a gap, and there's the $4 million gap this year, and then it's about the $40 million next year, and that rural schools need that equitable funding," said social studies teacher Mark Karhan.
 
A rural schools report in 2022 found smaller school districts cost from nearly 17 percent to 23 percent more to operate, and recommended "at least" $60 million be appropriated annually for rural school aid. 
 
Gov. Maura Healey has filed for more Chapter 70 school aid, but that often is little help to small rural schools with declining or static enrollment. For fiscal 2027, she's budgeted $20 million for rural schools, up from around $13 million this year but still far below the hoped for $60 million. 
 
Karhan said the class was broken into four groups and the students were provided a submission letter from Rural Schools Advocacy. The students used the first paragraph, which laid out the funding facts, and then did research and wrote their own letters. 
 
They will submit those with a school picture to the governor. 
 
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