One Incumbent Returns to Pittsfield School Committee / Pittsfield.com

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The next School Committee will have a couple of familiar faces, but largely new representation.

On Tuesday, voters elected Ciara Batory, Sarah Muil, Daniel Elias, Katherine Yon, Heather McNeice, and Carolyn Barry for two-year terms that begin in January. McNeice was the top vote-getter with 3,995 votes, according to unofficial results, and Elias was second with 2,937 votes.

Elias is a longtime School Committee member, and Yon is the former chair.

Candidates Jacob Klein, Geoffrey Buerger, and Vicky Smith fell short in the race, but Klein earned 2,116 votes, Buerger 2,063, and Smith 2,198.

McNeice feels truly grateful and excited to have been elected to the School Committee. She thanked supporters for their kind words, sharing of ideas, or showing up to vote.

"I see this as an opportunity to make a real difference for our students and schools. I want every student to feel valued, every teacher to feel supported, and our community to feel proud of our schools," she wrote in a statement to iBerkshires.

"I'm ready to listen, learn, and work hard alongside my fellow committee members to make that happen."

Batory thanked everyone who believed in her, stood in the rain holding a sign, placed a sign in their yard, sent a message, or showed up to vote, saying, "You made this possible. I am deeply grateful and humbled by the trust this community has placed in me."

"While I'm proud of what we've achieved, my heart is with those who didn't get the results they hoped for. They ran because they care deeply about Pittsfield and our schools, and their voices still matter. The election may be over, but our shared mission continues," Batory wrote.

"I didn't run for a title — I ran for the kids, for the truth, and for Pittsfield. This is just the beginning. Together, we'll keep building the transparent, honest, and hopeful future our students and community deserve."

Barry's late win was an emotional roller coaster, she said. She went to bed believing she had lost, posted a "Thank you" on social media, and woke up to find she had won based on updated results.

According to unofficial results, Barry, with 2,291 votes, secured the position in the last precinct over Smith, who had 2,198.

"Pretty draining," Barry wrote, "I am looking forward to working as a TEAM with everyone and am excited."

Elias feels very fortunate with his showing and looks forward to another two years.

"I will do my best to help with the transition from the current School Committee to the next," he wrote to iBerkshires.

Katherine Yon spent four terms on the committee before taking a four-year break in 2021. The former committee chair and longtime educator found herself back on the committee this election.

"First, I would like to thank the voters of Pittsfield for continuing to support me in my effort to better serve the students and families of Pittsfield as we look to the many challenges ahead. I believe my many years of experience in the classroom as well as serving 12 years on the School Committee, with eight as the chair, resonated with voters," she said in an email.

I am grateful to have won a seat on the committee, and I'm excited to begin the work. Watching the School Committee meeting last night, I could see that the sitting committee clearly has issues such as the status of the superintendent contract and the middle school restructuring plan. These are both issues that we will have to deal with there shortly after we are inaugurated in January. We will have to make ourselves familiar with all of the nuances involved in the pros and cons of making a good decision. I think we should probably look at the possibility of getting briefed on some of the major issues facing this new committee."

Exiting the School Committee after this term will be Chair William Cameron, Diana Belair, William Garrity, Sara Hathaway, and Dominick Sacco, who did not run for re-election. Hathaway ran unsuccessfully for councilor at large.

She earned 2,761 votes, trailing Alisa Costa by less than 50 votes. Kathleen Amuso, Earl Persip III, Pete White, and Costa were re-elected to at-large seats.