The School Building Needs Commission gets a rundown Tuesday on the general conditions of the city's school buildings.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Building Needs Commission got a look into the Pittsfield Public School's needs assessment that will take place throughout this year.

In March, the commission accepted a bid from Drummey, Rosane, and Anderson (DRA) Architects for the restructuring study after the district re-issued a request for quotes.

"When you look at the city of Pittsfield and the school system, you do want it to be equitable for everybody," School Committee member Kathleen Amuso said.

"And I believe our teachers can teach anywhere they need to teach but we want things to be equitable for our students, we want them to have the same type of buildings, the same type of services, and the academic process that everybody has."  

The month of April was spent on data collection, on-site assessments, timeline planning, and initial engagement with teachers and staff.  May will consist of community engagement events with students, families, and school staff. 

Program and facilities space comparisons will begin in June.

A final report is expected by November with a statement of interest filed with the Massachusetts School Building Authority in January 2024.

DRA representatives Carl Franceschi and Greg Smolley gave an update on the timeline and scope of the work to the panel.

All of the Pittsfield Public Schools aside from the 5-year-old Taconic High School were subject to an initial walkthrough for general condition and functionality.

Upon first look, the team found that most of the classrooms are well sized, the buildings are generally in good condition but with four needing considerable investment, most roofs are in need of attention, the fields are in very good condition though playgrounds have needs, and the parking lots and driveways are in need of repair.

Some accessibility issues and security vulnerabilities were also found, such as having only one barrier of entry as the main access to a school.

"I didn't see anything that made me pick up the phone and call [Superintendent Joseph Curtis] and say 'You really need to address this right now,'" Smolley said. "That's usually the threshold we look for."

Pittsfield High School, Conte Community School, Crosby Elementary School, and Morningside Community School were identified as needing a significant amount of TLC.

DRA plans to distribute an online survey to gauge teachers' and families' thoughts on the schools in the near future. That input will be reviewed by Curtis and will be followed by in-person teacher and staff workshops and the first community engagement event later this month.

Potential meeting dates are May 10 during the School Committee, public meetings on May 16 at Crosby (5 p.m.) and Morningside (7 p.m.,) and a public engagement meeting over Zoom on May 17.

The commission brainstormed ways to best reach students, parents, and teachers during the process.

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