MassDOT Safe Routes to School Program Adds 1,000th School Partnership

05:00PM / Saturday, November 26, 2022Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program has reached a milestone by adding the Belchertown School District as its 1,000th School District Partnership to the program.

An event was held on Nov. 10 to highlight this milestone and present the Belchertown School District with a plaque commemorating this new record-breaking partnership.

MassDOT's SRTS program conducts outreach activities and safety sessions, and provides funding for infrastructure improvements that make it safer for students to walk and bike to school across Massachusetts with the goal of reaching every community and school district in the Commonwealth. The program currently serves more than 1,030 schools in over 260 communities. Through these partnerships, the Massachusetts SRTS Program highlights the importance of pedestrian and bicycle safety.

"The Safe Routes to School Program provides schools and communities with valuable tools and resources that can be used to help students safely bike and walk to and from schools, said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Jamey Tesler. "The program continues to grow, and we look forward to the addition of even more schools in the future."

"Partnering with Safe Routes to School gives our students additional resources and makes learning about bike and pedestrian safety fun. Plus, our teachers will benefit from turnkey lesson plans and professional development courses. We had a great turnout for our first walk to school event on October 12th and we look forward to participating in many more," said Belchertown School Superintendent Brian Cameron.

MassDOT's SRTS Program, which is supported with funds from the Federal Highway Administration, promotes safer routes for students to actively get to and from school by fostering partnerships between community-led organizations, local law enforcement, education leaders, and public health departments. SRTS also provides information, materials, and resources to support schools and communities with their local SRTS initiatives.

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Pittsfield School Committee Sees Budget Calendar, Chapter 70 Concerns

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:28AM / Monday, January 19, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Pittsfield Public Schools kicked off its fiscal year 2027 budget calendar, and are again facing uncertainties with state Chapter 70 funding.

During the first meeting of the new term on Wednesday, the School Committee OK'd an FY27 budget calendar that plans the committee's vote in mid-April. Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips stressed the importance of equity in this process.

"It's really important for us through these next couple of months to look at our different schools, our different needs, different student demographics, and really understand, are we just assigning resources equally, or are we really assigning them based on what different groups of students need?" she said.

The district could lose up to $5 million in Chapter 70 funding from declining enrollment, specifically of low-income students. This is a similar issue that PPS saw in 2024, when the discovery of 11 students meeting those income guidelines put the district in the higher funding category and added $2.4 million to the school budget.

"We are in a funding category, Group 11, for a district with a large percentage of low-income students, and that number could fluctuate depending on who exited the district," Phillips explained.

"So we're going to do our best to understand that, but ultimately, these numbers will impact the budget that is proposed to us by the governor."

According to the budget calendar, a draft budget will be presented in March, followed by a hearing in early April, and the School Committee is set to vote on the budget in mid-April. The City Charter requires it to be adopted before May 1, and a meeting with the City Council must occur no later than May 31.

Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Bonnie Howland provided an overview of the Chapter 70 funding and budget process. The budget calendar, she said, is designed to really support transparency, coordination, and legal compliance.

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