PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) Berkshire County awarded nearly $10,000 in prizes to the Spring 2022 Business Accelerator Cohort at an awards ceremony held on Zoom.
The awards were granted as follows:
Jenny Gitlitz (Dalton) of Berkshire Family Advocates received the Paula Buxbaum Award–established in honor of a member of the Fall 2021 cohort who died in a car crash in October 2021. This award in Paula's memory is granted to an individual making a career pivot and incorporating a social mission into their business.
$1,000 to Rachel Hailey (North Adams) for DEI Outdoors.
$2,300 to Deirdre Horan (Great Barrington) of Dri Ocean Products.
$2,500 to Jackye Stoddard (Hudson, NY) for Hierba Buena Foods.
$3,500 to Elizabeth Heller (Pittsfield) for The Kids Super Journal.
The celebration and gala began with remarks from Massachusetts State Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier who spoke about the public-private partnership that supports EforAll's regional efforts and lauded the efforts of the 12 businesses that completed the program.
The Class Speaker, Rachel Hailey of DEI Outdoors was chosen by her colleagues and shared many of the lessons of the program for future EforAll participants.
The virtual event was also simulcast on Pittsfield Community Television. The recording is available to view here.
EforAll's next Accelerator class will begin in September 2022 and applications are due at www.eforall.org before August 25th.
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Central Berkshire Eyes 4.13% Increase for FY26
By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The Central Berkshire Regional School District is anticipating a 4.13 percent increase to its gross initial budget for fiscal 2026, translating to an increase of $1,473,826.
This year's gross budget was $35,679,791, and next year's is forecast at $37,153,617.
Superintendent Leslie Blake-Davis emphasized that these initial projections may change because there are still a lot of unknowns surrounding it, such as Chapter 70 funding and insurance rates.
The budget was developed through a collaborative process involving principals, teachers, the union, and the Finance Subcommittee, Superintendent Leslie Blake-Davis said.
The district relies heavily on its principles to provide the administration with the information needed to develop the budget. This year, part of that process was requesting the principals fill out a form.
On the form, the principals were asked to prioritize their requests, justify them with data, show how they aligned to district plans, explain the student impact, and identify funding sources.
"One other thing to know also is that we do ask principals to talk to their teachers and to talk to staff about this budget, so that it's not just principals that have input into the budget, but it's also teachers that have input into this budget," Blake-Davis said.
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Despite a snowstorm that filled the Berkshires with nearly 8 inches of snow, community members turned out for a "day of service" in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. — and a reminder that the work against injustice is ongoing.
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A research project of Westfield State University made several recommendations to enhance emergency medical services within Berkshire County, including more regionalization and stable funding sources. click for more