PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Wheels are moving on the Pittsfield Public Schools plan to realign the middle schools in the fall. 

Last week, the School Committee received updates on the transition to an upper elementary and junior high school model in September, with Grades 5 and 6 attending Herberg Middle School and Grades 7 and 8 attending Reid Middle School. 

"This is an equity strategy that was started maybe a year ago, a year and a half ago, that we’ve been working towards to ensure that every intermediate and middle school student has access to equitable educational opportunities," Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips said. 

"I know that there are a lot of moving parts that we are working toward, but I just always want to anchor us in that this decision was made with equity in mind for serving all of our students." 

Resident Rebecca Thompson pointed to the diverse demographics of Pittsfield schools and the importance of understanding them when shaping priorities and policies. In the 2024-2025 school year, students were 51.5 percent white, she reported, and 48.5 percent were a part of the global majority, meaning they are Black, indigenous, or a person of color. 

Additionally, 70 percent of Pittsfield students live in poverty. 

"I hope my giving you this data is not news to you, as it is critical to creating an educational system in which all students, every single one, have a decent chance to reach their potential. Each of you needs to bring an equity lens to your work as a School Committee member," she said. 

"… We all need to face the reality that our inequities stem from our history, and are based primarily on skin color. The whiter an individual's skin, the fewer obstacles stand in the way of them achieving their potential. An equity lens is how we own this reality, talk about it, and make changes in systems, policies, procedures, and our own behaviors in order to interrupt it."