BCC to Host Q and A, Keynote Address with Law Enforcement Expert

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC)'s Department of Safety and Security, in conjunction with the Criminal Justice Department, will host a special Q & A forum with veteran law enforcement officer Dr. John M. Weinstein on Tuesday, April 9 at 12:45 pm. 
 
Later in the evening, Dr. Weinstein will deliver a keynote speech at 5 pm.  
 
Both events, which are free and open to the public, will be held on the main campus of BCC, located at 1350 West Street, Pittsfield. The Q&A session will be held in Melville Hall, Room 317, and the keynote address will be held in Koussevitzky Arts Center, Room 111. 
 
During the forum, Dr. Weinstein will talk about the future of law enforcement and will: 
  • Identify emerging trends, such as accelerating immigration, technology and AI 
  • Discuss their implications for law enforcement (e.g., recruitment, regionalization) 
  • Explain obstacles to implementing innovative changes 
At 5 p.m., Dr. Weinstein will deliver a keynote address discussing situational awareness and how to teach people, "If you see something, say something." The speech will highlight ways to encourage people to report what they witness. 
 
Registration is required for each event. To register, visit https://www.berkshirecc.edu/news-events/2024/weinstein.php.
 
According to a press release: 
 
Dr. John Weinstein is veteran Virginia law enforcement officer and a certified instructor for firearms, active incident response, Crisis Intervention Team, and conflict avoidance and de-escalation. He currently serves as a deputy sheriff and directs firearms training at a police academy  
 
Before becoming a college police officer, he served as the Chief of Police, a town sergeant, a patrol officer and a deputy sheriff.  He is widely published, with articles on numerous police operational and administrative matters, and serves on both the advisory the editorial boards of Campus Safety magazine, the principal publication covering campus and institutional safety and security.  
 
Dr. Weinstein also enjoyed a long and successful career in the US Department of Defense. He was Chief of Assessments at the interagency US Nuclear Command and Control System
(NCCS) Support Staff (NSS), and was involved in most aspects of nuclear weapons policy, planning, assessment, and command and control for over 30 years.   
 
Prior to joining the NSS, Dr. Weinstein served as the Army Chief of Staff's strategic nuclear weapons advisor and Special Assistant for Requirements and Capabilities for the Navy's Director, Strategic and Theater Nuclear Warfare. He was also a US adjunct arms control inspector, monitoring treaty compliance in the Soviet Union.  
 
After earning a PhD in International Politics at the University of Florida in 1978, he held faculty teaching and research positions at five universities. With extensive military education, he has written more than 30 essays in books and journals on U.S. and Soviet/Russian military nuclear plans and capabilities 
 
Dr. Weinstein's awards include the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service; a Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service; the Department of Army Decoration for Meritorious Civilian Service; and two US Army War College awards for outstanding faculty publications. 

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PHS Community Challenges FY27 Budget Cuts

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee received an early look Wednesday at the proposed fiscal year 2027 facility budgets, and the Pittsfield High community argued that $653,000 would be too much of a burden for the school to bear. 

On Wednesday, during a meeting that adjourned past 10 p.m., school officials saw a more detailed overview of the spending proposal for Pittsfield's 14 schools and administration building.  

They accepted the presentation, recognizing that this is just the beginning of the budget process, as the decision on whether to close Morningside Community School still looms. The FY27 budget calendar plans the School Committee's vote in mid-April.

Under this plan, Pittsfield High School, with a proposed FY27 budget of around $8.1 million, would see a reduction of seven teachers (plus one teacher of deportment) and an assistant principal of teaching and learning, and a guidance counselor repurposed across the district.  

The administration said that after "right-sizing" the classrooms, there were initially 14 teacher reductions proposed for PHS. 

"While I truly appreciate the intentionality that has gone into developing the equity-based budget model, I am incredibly concerned that the things that make our PHS community strong are the very things now at risk," PHS teacher Kristen Negrini said. "Because when our school is facing a reduction of $653,000, 16 percent of total reductions, that impact is not just a number on a spreadsheet. It is the experience of our students." 

She said cuts to the high school budget is more than half of the districtwide $1.1 million in proposed instructional cuts. 

Student representative Elizabeth Klepetar said the "Home Under the Dome" is a family and community.  There is reportedly anxiety in the student body about losing their favorite teacher or activities, and Klepetar believes the cuts would be "catastrophic," from what she has seen. 

"Keep us in mind. Use student and faculty voice. Come to PHS and see what our everyday life looks like. If you spend time at PHS, you would see our teamwork and adaptability to our already vulnerable school," she said. 

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