RICHMOND â After extensive discussions at several meetings, the townâs Budget Advisory Committee has signaled its support of the proposed 2021-22 budget for the Richmond Consolidated School.
The spending proposal requested for appropriations approval by town voters comes in at $3,970,000, a $332,000, or 9.1 percent, increase over the current budget at the school, which is prekindergarten through grade 8.
But, the majority of the increase comes from the stateâs legally required costs for special education students. The state reimburses the town a year later for a portion of the 2021-22 $175,000 SPED cost and an additional $32,225 for SPED transportation.
The operating budget increase, not including special education, is up by 3.4 percent, close to the budget committeeâs hoped-for target of a 3 percent hike.
Kindergarteners at Muddy Brook Regional Elementary School in Great Barrington. The Berkshire Hills and Southern Berkshire regional school districts are making progress toward a variety of scenarios to merge districts. EAGLE FILE PHOTO
STOCKBRIDGE â Merger talks between the Berkshire Hills and Southern Berkshire regional school districts have come a long way, and still have a long way to go.
Yet, there is progress this month with a $125,000 grant from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for consultants to drill down into financial and educational scenarios for consolidating the districts. Its goal is to complete this work by summer 2022.
Berkshire Hills schools remain open after new COVID-19 cases reported 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.
Firefighters walk up a driveway to a structure fire in Great Barrington in December. Town officials are supporting a budget that includes raises for firefighters. EAGLE FILE PHOTO
GREAT BARRINGTON â Town officials are backing a proposed budget that includes salary increases for high-level staff in different departments as well as for firefighters.
Yet, wage hikes proposed by Town Manager Mark Pruhenski are raising questions about whether other workers also might need increases, and the town is considering hiring a consultant to study salaries â possibly for all town staff.
At Tuesdayâs joint Select Board and Finance Committee meeting, the latest of several, the last before the March 30 public hearing, officials also said they would let voters at annual town meeting decide whether to spend $850,000 for property to turn into a public parking lot.
PITTSFIELD â The Pittsfield public schools have been accepted into a free COVID-19 testing initiative, as talks continue over what form of testing the countyâs largest school system will follow, the interim superintendent said Monday.
Entry into the stateâs âpoolâ testing initiative was requested by the United Educators of Pittsfield during at-times contentious reopening talks with the district, while school leaders had said they planned to implement an alternative COVID-19 testing plan using CARES Act money.
Pool testing hunts for signs of the coronavirus in batches of swabs from multiple people. If a âpoolâ returns positive, the district then would test each member of the group with an Abbott BinaxNOW rapid test, which returns results in 15 minutes. The process conserves tests by pooling specimens and only following up with positive groups.