BCC to Offer CDL License Training | 10:36AM / Tuesday, May 14, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — According to an American Trucking Association survey, more than 400,000 new truck drivers are needed every year. The Workforce Development and Community Education Department at Berkshire Community College (BCC), in partnership with United Tractor Trailer School of Holyoke, Massachusetts, is helping to fill this need by offering two sessions of Commercial Driver's License (CDL) training. Professional instructors help students gain the skills necessary to enter the rapidly growing industry of trucking, in a highly motivated and positive hands-on atmosphere. Training comprises a total of 60 hours of instruction in the classroom, the >> Read More |
Pittsfield Schools Summer Meal Program ReturningBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:57AM / Monday, May 13, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The school district has sponsored a summer meal program for children for nearly 50 years and it will return this season.
The School Committee on Wednesday approved the 2024 Summer Food Service Program that begins the business day after school ends. It is open to children under the age of 18 regardless of if they are enrolled in Pittsfield Public Schools.
"Given the way that food prices have escalated, I think that this is this service stands out over the summer because I'm sure there are families in Pittsfield who are really stressed to be able to buy three meals a day for the family members and this is a real benefit, I think, to the
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DEI Officer for Berkshire Health to Speak at BCC's 64th Commencement| 12:43PM / Saturday, May 11, 2024 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College will hold its 64th commencement ceremonies at Tanglewood in Lenox on Friday, May 31, at 4:30 p.m. The keynote speaker will be Charles Redd, a 1995 graduate of the college's nursing program. Redd, who went on to receive a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Elms College in 2014 and a master's degree in health care administration from Southern New Hampshire University in 2020, is the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officer at Berkshire Health Systems. "Charles is the embodiment of a BCC success story. He not only graduated from BCC and went on to get his master's degree, but he is now an >> Read More |
Scholarship Offered to BArT Graduates| 10:35AM / Friday, May 10, 2024 | |
ADAMS, Mass. — Graduates of Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter Public School (BArT) who have completed their first year of college are invited to apply for the Julia Bowen Bridge to College Scholarship. The scholarship fund was established in 2017 to honor Julia Bowen, BArT's founding executive director. Through her service to the school, Bowen demonstrated her commitment to supporting all students' successful path to and through college. In this spirit, the scholarship was created by and is managed by the BArT Foundation to provide financial assistance to select BArT alumni through their college career. A scholarship of up to $1,250 will be awarded to a >> Read More |
MCLA to Host Graduate Programs Info Session at BIC| 08:00AM / Thursday, May 09, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) will host information sessions for its graduate programs: Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Education (MEd) on Tuesday, May 14 at 5 p.m. at the Berkshire Innovation Center in Pittsfield. A virtual session will be held on May 30 at noon. Prospective students are invited to meet with faculty, students, and staff to learn more about how to continue their education in two of MCLA's programs designed to support the rising workforce needs in the Berkshires and beyond. According to a press release: The MBA program is committed to redefining the educational >> Read More |
Beverly Gans Marks 60 Years & Counting in the Pittsfield SchoolsBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:05AM / Thursday, May 09, 2024 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Pittsfield Public Schools recognized Beverly Gans for her 60 years of service with the district with a lunch and crystal plaque on Friday. Gans will mark 40 years as secretary to principal at Taconic High School in June. "It's been a wonderful experience, and I wouldn't trade it … I've seen generations go through," she said. "I've seen kids go through, I've seen their kids go through, I've seen their grandkids go through … it's just been a wonderful life for me to have this," Her former students will come back to the school surprised to see the secretary they connected with years >> Read More |
Pittsfield Council to See $216M FY25 Budget, Up 5%By Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:36AM / Monday, May 06, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayor Peter Marchetti has proposed a $216 million budget for fiscal year 2025, a 5 percent increase from the previous year.
Budget season will kick off on Monday with a special meeting of the City Council containing several financial items, one being an order to raise and appropriate $216,155,210 for the city's operating budget. This begins the council's process of departmental spending deliberations with a budget adoption before the new fiscal year begins on July 1.
This is about a $10 million hike from FY24's $205,584,497 budget.
Early in the term, the council supported a divisive petition requesting a budget that is "close to
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BCC Honors Scholar Students to Present Free Public Reading| 04:00PM / Sunday, May 05, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Three Berkshire Community College (BCC) Honors Scholar Program students who were awarded Melville Fellowships for the spring semester — Rowan Boyer, Mwila Malama and Clarise Seguin — will present a public reading of their works on Wednesday, May 8 at 4:30 pm. The reading, which is free and open to the public, will be held at BCC in Melville Hall, Room M-212.?Light refreshments will be served. For those who cannot attend in person, a virtual recording will be accessible on Zoom. To join online, visit https://zoom.us/j/6236694683. The three students were awarded Melville Fellowships by the Berkshire County Historical >> Read More |
Pittsfield Schools Awarded Funds to Boost FAFSA Completion | 11:01AM / Wednesday, May 01, 2024 | |
BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration is providing grants to more than 100 Massachusetts public schools serving Gateway Cities to help high school seniors complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In Berkshire County, Eagle Education Academy will receive $30, Pittsfield High School will receive $5,400 and Taconic High will receive $5,670. These grants, totaling more than $550,000, follow an announcement that the state's priority deadline to apply for Massachusetts financial aid via MASSGrant has been extended from May 1 to July 1, 2024. The awards are also intended to support schools amid unique nationwide challenges with this year's >> Read More |
Pittsfield School Committee OKs $82M Budget, $1.5M CutsBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:44PM / Sunday, April 28, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The school budget is less grim than the original proposal but still requires more than $1.5 million in cuts.
On Thursday, the School Committee approved an $82.8 million spending plan for fiscal year 2025, including a city appropriation of $80.4 million and $2.4 million in Chapter 70 funds.
The cuts made to balance the budget include about 50 staff reductions — some due to the sunsetting of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.
"The final version does not answer all needs. It will be unacceptable to some or to many but I must say that tonight's final proposal is very different than where we started when we believed
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