PITTSFIELD â A $67.3 million school spending plan received preliminary approval from the City Council on Monday, when councilors zeroed in on concerns about teacher and student retention.
The Pittsfield Public Schools budget for next fiscal year represents a 4.4 percent increase over the two most recent fiscal years. Last year, the city adopted a level-funded budget amid concerns that the coronavirus pandemic would send state education funding cratering.
Among the expenses included in the budget are an estimated $1.6 million for contractual obligations, though interim Superintendent Joseph Curtis said negotiations with the districtâs employee unions over new contracts are ongoing. It also includes money for a new Information and Support Services and Networking program and the restoration of four elementary literacy positions the district says were cut from this yearâs budget.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. The Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday rejected a Ward 2 resident s request for an appeal of the building inspector s determination that chickens at 16 Kensington Ave. were being kept in code. Charlene Wehry of Yorkshire Avenue argued that the chickens being kept by her abutting neighbor were in violation because of an insufficient coop and their ability to roam in the yard. She also cited sanitary concerns with feces and possible diseases from the chickens. Ward 2 Councilor Kevin Morandi represented Wehry with a petition about the fowl at the Ordinances and Rules Committee meeting in early May. The panel voted to postpone a final decision on the matter until after the ZBA meeting and will address it on June 9.
A rendering by Ward 6 Councilor Dina Guiel Lampiasi shows where striping would go at the merge point of Government Drive and Center Street to avoid confusion. PITTSFIELD, Mass..
Pittsfield City Council endorses new Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion berkshireeagle.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from berkshireeagle.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.