Letter: Elect Buerger for School Committee

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To the Editor:

It is with great joy that I write this letter surrounding the upcoming election, particularly the School Committee election. 
 
I sit here as an 18-year-old recent graduate of Pittsfield Public Schools, preparing to vote and I look at this candidate pool and say wow! There are so many great and amazing options, but one comes to mind that definitely has my vote, Dr. Geoffrey Buerger.
 
For those of you who don’t know Dr. Buerger, he will introduce himself to you as a fossil who is older than the state of Alaska, exactly how he introduced himself to me when he became my long-term substitute in chemistry my sophomore year of high school. From this point, he never stopped checking in even after I didn't have him for class. 
 
He would reach out at lunch, or even just a nice chat in the hallway on my way to and from the bathroom. He truly cares, and he works very hard to understand everyone's circumstances and helps to keep so many kids in check with both schoolwork and emotionally. And I must add, these conversations were so insightful. He always had advice, words of wisdom, or even the occasional joke. 
 
I will be voting for Geoffrey Buerger for School Committee on Nov. 4, and I encourage everyone to do the same!

Tanner M White
Pittsfield, Mass.

 

 

 


Tags: election 2025,   municipal election,   


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Former Miss Hall's Teacher Arraigned on Rape Charges

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Warning: this article discusses sexual assault. 
 
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A former teacher pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to three counts of felony counts rape related to his tenure at Miss Hall's School.
 
Matthew Rutledge, 63, was indicted last month by a Berkshire grand jury following accusations dating back to the 1990s of sexually assaulting students at the girls' school. 
 
"Today, Matthew Rutledge was arraigned for raping me. He began grooming me when I was 15 years old, a student at Miss Hall's School, and his abuse of me continued for years after I left that campus," former student Hilary Simon said to a large crowd outside of Berkshire Superior Court.

"After more than two decades, this case is finally in the hands of the criminal justice system."
 
Simon and Melissa Fares, former students, publicly accused Rutledge of abuse and called out the school for failing to protect them. 
 
They provided testimony at his indictment and, on Wednesday, were in the courtroom to see their alleged abuser arraigned. 
 
Rutledge was working at the day and boarding school until the allegations surfaced nearly three years ago. Pittsfield Police investigated the claims but initially concluded no charges could be brought forward because the students were 16, the age of consent in Massachusetts. 
 
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