North Adams Schools Hike Substitute Wages to Increase PoolBy Tammy Daniels , iBerkshires Staff
05:43PM / Wednesday, December 18, 2024 | |
 NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The public schools are hoping to recruit and retain substitute teachers by bumping up their pay. The School Committee earlier this month approved increasing the pay scale by $35 to $55 a day and creating a new base of $130 for substitutes with fewer credentials. "It's been very hard to get substitutes. Many substitutes sign up to sub in multiple districts, and so in order to remain competitive ... we really needed to kind of align our expectations for substitutes, as well as the salary with our neighboring districts," said Superintendent Barbara Malkas. Nancy Rauscher, director of school finance and operations, said >> Read More |
MCLA Hurt by Funding FormulaBy Tammy Daniels, iBerkshires Staff
05:47AM / Wednesday, December 18, 2024 | |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is projecting reductions in state Department of Higher Education funding next year. President James Birge informed the trustees at Thursday's meeting that this has to do with change to the funding formula used by the department. "We will see about $140,000 less in revenue from that," he said. "We're trying to advocate with the state not to implement the change ... It's a difficult argument to make for us, but we are still trying to make it." In response to questions from trustees, Birge said the larger institutions are benefitting from the formula change. The >> Read More |
McCann Tech Debuts New Look for Mascot, GymStaff Reports, iBerkshires Staff
02:25PM / Monday, December 16, 2024 | |
The new hornet mascot with the M and T incorporated into the look. NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — McCann Technical School has made some dramatic changes to its gym over the past few months. A giant hornet peeks over the bleachers and a "jumbotron" calls out stats and cheers. Superintendent James Brosnan took the School Committee to check out the new look after Thursday's meeting. The colors are black and green and the school's hornet mascot now incorporates a stylized M and T for McCann Tech. The new wall padding is black with the hornet logo and "Welcome to the Hive" on it and the wall behind the bleachers is painted in >> Read More |
North Adams Begins Search Process for New SuperintendentBy Tammy Daniels, iBerkshires Staff
05:42AM / Wednesday, December 04, 2024 | |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The School Committee plans to cast a wide net in its search for a new superintendent. Superintendent Barbara Malkas, hired in 2016, will retire at the end of the school year. On Tuesday, she presented her last Superintendent's Award to Drury High senior Colin Daly before the committee launched into a lengthy discussion of how to replace her. "This singular honor is conferred annually by the superintendent of the North Adams public schools to a Drury High School senior who has distinguished themselves in the pursuit of academic excellence," she said as Daly joined her at the podium at Brayton Elementary >> Read More |
MCLA Theatre Program Presents 'The Method Gun' | 04:06PM / Monday, December 02, 2024 | |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' (MCLA) Theatre program announced its second show of the 2024-2025 season, "The Method Gun." This work by Kirk Lynn and the Rude Mechs, re-imagined under the direction of Professor Laura Standley, will take place Dec. 6 and 7 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. According to a press release: "The Method Gun" takes audiences into the world of actor training, examining the intense and mysterious techniques of mid-century acting guru Stella Burden and her fiercely committed company of actors. Through a mix of archival material and imaginative storytelling, the play revisits the >> Read More |
McCann First Quarter Honor Roll| 08:01AM / Friday, November 22, 2024 | |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — McCann Technical School first quarter honor roll. Class of 2025 Boyer, Alexander Cormier, Tristan Davis, Evan Dodge, Isabella Elias, Antonio Gelinas, Zachary Hallock, Bryanna Hilton, Evan Hopkins, Trace Hughs, Jack Hunt, Grace Kraus-Bayly, Emily Lancia, Griffen Lancia, Makenna Luczynski, Nathan Maxwell, Cole Meyette, Paige Mongeon, Meghan Moran, Camryn Moser, Nora Odell, Nicholas Poette, Kevin Raschdorf, Emily Reid, Sophie Reynolds, Brooke Rhinemiller, Brody Roberts, Liam Rougeau, Eric Rylander, Lukas Sagendorph, Brady Stack, John Stefanik, Ava Tatro, Evan Touponce, Joshua Tremblay, Jackson Turner, Dylan Walden, Sadie Bean, Lillian Bedard, Dylan Dean, >> Read More |
Clarksburg Eyeing Tight Budget; Looking for Grant FundsBy Tammy Daniels, iBerkshires Staff
03:15PM / Thursday, November 21, 2024 | |
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Clarksburg School could be in line for more grants but next year's budget is expected to be tight. "I think two potential big impacts for the FY26 budget are the lack of school choice, we're going to have more clarification on that number as soon as we can ... and then also the fact that we talked about before, the Student Opportunity Act," said Superintendent John Franzoni. "That grant was in FY24 and was only a two-year commitment." This last year of the SOA grant is $136,000, which the school will not have going into fiscal 2026. School choice funds, which have been used in the past to cover gaps or >> Read More |
DPAC To Perform 'Clue: On Stage'| 11:02AM / Thursday, November 21, 2024 | |
 NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Drury Performing Arts Center, in collaboration with the North Adams Public Schools 21st Century Afterschool Program, announced performance dates for its production of "Clue: On Stage" adapted from the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn, written by Sandy Rustin with additional material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price. According to a press release: It's a dark and stormy night, and you've been invited to a very unusual dinner party. Each of the guests has an alias, the butler offers a variety of weapons, and the host is, well... dead. So whodunnit? Join the iconic oddballs known as Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, >> Read More |
Greylock School Geothermal Funding Raises Concerns By Tammy Daniels, iBerkshires Staff
05:26AM / Thursday, November 21, 2024 | |
 NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — As the Greylock School project moves into Module 6 — design development — there's a nagging question related to the geothermal system. There's been concern as to whether the system will work at the site and now a second concern is if it will be funded. The first question is so far partially answered based on investigative drilling at the closed school over the last week, said Jesse Saylor of TSKP Studio. "There was the potential that we couldn't drill at all, frankly, from the stories we were hearing, but ... we had a good experience here," he told the School Building Committee on Tuesday. >> Read More |
McCann 'Swarm'-ing With EnthusiasmBy Tammy Daniels, iBerkshires Staff
05:37PM / Friday, November 15, 2024 | |
 NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — School officials are pleased with the engagement they're seeing from the student population. "I been talking to some other principals, and it's encouraging," Principal Justin Kratz told the School Committee on Thursday. "A lot of the other principals in Berkshire County and other parts of the state are all kind of saying the samet thing — the energy in the schools is coming back. That's encouraging and we're seeing it here too ... So COVID was tough but we're clawing our way out." Kratz offered examples such as recent Swarm Club activities and the turnout and performances for the fall sports >> Read More |
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