Pittsfield Designates Lower, Upper Middle Schools in Grade Restructure
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee has voted that Herberg will house Grades 5-6 and Reid will be home to Grades 7-8 when the middle schools restructure.
"It's an exciting opportunity, actually," Committee member Sara Hathaway said.
Last month, they made a historic vote to create an upper elementary school for Grades 5-6 and a junior high school for Grades 7-8 by the 2026-2027 academic year. A stipulation was added that if goals in the Middle School Restructuring Committee's timeline are not met by the December meeting, it will be delayed one year.
Assigning an upper and lower middle school was the next step, and the district's administration evaluated each facility for internal and external factors, walkability, and transportation before making the adopted recommendation.
"We are recommending for the fifth, sixth grade campus Herberg Middle School and for the seventh, eighth grade campus Reid Middle School. Thinking about the internal aspects of the building, both have had some vocational programs in the past, but we felt that the condition, and I think there was a little more space for potential vocational programs in Reid," interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips said during her first School Committee meeting.
"… Also, Reid is three stories, three floors. They're both middle school buildings, but Reid is definitely a much bigger building and felt more like upper grades if we had to make a decision."
She explained that Herberg, located on Pomeroy Avenue, allows for better community building and a sense of closeness as students adjust from elementary school. It was also observed that the Herberg neighborhood is more walkable for younger students.
Reid, located on North Street, has athletic fields that are better situated for intramural sports.
Hathaway reported that at the prior evening's Middle School Restructuring Committee, Matthew Bishop, the interim assistant superintendent of instruction, educational engagement and assessment, pointed out that the district hasn't had the right school configurations to participate in some Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association programs, "and that actually consolidating the upper grades, seventh and eighth, will allow us to participate in some of those intramural sports."
"I didn't even realize that we would be able to participate in more intramural sports doing this restructuring," School Committee member Diana Belair said.
"I feel like that's kind of a bonus that I didn't consider before."
School Committee member William Garrity recalled the former vocational areas at Reid and said the school will facilitate hands-on experience for the seventh and eighth-grade students.
"I think that really suits the seventh and eighth graders pretty well, and I think Herberg has a different layout where you could have more flexibility with the younger grades, especially," he said.
Phillips said the restructuring was a "very bold and courageous decision" and a great opportunity. She wants to honor the work done over the past year by the restructuring committee and school officials.
"I loved being that eighth-grade teacher who could re-energize you, provide the skills that you need, and hand you up to high school, so I'm really excited about being able to lead this work in the upcoming year," she said.
"I'm very aware of the deadlines that have been set, and I think that the deadlines, while very ambitious, they are important. It is important for us to have recommendations prior to the budget to make sure that we can fund any of our plans, so we are going to work really hard to meet these timelines."
Transportation has been a hot topic during discussions about the middle school restructuring. Phillips said the schools' transportation director said regardless of what schools the middle grades are assigned to, restructuring will be a "complex process" to figure out.
"But she didn't feel that there was any factor that would lean toward one building or the other," the interim superintendent said.
Tags: grade reconfiguration, interim appointment,
