Pittsfield Middle Schools to Restructure Next Fall
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city's middle schools will restructure next fall to give all students equitable access to education and take fifth grade out of the early elementary level.
Over nearly two hours on Wednesday, the School Committee and district officials mulled the decision to move forward with an upper elementary and junior high school model in September 2026. Committee members were ready to move the project forward, while Mayor Peter Marchetti wanted to extend the decision to February or March.
"I don't support waiting until March to make another decision about this, because then we're just kicking the can down the road, and everyone's in a pool of uncertainty for whether this is going to happen or not," member William Garrity said.
"I'm in the firm belief we should just go ahead and do this, or, if the committee so chooses, to postpone one year."
Grades 5 and 6 will go to Herberg Middle School, and Grades 7 and 8 will attend Reid Middle School.
School Committee member Diana Belair said if the decision is pushed to the spring, the district will lose buy-in from families.
"It's already driving me nuts to think about it, and I don't even have a fourth grader," she added. "I think that's not a good move."
The change also comes with altered bell times to accommodate a three-tiered bus transportation plan. A draft proposal has high schoolers reporting five minutes earlier at 7:20 a.m., middle schoolers reporting 35 minutes later at 8:10 a.m., and elementary schoolers reporting 20 minutes later at 9:05 a.m.
Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips explained, "To get the transformative outcomes we want, we do need to do something very different." When she came on board in July, the School Committee had adopted this direction, and the interim superintendent was charged with leading planning efforts to see if it could be done for the 2026 school year.
As Phillips understands, the restructuring proposal boasts opportunities for equitable student rostering, equitable teacher assignment, and developmentally responsive groupings.
Morningside Community School has 16 fifth-grade students with Individualized Education Plans and 16 multilingual students in that grade, compared to Williams Elementary School, with two fifth-grade students on IEPs and four fifth-grade multilingual learners. The city's other community school, Conte, has 12 students with IEPs and 10 multilingual learners in the fifth grade.
The average class size at Conte is 20.6 students, and at Crosby is 20.5, compared to the average 15-student class at Williams.
"One opportunity that we have really uncovered is the opportunity for equitable student rostering, so ensuring that our classrooms have socio-economic diversity, linguistic diversity, racial and cultural diversity," she said.
"And one of the greatest inputs for school transformation is that socio-economic diversity in the classroom, in the building, and that is what the middle middle school restructuring will provide for our middle grades, which are very vulnerable grades."
During the research process, the district has deepened its understanding of fifth- and sixth-graders' developmental needs, she added, and this is an opportunity to create a dedicated space where those age groups can thrive. This model also allows teachers a full period of common planning time and more aligned professional development.
The restructuring was divided into Phase 1 for the 2026-2027 school year and Phase 2 for the 2027-2028 school year. Phillips explained that many of the action items for the first phase, such as equitable student rostering, balancing the teacher experience, and leveling class sizes, don't have to wait.
PPS doesn't intend to change the core curriculum for the upcoming school year.
Student representative Elizabeth Klepetar reported that her peers at Pittsfield High School have been consistently asking about start times.
"I've come to understand that change is difficult, and there will always be concerns. I just want to ensure that when we're making these decisions, they're benefiting all of our students. As I'm sure most of you know, research has proven that high school students need more sleep, and I believe that moving our start time up will be more harmful than it will be helpful," she said, pointing to research that found earlier high school start times have a variety of concerns, including mental health and attendance issues.
"… So although there are a lot of factors to consider in middle school restructuring, I think that the school start times are a very important factor, especially considering that there are a lot of negatives to moving high school start times earlier."
Phillips agreed, but said it is very difficult to change the time system for just one district when it is not a statewide move. The transportation team is prepared to work through the holidays to see if they can find any efficiencies in the schedule.
Marchetti was the lone vote in opposition, feeling like the district is close to checking all of the necessary boxes but needs some more time for contract negotiations, teacher and student supports, and transportation plans.
A supporter of the effort, he believes that if the committee says "no" at this point in time, the project will be shelved and not continue down the road. He just wants a little more time to iron out the details.
"I haven't really heard from one person yet in theory, who doesn't like the concept of where we're going," he said.
"I think there's concern about when and how, and what's going to happen if a student falls through the crack, which I don't know that I can answer those questions right now, but I still think that we have time to make this plan much more defined and be able to answer the questions right."
The mayor pointed out that all Pittsfield Public School families received an invitation to join the Middle School Restructuring Committee before the last school year, and there have been a host of public actions over the last 14 months.
The last School Committee meeting was set as the checkpoint to decide if they will move to the upper elementary and junior high model in the 2026-2027 school year or push it off one year.
"My dilemma right now is that I don't believe we check the boxes, and so I should say, 'Stop the process.' I'm not sure that I'm there, and I think there's still time," Marchetti said.
He unsuccessfully motioned to extend the decision to Feb. 25, with only Vice Chair Daniel Elias voting in favor.
"I really am apprehensive that, as so many other things that I've seen in Pittsfield over the years, this will be talked about and talked about and talked about, and nothing will happen. That's been going on for years with the middle schools," Chair William Cameron said.
"We're finally in a place to do something that is not just innovative, it's not just different. It's working pretty well in some other districts. So I think we need to move forward and let the chips fall where they may when the new School Committee comes in."
Several mothers from southeast Pittsfield brought concerns to the meeting, voicing support for equitable change but feeling that the restructuring is being rushed while leadership is new.
"What I hear from recent presentations is a great deal of focus on transportation negotiations and the transition budget, how to make a three-tier bus system work, what time the bell rings, whether drivers can work an extra hour," said Danielle Giulian.
"Those pieces are necessary. But as parents, we worry that in order to push this through, the district may solve for buses and contracts first, and curriculum, school climate, and the daily student experience will be what falls to the wayside, and for families across the district, this is where the heart of the concern lies."
On the other hand, a couple of community members came forward to voice their support for the move. A Greendale Avenue resident reported that there is interest in returning to PPS if the middle schools are restructured, as her sixth-grader chose to attend Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter Public School in Adams.
David Weiner, a member of the Middle School Restructuring Committee, said another year of waiting won't create much advantage, but it will shortchange another cohort of middle-grade students facing the choice of delaying or moving forward.
"We ought to remember that our current approach to the middle grades is not equitable, does not represent the best our city can do for our students or our teachers, and is doing harm to many of them," he said.
"Not moving forward will perpetuate a status quo that no one finds acceptable. On the other hand, our thoughtfully developed plan for renewing middle grade education, all of its components, not just the part about changing which students go to which building to receive an education, will help set the stage for a stronger education system and, most importantly, for better educated young people."
Tags: grade reconfiguration, Pittsfield Public Schools,
.gif)
