McCann Gets $600K Grant for Practical Nursing Expansion

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — McCann Technical School has received a $600,000 state grant to expand its practical nursing program.

Superintendent James Brosnan announced the grant at Thursday's School Committee meeting. The funds, which become available starting July 1, come after the school received a $3,110,000 grant to construct a 5,580 square-foot HVAC facility in December. 

"Great news for us that we were awarded [this]," Brosnan said. "Actually, we were the only vocational school that was awarded a grant for expanding, so we're really thrilled about that." 

Some $350,000 of the grant funds will go toward new training simulators, and $250,000 to new faculty. Brosnan noted that the state is struggling with staffing for registered nurses, and grant funds were available for such an expansion to be possible. 

"They were putting investment monies in, and I said, you know, just because we got one doesn't mean we can't get something else in," he said. 

The new simulators, Brosnan said, will be put in McCann's space at the Berkshire Medical Center's North Adams campus. He said they should be a significant upgrade over the aging simulators used currently. 

"Ours are 10, 12 years old, the science of them is just long gone. The software doesn't work; they don't work," Brosnan said. 

The new faculty position will be funded by the grant for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. The new instructor will allow the program to take on more students. 

"If you're going to expand your student body, the biggest problem you have is finding the instructor. So now that the funding is there, we can do that for two years," Brosnan said. 

Brosnan also updated on the school's planned parking expansions, which he said is currently in the design phase. He said once designs are completed, the project can go out to bid. 

"We expect that to be shovel ready, good to go and start construction at the very end of June to finish those parking lots before school opens," he said. 

In other business: 

• The committee voted on school choice for the district, voting to reject it, as it has the previous 28 years. 

• Principal Justin Kratz gave an update on progress with the school year. He said every student was placed in one of their top three shops, with 95 percent getting placed in their top two choices. 

"I've never seen that happen. So I was pretty excited that we were able to get the kids into placements that are pretty favorable," he said. 

Kratz also said this was the first year in several when they were able to hold in-person awards for Skills USA.

Passenger Rail Advocates Rally for Northern Tier Proposal

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
02:50PM / Monday, November 18, 2024

Stan Vasileiadis, a Williams College student, says passenger rail is a matter of equity for students and residents. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Community, education and business leaders are promoting the Northern Tier Passenger Rail Restoration Project as a critical component for economic development — and say it's high time that Western Mass gets some of the transportation infrastructure money being spent in the eastern end of the state. 

 

"What today is all about is building support and movement momentum for this project and getting it done," said state Rep. John Barrett III on Monday, standing behind a podium with a "Bring back the Train!" at City Hall. "I think that we can be able to do it, and when we can come together as political entities, whether it's over in Greenfield, Franklin County, and putting it all together and put all our egos in the back room, I think all of us are going to be able to benefit from this when it gets done."

 

The North Adams rail rally, and a second one at noon at the Olver Transit Center in Greenfield, were meant to build momentum for the proposal for "full local service" and coincided with the release of a letter for support signed by 100 organizations, municipalities and elected officials from across the region. 

 

The list of supporters includes banks, cultural venues, medical centers and hospitals, museums and chambers of commerce, higher education institutions and economic development agencies. 

 

1Berkshire President and CEO Jonathan Butler said the county's economic development organization has been "very, very outspoken" and involved in the rail conversation, seeing transportation as a critical infrastructure that has both caused and can solve challenges involving housing and labor and declining population.

 

"The state likes to use the term generational, which is a way of saying it's going to take a long time for this project," said Butler. "I think it's the same type of verbiage, but I don't think we should look at it that way. You know, maybe it will take a long time, but we have to act what we want it next year, if we want it five years from now. We have to be adamant. We have to stay with it. And a room like this demonstrates that type of political will, which is a huge part of this."

 

The Berkshires is due for a "transformational investment" in infrastructure, he said, noting one has not occurred in his lifetime.