Dianne Shewcraft, a teacher at the Adult Learning Center, said the Adult Learning Center is just as important as the rest of the city's educational system.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Adult Learning Center leaders are protesting the school department's proposal to cut more than $100,000 in funding.

 

The budget calls for a reduction of $106,281 for the adult education program. Superintendent Jason McCandless said the proposed cut is part of $2 million worth of reductions in the fiscal 2016 budget.

 

Overall, the proposed $58 million budget is 3.5 percent more than last year but obligations and reduced income had put the department in a place in which $4 million was needed for level services.

 

"Even though we are getting an additional $2 million from the city, we need $4 million," McCandless said. 

 

The biggest cut is that of 28 positions throughout the school system. McCandless said he started looking at cuts to the administration first, and then focused on any areas of potential overstaffing and then programs that are outside of the K-12 grouping.

 

"We tried to stay away from direct service cuts and direct people cuts to our K-12 students," McCandless said.

 

The system is required by law to provide the education to the K-12 age bracket. But, the school had been paying extra to help preschool and the Adult Learning Center. No cuts are proposed to the preschool program.

 

The Adult Learning Center, however, is funded through a matching grant and the school had been paying $106,281 more than the required match of the grant, McCandless said. That is the equivalent of two full-time equivalent staff for $89,313 and $16,968 for supplies and Internet costs, which the learning center will now need to pay for out of the grant. 

 

"That's above and beyond the amount needed to match the grant," McCandless said. "We exceeded the match by more than $100,000 last year."

 

Adult Learning Center planner Claudine Chavanne said the program is as important to the city's education system as K-12 and urged the committee to restore the proposed cuts. She said the learning center helps students get their high school equivalency and then into jobs. 

 

The organization helps those who "missed out" on the K-12 education, Chavanne said, because of dropping out for various reason, or immigration status, or any number of reasons. The program helps some 200 individuals each year, she said.

 

Dianne Shewcraft, a teacher at the Adult Learning Center, took offense to the suggestion that their work isn't considered "essential" to the department. The center was formed in 1976 and has always been part of the Pittsfield School System, she said. 

 

"It is very difficult to accept that we are not essential. Our students are just as important as the students in the rest of the schools," she said. 

 

School Committee Chairwoman Kathleen Yon agreed that the cuts will certainly impact the education system.

 

"We are cutting $2 million, there are going to be impacts," Yon said. "These cuts are very painful and they do have an impact on our system."

 

McCandless said the decisions on what to cut we very painful and that the department is using anticipated revenues for the next year to help balance the budget. 

 

"We've left ourselves with very little flexibility," he said.

 

However, despite 28 positions being eliminated, only three members of the public spoke at Wednesday's hearing. Kristine Hazzard of the Berkshire United Way also urged for restoration of programs for early education. But, she overall pleaded for community groups, residents, the school department, and businesses to work together as a community to solve the problems in a unified effort. Budgets are getting tighter, she said, and the community is getting older, sicker, and poorer.

 

"I am appalled that there are only three speakers tonight. What does that say about our community?" Hazzard said.