BCC to Offer CDL License Training

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — According to an American Trucking Association survey, more than 400,000 new truck drivers are needed every year. 
 
The Workforce Development and Community Education Department at Berkshire Community College (BCC), in partnership with United Tractor Trailer School of Holyoke, Massachusetts, is helping to fill this need by offering two sessions of Commercial Driver's License (CDL) training.  
 
Professional instructors help students gain the skills necessary to enter the rapidly growing industry of trucking, in a highly motivated and positive hands-on atmosphere. Training comprises a total of 60 hours of instruction in the classroom, the field and on the road. A road test will be conducted at the end of the training session.  
 
Session 1: Monday, May 20 through Friday, May 24, 8 am – 5 pm. This session is free for students who qualify for a scholarship. Space is limited, and registration is required. For more information or to register, email
workforce@berkshirecc.edu. This class is expected to fill quickly.  
 
Session 2: Monday, June 3 through Friday, June 7, 8 am –5 pm. The fee for this session is $3,600, plus $150 for the road test. For more information or to register, email workforce@berkshirecc.edu
 
Training sessions will be held at the Berkshire Mall parking lot in Lanesborough, with the exception of the first class, which will take place in a classroom at BCC. 
 
Students must be Massachusetts residents who are 18 years or older with a valid driver's license. In addition, students must have both a learner's permit and a Department of Transportation physical prior to class start date. 

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

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff

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.
 
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