North Adams School Committee Applauds Award Winner, Hears Budget
Superintendent Timothy Callahan presents his first Superintendent's Award to Brayden Canales.
Drury High School senior Brayden Canales is graduating at the top of his class with 33 college credits and a grade-point average of 4.3.
"In addition to his impressive list of college courses, he has rounded out his transcript with several Advanced Placement and project based learning courses," said Superintendent Timothy Callahan, adding, "I had the honor to be Brayden's principal when he began a Drury."
Canales is a member of both the Nu Sigma and Pro Merito honor societies and received the Principal's Award for having the top five average in his class all four years and the Rensselaer (N.Y.) Institute of Technology award for science and math as a junior outside of the classroom.
He's also been a member of the soccer, hockey and baseball teams and this year was presented the Berkshire County Ice Hockey Officials Association's Sportsmanship Award for his leadership. Canales has also been a peer mediator, student ambassador, among other activities.
He plans to pursue a major in architecture but has not yet selected a college.
The Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents Certificate of Academic Excellence is awarded to students who have achieved not only academically but in leadership and community service.
The full School Committee reviewed the school budget and voted to send it to a public hearing. The level-service spending plan is up 3.51 percent overall from this year and has not changed since its review by the Finance and Facilities subcommittee.
Callahan reiterated the need to advocate for changes in Chapter 70 funding, saying the federal funds that flowed into public schools obscured how state funding was failing.
"It's not just a matter of the state funding not keeping pace. There are some built-in flaws for the Chapter 70 calculations that disproportionately analyze districts like ours with a high students with disability percentage and a low income population," he said. "It's not a fair calculation, but it's a calculation that's based on old metrics and old numbers."
Callahan raised the issue with Gov. Maura Healey during a campaign stop in February, telling her that 80 percent of the city's school budget comes from Chapter 70 and that "it actually penalizes districts that have higher special education needs and benefits districts with lower special education needs, which is a paradox."
Berkshire superintendents have outlined the problem with the local delegation, as have others across the state, he told the School Committee, but it took the Legislature 10 years the last time to amend the law.
In other business, the committee:
• Approved two field trips. The first is a senior field trip to Six Flags in New Jersey, which include 34 students and six chaperones. Students who did not want to travel to New Jersey can go to High Meadows in Connecticut. In both cases, the trips are completely covered through fundraising, including $50 for spending.
The second trip is an overnight to Meredith, N.H., for a Portrait of a Graduate conference with two students and two teachers, and fully funded by the Barr Foundation.
• Voted to extend the Dufour school bus contract through Aug. 31, 2027, at an increase of 4.26 percent, with David Sookey abstaining as he works for the bus company.
• Heard an update on communications with families by Emily Schiavoni, family and community outreach coordinator, and Leslie Appleget, arts and communications coordinator.
• Was informed that a tentative date for the Greylock School groundbreaking is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28, at 1 p.m.
Tags: academic award, fiscal 2027, school budget,
