Pittsfield Schools Summer Meal Program Returning

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The school district has sponsored a summer meal program for children for nearly 50 years and it will return this season.

The School Committee on Wednesday approved the 2024 Summer Food Service Program that begins the business day after school ends. It is open to children under the age of 18 regardless of if they are enrolled in Pittsfield Public Schools.

"Given the way that food prices have escalated, I think that this is this service stands out over the summer because I'm sure there are families in Pittsfield who are really stressed to be able to buy three meals a day for the family members and this is a real benefit, I think, to the community," Chair William Cameron said.

The school cafeterias provide meals, maintain records, submit reimbursements, and supervise meal sites. The program, supported by federal funds, is administered by the state Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's  Food and Nutrition Service.

"For the past 46 years, the school nutrition office has supported a summer food service program for children," Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Kristen Behnke said.

"We try to start it as close to the last day of school as possible and continue through the summer and try to get as far along as we can towards the first day of school."

There are planned open sites at Conte Community School, Morningside Community School, Berkshire Peak Housing, Brattlebrook Apartments, and Dower Square. These sites qualify for the meals because more than half of the children enrolled in the area schools are eligible for free and reduced meals.

"It means that any child in the city, they do not have to be a Pittsfield Public School student, but any child in the city up to age 18 can have a free meal,"  Behnke added.

"We do have the option if there is an adult attending with them that they could purchase a meal at a nominal fee."

Pittsfield Council Gives Preliminary OK to $82M School Budget

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
12:31PM / Thursday, May 23, 2024

State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, with Superintendent Joseph Curtis, says the Student Opportunity Act if fully funded this year. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council left no stone unturned as it took four hours to preliminarily approve the school budget on Monday. At $82,885,277, the fiscal year 2025 spending plan is a $4,797,262 — or 6.14 percent — increase from this year.

It was a divisive vote, passing 6-4 with one councilor absent, and survived two proposals for significant cuts.  

"I think we have fiduciary responsibility to the citizens of Pittsfield and to have a budget that is responsible, taking into consideration the huge increase in taxes that it had the last couple of years, the last year in particular," said Councilor at Large Kathy Amuso, a former School Committee chair, who unsuccessfully motioned for a $730,000 reduction.

Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren responded with a motion for a $250,000 cut, which failed 5-5.  

The Pittsfield Public School budget is balanced by $1.5 million in cuts and includes about 50 full-time equivalent reductions in staff — about 40 due to the sunsetting of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds. With 27 FTE staff additions, there is a net reduction of nearly 23 FTEs.

This plan does not come close to meeting the needs that were expressed throughout the seven-month budget process, Superintendent Joseph Curtis explained, but was brought forward in partnership with all city departments recognizing that each must make sacrifices in financial stewardship.

"With humility, I address the council tonight firmly believing that the budget we unveiled was crafted admits very difficult decisions, struggles, along with some transformative changes," he said.

"It is still important though that it did not even come close to accommodating the urgent requests we received throughout the entire budget process."