Pittsfield School Committee Approves Vocational Admissions Policy, Courses

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee approved a pilot tutoring program, courses, and the vocational admissions policy for Taconic High School last week.

The Career Technical Education admissions policy has undergone changes over the last several years to eliminate roadblocks for vocational education. The revised policy, which has remained the same since 2021, eliminates criteria aside from residency for acceptance.

"We have had an admissions policy for a number of years and, in 2020, the Board of Education had voted that much of the selection criteria that was being used across Massachusetts, they provided a guidance that would be removed over concerns of disproportionality and under-representation of special populations," Assistant Superintendent for College and Career Readiness Tammy Gage explained.

That year, the committee revisited the intra-district policy that required students to double apply through the deputy superintendent's office and to the CTE program. It was removed and, in 2021, the current revision was accepted.

"The School Committee approved the revision of the admissions policy removing all selection criteria, which included grades, attendance, discipline records, and recommendations following guidance from the Board of Education," Gage said.

"You may see this across the news across Massachusetts because it's still a hot topic. Our current admissions policy, if you've not had a chance to review, is essentially the elimination of all criteria with the exception that the student be a resident of Pittsfield so the citywide acceptance, any student that resides in Pittsfield has the right to apply for a seat at Taconic High School."

Under the policy, if there are more applicants than available seats, the vocational school will have a lottery to determine which students to admit, with residents accepted first.

Gage reported that all students have been accepted for the past two years.

The committee approved a continuation of the Ignite! pilot tutoring program that offers one-on-one virtual assistance for first graders. It has been going on since the fall and will run through February.

"This is one of those ones that makes you want to stand up and dance. It's really exciting," School Committee member Sara Hathaway said.

Pittsfield City Council Weighs in on 'Crisis' in Public Schools

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
08:59PM / Monday, December 23, 2024

A half-dozen people addressed the City Council from the floor of Monday's meeting, including Valerie Anderson, right.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — After expressing anger and outrage and making numerous calls for accountability and transparency, the 11 members of the City Council on Monday voted to support the School Committee in seeking an independent investigation into allegations of misconduct by staff members at Pittsfield High School that have come to light in recent weeks.

 

At the close of a month that has seen three PHS administrators put on administrative leave, including one who was arrested on drug trafficking charges, the revelation that the district is facing a civil lawsuit over inappropriate conduct by a former teacher and that a staff member who left earlier in the year is also under investigation at his current workplace, the majority of the council felt compelled to speak up about the situation.

 

"While the City Council does not have jurisdiction over the schools … we have a duty to raise our voices and amplify your concerns and ensure this crisis is met with the urgency it demands," Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey said.

 

About two dozen community members attended the special meeting of the council, which had a single agenda item.

 

Four of the councilors precipitated the meeting with a motion that the council join the School Committee in its search for an investigation and that the council, "be included in the delivery of any disclosures, interim reports or findings submitted to the city."

 

Last week, the School Committee decided to launch that investigation. On Monday, City Council President Peter White said the School Committee has a meeting scheduled for Dec. 30 to authorize its chair to enter negotiations with the Springfield law firm of Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas to conduct that probe.

 

Ward 7 Councilor Rhonda Serre, the principal author of the motion of support, was one of several members who noted that the investigation process will take time, and she, like Kavey, acknowledged that the council has no power over the public schools beyond its approval of the annual district budget.