Pittsfield Household Items Donation Pickup Day

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City of Pittsfield, in partnership with CMRK Inc., is hosting a Household Items Donation Pickup. 
 
On Friday, Dec. 22, CMRK will pick up designated household items at your curb for free.
 
To have your address included in the pickup list, you must schedule an appointment by visiting: https://www.bbbsfoundation.org/schedule-a-pickup/
 
The following items are acceptable for curbside pickup:
 
Clothing 
All clothing. All Sizes. All Seasons. Night clothes & robes. Shoes, Boots, Slippers, Sneakers. (All items packed securely in plastic bags).
 
Household items
ONLY: Knick knacks, Dishware, Glassware, Pots & pans, SMALL toaster ovens, Jewelry & accessories, Record
albums. Please pack responsibly, including wrapping & boxing all glassware/breakables. Boxes with covers are preferred.
 
Only those items listed as acceptable will be taken; drivers have instructions to leave items that do not meet packing requirements.
 
Books
Up to 3 small boxes, with covers preferred. 
 
No encyclopedia or magazines. 
 
DVDs
Each DVD needs to be in its case. Up to 3 boxes with covers required. No loose DVDs. No bags.
 
Small Toys 
Must fit easily in boxes-with covers preferred. No outside toys or riding toys, except for bicycles.
 
Musical Instruments 
Most accepted. No organs or pianos.
 
Art & Collectibles
Fine art prints, paintings, coins, jewelry, one of a kind items, sports memorabilia/ Call 339-832-7067 re: appraisal of items. No sharp objects of any kind.
 
Miscellaneous 
None
 
No furniture of any kind, mattresses, lamps or suitcases.

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Pittsfield School Committee OKs $82M Budget, $1.5M Cuts

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The school budget is less grim than the original proposal but still requires more than $1.5 million in cuts.

On Thursday, the School Committee approved an $82.8 million spending plan for fiscal year 2025, including a city appropriation of $80.4 million and $2.4 million in Chapter 70 funds.

The cuts made to balance the budget include about 50 staff reductions — some due to the sunsetting of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.

"The final version does not answer all needs. It will be unacceptable to some or to many but I must say that tonight's final proposal is very different than where we started when we believed we would have a $3,600,000 reduction. I want to assure everyone that every effort has been made to minimize the impact on both students, families, and staff members while also ensuring that our district has the necessary resources to progress forward," Superintendent Joseph Curtis said.

"Nevertheless, there are incredibly passionate, dedicated staff members who will not be with us next year. This pains me as I've been a part of this organization for now 30 years so I want to assure everyone that our team, this has weighed very heavily in our hearts, this entire process. This is not a group of people that is looking at a spreadsheet saying ‘Well that can go and this can go’ and take that lightly."

Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Kristen Behnke and other officials worked with the state Department of Secondary and Elementary Education to rectify an error in the Chapter 70 funding formula, recognized 11 more low-income students in the district, and added an additional $2.4 million to the FY25 budget.

Curtis commented that when he first saw the governor’s FY25 budget, he was "rather stunned."

"The extraordinary circumstances we face this budget season by the conclusion of the substantial ESSER federal grant and a significant reduction in Chapter 70 allotment caused challenges for this team and our school principals and our educators and our staff that have been nothing short of all-consuming," he said.

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