Free Pet Care Clinic in North Adams

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — As part of a $95,000 grant from the John T. and Jane A. Wiederhold Foundation, a supporting organization of the Northwest CT Community Foundation, Berkshire Humane Society will hold a free rabies vaccine and microchip clinic, including a pet food giveaway for dogs and cats on Thursday, May 14, from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at Carr Hardware in North Adams at 179 State Road.
 
For the clinic, dogs must be on a leash and cats must be in carriers. Pet owners are encouraged to bring previous proof of rabies vaccination, even if it has expired. For microchips, downloading a form at https://berkshirehumane.org/document/microchip-registration-form/ will expedite the process.
 
Bags of dry cat and dog food from Berkshire Humane Society's Pet Food Bank will also be available and three sophomores from Lenox Memorial High School will help with distribution as part of a civics project. The clinic and pet food giveaway are open to all; you need not live in North Adams.
 
"We're holding this free clinic in North Adams to better serve animals and their people in Northern Berkshire County," said John Perreault, Executive Director of Berkshire Humane Society. "Besides being the law, it's important to keep your pets up to date on their rabies vaccination for their health and the health of other animals," he said. Massachusetts requires all dogs and cats be vaccinated for rabies before they are six months old. "And microchipping your dog or cat will increase your chances of being reunited with your pet if he or she gets lost," he added.
 
"We're grateful to the Wiederhold Foundation for their generosity, Carr Hardware for providing a great location for this event, and to the three Lenox High School students for helping give away pet food for their civics project; all are supporting our local community of animal lovers, right here in the Berkshires," Perreault concluded.
 
For more information, contact Berkshire Humane Society at 413-447-7878 or BerkshireHumane.org.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

North Adams School, Finance Committee Endorse $22M School Budget

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Finance Committee on Wednesday recommended a fiscal 2027 spending plan of $22 million that had been approved by the School Committee on Tuesday. 
 
The spending plan of $22,393,775 is an increase of $757,554 over this year, or 3.5 percent. It will be funded through the Chapter 70 state education grant estimated at $16,796,682 (based on the governor's budget); school-choice funds of $1,446,419, up $506,411; and local funding of $4,150,673 (also based on the governor's budget), up $161,942 or 4.06 percent.
 
Based on new numbers from the House and Senate, the city's portion could drop to $4,049, 353.
 
"A lot of our advocacy this year is around Chapter 70 and the various funding formulas," said Superintendent Timothy Callahan during the public hearing preceding the committee meeting. "We as a School Committee, but certainly I as an individual and other members of the administrative team, have participated in various sessions to advocate for more funding from Chapter 70, a massive part of our district budget."
 
Chapter 70 is critical to the school budget, with nearly 80 percent of its funding coming through the state. 
 
Director of School Finance and Operations Nancy Rauscher explained to the Finance Committee that the schools have "hugely benefited from that over the last few years, with significant increases" based on the district's needs and community profile.
 
"This is the first year that we've been considered a minimum aid district," she said. "What that means is you're held harmless. You're still getting what you were given ... but the addition is just a minimum eight addition. This year, it's $75, per student. So it literally is 75 times the number of students, and at that time it was 1,192 students, when they did this."
 
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