Pittsfield School Committee Sees $78M Budget Proposal

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The district is seeking a budget increase of more than 8 percent in fiscal year 2024, with a majority of the funding going to special education, career technical education, and contractual obligations.

The School Committee got a first look at the upcoming budget request on Wednesday.  The $78,310,016 ask is an 8.17 percent — or $5,911,754 — increase from FY23's budget of $72,398,262.

"Our goal continues to be to create meaningful and most importantly, sustainable change for the children of our city," Superintendent Joseph Curtis told the committee.

"Meaningful and sustainable change takes time. We are impatient because our decisions affect children's lives every day but any rush to change is reactive and typically is not embedded systematically. Changes that do not impact our systems are prone to quickly revert back to prior practice."

There will be a public hearing for the school budget at 6 p.m. on Monday at City Hall, the committee will make recommendations on April 12, and there is an expected budget adoption on April 26.

No later than June 1, there will be a joint meeting with the City Council to discuss the proposal.

Eighty-three percent of the increase, about $4.9 million, is allocated for special education instruction and support, CTE/career pathways, and contractual obligations.

This includes a $527,000 increase for CTE, a $1.3 million increase for special education, and $3 million for pay increases to the United Educators of Pittsfield, the American Federation of Teachers, the Pittsfield Educational Administrators Association, and non-bargaining staff members.

Last year, the committee passed memoranda of agreements for its bargaining units that include "substantial increases."

The governor's budget has a Chapter 70 increase of $6,592,719 and the district is requesting $680,965 under that increase.

A variety of staff members attended the meeting to provide details about budget increases in their departments.

Mayor Linda Tyer appreciated this.

"Your expertise means a lot to me when I'm thinking about how I'm going to support this budget or recommendations for reductions that I might make," she said.

"So really appreciate that you, Mr. Curtis invited your staff to be part of this process and I know we're going to have even more opportunities to do that."

Legislative Breakfast in Pittsfield Voices Human Service Needs

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
08:30AM / Sunday, March 22, 2026

The Berkshire delegation, including state Rep. John Barrett III by Zoom, attended the legislative breakfast. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Legislators heard about the human service community's priorities amidst federal funding uncertainties on Friday during a breakfast held by UCP of Western Massachusetts. At the top of the list was wages for employees of these critical organizations. 

CEO Randy Kinnas reported that the nonprofit, dedicated to advancing the independence of people with disabilities, is celebrating its 65th anniversary. He said this work doesn't happen without dedicated staff members from every organization in the packed room at Proprietor's Lodge. 

"We don't do this for the money. We do it with a servant's heart. We do it for service above self, and that is really important for our legislators to know that as well as we get into this conversation about wages," Kinnas said. 

The conversation focused on wages, brain injury services, transportation, and health care, as well as the corresponding Senate and House bills. Legislators heard from employees of 18 Degrees, Berkshire County Arc, AdLib, and more. 

Maryann Hyatt, president and CEO of Berkshire County Arc, explained that these issues were identified collectively by the human service agencies in the room. 

"What a time we find ourselves in. We are all so lucky to live in a supportive community. How we can come together like this with common goals and a common voice," she said. 

"…We live in a complex world with a lot going on right now. The business we are in is the oldest and most basic of all, taking care of each other. That is what we are here to talk about today, to continue to do the critical but often overlooked and sometimes scrutinized work we do." 

Delores Moore, a senior site coordinator at 18 Degrees, said human service workers play an essential role in helping people to navigate challenges and build strong futures for themselves and their families, but the ability to continue doing the work depends on a workforce that can afford to stay in this field.