Pittsfield Schools See 'Very Modest' Chapter 70 IncreaseBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
06:01AM / Friday, January 30, 2026 | |
The School Committee is expected to vote on a budget in April.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Pittsfield Public Schools will see a "very modest" increase in Chapter 70 funding for fiscal year 2027, and administrators are working to calculate exactly what that will mean.
Gov. Maura Healey filed a nearly $63 billion budget on Wednesday that increases the city's school funding by $404,000. The Pittsfield schools dropped into a lower Chapter 70 funding category because it has fewer students considered low income.
This year's expected Chapter 70 aid is just over $68.8 million. In FY26, the district received $68,450,361.
"While the FY27 budget reflects a modest increase over last year's budget, anticipated rising costs such as any current and potential contractual obligations, insurance increases, fuel increases, etc., will result in a budgetary shortfall," Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Bonnie Howland reported on Wednesday.
"The foundation budget also reflects that decrease in overall student enrollment, and this shapes the critical next phase of our work."
In 2024, the discovery of 11 students meeting those income guidelines put the district in the higher funding category and added $2.4 million in Chapter 70 funds to the school budget.
The district will review prior year spending trends and confirm district priorities before drafting the budget, which is about 80 percent contractual obligations for teachers, aides, administrators, and support staff. Embedded into the process is engagement with staff, the community, and the City Council.
Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips said that in some cases, the district may be able to reduce a current vacancy, but in other cases, there will be a significant effort to hire.
"For example, for core subject classrooms, we have to fill those positions, and so we are taking a look at every position, every role, how it's being utilized to make recommendations for how we will balance this budget," she explained.
Howland explained that a key piece of this year's budget process is school-based budgeting through a lens of equity, looking at student enrollment, low-income populations, English learners, and students with disabilities to translate student needs into dollars.
This approach helps ensure that resources are allocated more intentionally and transparently based on need, not just historical spending patterns, she said.
Other budget drivers include transportation needs, energy and utility costs, and instructional technology and materials.
During its first meeting of the term, the School Committee OK'd an FY27 budget calendar that plans the committee's vote in mid-April.
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