Pittsfield School Board See Update on Middle School RestructuringBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:24AM / Wednesday, January 21, 2026 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Wheels are moving on the Pittsfield Public Schools plan to realign the middle schools in the fall.
Last week, the School Committee received updates on the transition to an upper elementary and junior high school model in September, with Grades 5 and 6 attending Herberg Middle School and Grades 7 and 8 attending Reid Middle School.
"This is an equity strategy that was started maybe a year ago, a year and a half ago, that we’ve been working towards to ensure that every intermediate and middle school student has access to equitable educational opportunities," Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips said.
"I know that there
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BCC to Offer Free Advanced Basic Computer Training Course| 07:34AM / Monday, January 19, 2026 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Workforce and Community Education Department at Berkshire Community College (BCC) will offer an Advanced Basic Computer Training course on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30-8:30 p.m., Feb. 23 – April 1, 2026. Designed for adults eager to advance their careers, this hands-on course is intended only for learners who already have basic computer knowledge. If you can comfortably use a computer and are ready to build on that foundation, this class will help students master essential digital office skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and >> Read More |
Pittsfield School Committee Sees Budget Calendar, Chapter 70 ConcernsBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:28AM / Monday, January 19, 2026 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Pittsfield Public Schools kicked off its fiscal year 2027 budget calendar, and are again facing uncertainties with state Chapter 70 funding.
During the first meeting of the new term on Wednesday, the School Committee OK'd an FY27 budget calendar that plans the committee's vote in mid-April. Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips stressed the importance of equity in this process.
"It's really important for us through these next couple of months to look at our different schools, our different needs, different student demographics, and really understand, are we just assigning resources equally, or are we really assigning them based
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BCC Graduates 32 Nursing Students at Pinning CeremonyBy Breanna Steele, iBerkshires Staff
06:41AM / Saturday, January 17, 2026 | |
See more photos from the event here. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Hundreds of friends, families, and faculty filled the Robert Boland Theatre on Thursday to celebrate those earning associates' degrees in nursing at Berkshire Community College. The pinning ceremony marked the hard work and dedication of 32 graduates over two years. "The pin you receive tonight is small, but it's meaning is profound. It symbolizes the trust placed in you by your patients, your colleagues in this profession," said Dean Lori Moon. "Most importantly, it represents the promise you make to every patient you will encounter, to see them as human beings, to protect their dignity, to care
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BCC Foundation Awarded Stop & Shop Gift Cards to Stock Campus Pantry | 08:15AM / Friday, January 16, 2026 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Community College (BCC) Foundation is the recipient of a donation of $7,500 in Stop & Shop gift cards as part of the grocery's School Food Pantry Program. The funding commitment for 2026, equal to the donation awarded in 2025, will continue to support the purchase of items to stock BCC's pantry, known as the Campus Cupboard, helping to ensure students have access to healthy foods.? "We are so incredibly grateful to Stop & Shop for their continued generosity," said Meghan Donnelly, BCC Essential Needs Coordinator – Community/Outreach Counselor. "Access to food and essential supplies is a >> Read More |
BCC Announces Community Education Workshops| 07:38AM / Tuesday, January 13, 2026 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) announces the schedule of Community Education Workshops for 2026. Workshops cover the topic areas of art, culinary and hospitality, professional development and self-care. All workshops are open to the public. For more detailed information and to register for each course, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/workshops. Art Workshops Mosaic Butterfly Garden Stake with instructor Lisa Mendel: Wednesday, March 11, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. in BCC Room K118. Cost: $50. Mosaic Stepping Stone with instructor Lisa >> Read More |
Central Berkshire Approves Competency Evaluation PlanBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
02:46PM / Sunday, January 11, 2026 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The state is mandating that school districts develop a competency evaluation plan now that the 10th grade MCAS scores are no longer a graduation requirement. In November 2024, voters passed Question 2, which removed the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System scores as a requirement to earn a high school diploma. The competency test has been in the schools for more than 30 years, a result of the state's 1993 Education Reform Act. With its passage, the question remains on how schools will prove graduates are meeting competency standards. "The state started to put out some new guidelines and expectations for high >> Read More |
BCC Awarded $202K for Microelectronics Project | 10:51AM / Friday, January 09, 2026 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) is a recipient of a Supporting Chip Advancement from Lab to Enterprise (SCALE) Capital Program grant, awarded by the Healey-Driscoll Administration and Northeast Microelectronics Coalition (NEMC), in the amount of $202,200. The award is part of $10.2 million in grant funds that support 10 microelectronics projects throughout the Commonwealth. The SCALE awards are designed to supercharge the microelectronics industry across Massachusetts, including AI hardware, nanotechnology and quantum computing. Grants will fund the purchase of capital equipment to support workforce and technology development at higher >> Read More |
Workforce Development: Kaela Martin| 03:55PM / Thursday, January 08, 2026 | |
 Before Kaela Martin completed the Front Line Advanced Supervisor course at Berkshire Community College, she had already made smart career choices. She had landed a job as a welder fabricator at Lenco, an armored vehicle manufacturer in Pittsfield, in 2023 and was proving herself to be a valuable employee. But Kaela isn't the type of person to sit still and let her career path determine itself — or, worse, become stagnant. "I started kind of accidentally working my way up at Lenco, just my helping my crew chief and taking on extra responsibilities. They saw potential and wanted to develop that. They wanted to give me the tools to do my job properly," Kaela >> Read More |
OLLI at BCC Distinguished Speakers Series: Ukraine-Russia War in the Era of Trump 2.0| 03:49PM / Thursday, January 08, 2026 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College (OLLI at BCC) presents the next installment of its Distinguished Speakers Series on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. Speaker James Brooke's talk, "Ukraine-Russia War in the Era of Trump 2.0," will provide an informative update and lively discussion on the Russia-Ukraine war. Brooke is a former New York Times foreign correspondent and a former Ukraine reporter. The free talk will be accessible via Zoom. To register, visit https://berkshireolli.org/event-6433453. A Zoom link will be provided upon registration. After the event, a recording will be available >> Read More |
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