PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee on Wednesday OK'd several contractual items and a call for the state to adjust the inflation rate for Chapter 70 funding.

A tentative agreement was approved between the committee and the Pittsfield Federal of School Employees bus drivers and bus attendants unit covering Sept. 1, 2022, through Aug. 31, 2025.

"This memorandum of agreement which we're glad to have worked out with the federation, the bus drivers and attendants unit," Chair William Cameron explained.

"It addresses a number of issues including 7D drivers for certain kinds of runs or situations and an adjustment in the pay schedules for members of that bargaining unit."

It includes an increase in hourly pay rates for all members of the unit due to ongoing difficulties with recruiting and retaining bus drivers and bus attendants. Step 1 bus drivers start at $26.15 per hour in FY24 and will advance to $26.65 an hour in FY25.  Step 1 bus attendants will start at $20.50 per hour in FY24 and advance to $21 an hour in FY25.

Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Kristen Behnke explained that 7D driver rates were added to the contract. These drivers will be paid $23.50 an hour in FY24 and $24 an hour in FY25.

"The expenses that we are paying to outside vendors for contracted services for 7D is becoming prohibitively expensive," she said.

"At this point, we are $1.2 million over budget just in that line for special education out-of-district transportation so we're really hoping this will help bring some of those costs down and bring the work in-house."

Cameron noted that the overage is due to the exorbitant rates that are charged for transporting special needs students under "a lot of circumstances."

Bus drivers will have 15 guaranteed hours per week and if the position is only during the morning or afternoon, there will be 10 guaranteed hours per week.

"In the event the driving time is less than the guaranteed hours, then the employees can be assigned to other duties," it reads. "The Committee can hire intermittent employees for less than the guaranteed hours and said employees shall be considered part-time bargaining unit members, however, intermittent positions shall not be used to eliminate or replace permanent 7D positions."

Starting Sept. 1, members of the bargaining unit will advance one step in the salary scale each additional year.

The committee also approved a resolution calling for fully adjusting Chapter 70 Aid for inflation in FY25 and beyond. It was originally formulated by the Haverhill School Committee, which unanimously approved it on March 14.

The district is facing a $3.7 million budget shortfall and more than 100 positions have been proposed to be cut.

Much of the impact is attributed to the September sunsetting of the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds that were created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and not as much in state Chapter 70 education funding as in previous years.

Due to a decrease in the percentage of low-income students, the district is being docked $2.3 million after missing the cutoff for a higher reimbursement group by 0.04 percent. Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Kristen Behnke explained that this is a difference of two students to get the district over the mark and that some possible technical errors have been identified.

Member William Garrity said that from his rough calculations, meeting the group requirement and an inflation adjustment could result in up to a $6 million increase.

"This would really, really, really, really, really, really help us address our budget shortfall," he said.

Sara Hathaway pointed out that many school districts are having issues with the funding and that something needs to be done.

"The two that are affecting us are the inflation and falling one group based on our low-income enrollment and as you say, it might be that they are not willing to adjust the inflation factor because that would be so expensive, every school district would get a big boost out of it," she said.

"But I think it's important that we go on the record saying this inflation formula is not right. It's not working. It does not reflect the conditions under which bills are being paid and we need the inflation formula going forward to better reflect the realities of paying bills."

Mayor Peter Marchetti forwarded the resolution to the City Council, which will vote on it on Tuesday.

The committee approved a memorandum of agreement between the Pittsfield Public Schools and the Pittsfield United Educational Administrators Association that compensates two Crosby Academy employees for extra work commitments put upon them during the medical leave of the program director during the 2022-2023 school year.

The staff members will each be paid $30 per day for a total of 12 days for a total compensation of $360 per employee and $720 for both.

Also approved as an MOA between PPS and the Pittsfield Educational Administrators Association to compensate Egremont Elementary School's dean of students for extra work commitments put upon them during a bereavement/personal sick leave of the principal in the 2023-2024 school year.  Compensation is a rate of $60 per day after the first five days of the principal’s absence, totaling $600 for ten days.

A settlement agreement between PPS and United Educator of Pittsfield, MTA was also approved. This includes modifications to the substantially separate teacher compensation.

"This is a rather lengthy Memorandum of Agreement which addresses three years after the contract was approved matters that have been kind of in limbo that some thought to have been agreed to," Cameron explained. "So this tidies it up as we move into negotiations for a successor agreement."

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