Pittsfield Considering Nonprofit for School InvestigationBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:51AM / Monday, January 20, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council and School Committee will consider a children's advocacy nonprofit to audit the Pittsfield Public Schools.
On Tuesday, the council supported a petition from Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren requesting to schedule a joint meeting to receive a presentation from Jetta Bernier, executive director of Enough Abuse.
"The object is, we're trying to address a serious problem of sexual abuse in the schools," Warren said. "And I want to get this off the ground and I want to get us moving."
On Dec. 11, PHS Dean of Students Lavante Wiggins was arrested and charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office for allegedly conspiring to
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Central Berkshire Superintendent Intends to Retire in JuneBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
12:27PM / Tuesday, January 14, 2025 | |
 DALTON, Mass. — Central Berkshire Regional School District Superintendent Leslie Blake-Davis has put the phrase "life-long learning" into practice throughout her career and will continue to do so in retirement. It was announced during the School Committee meeting last week that Blake-Davis will be retiring from her position effective June 30. Although she is retiring, she is continuing to practice what she hopes to have modeled for district teachers, administrators, and students — to be a lifelong learner and lifelong educator. In the spring, Blake-Davis hopes to defend her dissertation, which she developed on education leadership >> Read More |
BCC's Director of Academic Advising Wins Award | 11:07AM / Tuesday, January 14, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) announced that Director of Academic Advising and Coaching Lyndsay Isham-Morton is the winner of the Region 1 Excellence in Advising – Advising Administrator Award from NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising. Isham-Morton will be recognized at a conference in April. According to a press release, NACADA is the leading association globally for the advancement of student success through excellence in academic advising in higher education. NACADA provides its members with opportunities for professional development and personal growth. As director of academic advising and >> Read More |
Herberg School Closed Tuesday for Heating IssuesBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
02:31PM / Monday, January 13, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Herberg Middle School will be closed on Tuesday because of heating and electrical issues. Heating problems caused an early dismissal on Monday. It was discovered that the boilers were not functioning properly early Monday and around 8 a.m., the school was notified of electrical and boiler issues that could not be rectified. Students were dismissed at 11 a.m. "At this time, we are planning to resume normal school operations tomorrow, Tuesday, January 14, 2025," Principal William Wood posted on social media around 10 a.m. "We will provide further updates if anything changes." That changed early Monday evening >> Read More |
Dalton Green Committee Awards Climate Action Logo Winners By Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
12:31PM / Monday, January 13, 2025 | |
DALTON, Mass. — Green Committee member Antonio Pagliarulo presented the three Climate Action Plan Logo contest winners with a framed letter of recognition in front of the Central Berkshire Regional School Committee. The letter was signed by the Green Committee Chair David Wasielewski and Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson. The logo helps reflect Dalton's past, present, and future environmental climate status. The committee called for logo submissions out to Wahconah Regional High School students and received 24 logo submissions. "Congratulations and thanks to your class and teachers for providing this lasting legacy of artwork for our >> Read More |
Pittsfield Crosby/Conte Feasibility Years From CompletionBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:45AM / Monday, January 13, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass.— If local approval is secured in the fall, the district will have 2 1/2 years to complete a feasibility study for the Crosby/Conte school project.
The eligibility period for Massachusetts School Building Authority funding begins on Feb. 3 and will conclude on Oct. 31 with a vote from the City Council. In that time, a number of boxes have to be checked off including enrollment studies and maintenance and capital planning.
Last week, the School Building Needs Commission accepted MSBA's letter of invitation for the eligibility period and a 270-day eligibility module. The timeline requires a school building committee that oversees the project formed by early
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70 Pittsfield Students Have Been Homeless This School YearBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:39PM / Friday, January 10, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Seventy Pittsfield Public School students have been unhoused this school year, 20 more than the previous year.
"The numbers, in my opinion, are quite high," said Jennifer Stokes, assistant superintendent for school transformation and accountability.
On Wednesday, Stokes spoke with the Homelessness Advisory Committee about the district's McKinney-Vento population. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act is a federal program that helps homeless children and youth enroll in and attend school.
Since September, there have been 70 unhoused students in the district. Twelve have obtained housing, leaving 58 still without a stable roof over
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BCC Announces Second Cohort of Paraprofessional Educators Class| 08:17AM / Friday, January 10, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) announces that the second cohort of its Paraprofessional Educators class begins Monday, Feb. 24. The six-week session is held Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The class is an entry-level course with no prerequisites. Students must be 18 years or older and have a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent. To register, email workforce@berkshirecc.edu or call (413) 236-2115. Paraprofessional or "para" educators, which are in demand in the Berkshires, play a vital role in supporting teachers in the classroom. The BCC program covers areas such as instructional techniques, classroom management, child
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Worldwide PowerSchool Breach Reaches Pittsfield, North Berkshire SchoolsBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:22PM / Thursday, January 09, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield Public Schools students and teachers had their personal information accessed as part of a worldwide PowerSchool breach. Mount Greylock Regional School District and Northern Berkshire School Union also reported some data was accessed. "This is not unique to the city of Pittsfield," Superintendent Joseph Curtis told the School Committee on Wednesday. "Every one of the 18,000 PowerSchool customers has experienced a data breach. We were informed yesterday with a very brief notice from PowerSchool and our technology department began to dig into the impact near immediately." The breach reportedly took place >> Read More |
PHS Students: Be Kinder About Our School Amid ScandalBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:34AM / Thursday, January 09, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Pittsfield High School students are keeping their heads up despite the scandal that's embroiled the school.
Their ask? Think twice before making negative comments as an outsider.
"Right now, our school is going through, obviously, a lot but from what I have personally seen, I don't think our community has ever been stronger and I just don't think people are getting that," 10th-grader Benjamin Glockner said, reporting that it has been "negative after negative" when hearing from community members.
There was the usual feedback from residents at Wednesday's School Committee meeting but this time, it was matched by testimony
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