Letter: Retired Superintendent: Macksey Cares Deeply About the City

To the Editor:

I am please to submit this endorsement of Jennifer Macksey for mayor of the city of North Adams. The role of mayor is an extremely challenging, demanding, and arduous position with a large scope of responsibilities. In order to be successful, it is imperative that a candidate brings with them a certain set of skills.

The 2022 city budget is $46,166,998.The city side of government has approximately 20 different departments, 34 different boards and commissions and nearly100 employees. Additionally, the mayor is the chairperson of the School Committee for the North Adams Public Schools with a district budget of $17,769,074 and another 380-plus employees. Although we have two strong candidates, I know Jennifer Macksey is the best qualified, ready, and able to make the smoothest transition into this position.

Please consider the following:

Jennifer is well trained, with a bachelor of science in accounting and administration from Trinity College and a master's in higher education administration from Bay Path College. She brings with her the strong academic foundation that is a must-have to understand and maintain the city's financial well-being.

She has experience. In 1995, Jennifer was hired by the city as the director of finance and chief procurement officer. During this time, I held the position of assistant superintendent for the district. I was responsible for approximately half of the district's $15,000,000 budget as well as approximately $6,000,000 in grant funding. I worked with her office regularly and quickly realized how competent and knowledgeable an Administrator she was. Jen became my go-to person not only for state, federal, and local procurement and bidding but also as a resource for a wide range of financial issues. Additionally, over the next five years, she became very well versed with all district programs, staffing and their funding sources. While I cannot speak to the city's other 50-plus departments and boards, I am confident that a similar relationship ensued.

James Montepare
Williamstown, Mass.

James Montepare is a retired superintendent of the North Adams Public Schools.

Clarksburg Students Write in Support of Rural School Aid

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
07:25AM / Sunday, March 15, 2026

Mason Langenback calculated that Clarksburg would get almost $1 million if the $60 million was allocated equally.

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Eighth-graders at Clarksburg School took a lesson in civic advocacy this week, researching school funding and writing letters to Beacon Hill that call for fulling funding rural school aid. 

 

The students focused on the hardships for small rural schools and their importance to the community — that they struggle with limited funding and teacher shortages, but offer safe and supportive spaces for learning and are a hub for community connections.

 

"They all address the main issue, the funding for rural schools, and how there's a gap, and there's the $4 million gap this year, and then it's about the $40 million next year, and that rural schools need that equitable funding," said social studies teacher Mark Karhan.

 

A rural schools report in 2022 found smaller school districts cost from nearly 17 percent to 23 percent more to operate, and recommended "at least" $60 million be appropriated annually for rural school aid. 

 

Gov. Maura Healey has filed for more Chapter 70 school aid, but that often is little help to small rural schools with declining or static enrollment. For fiscal 2027, she's budgeted $20 million for rural schools, up from around $13 million this year but still far below the hoped for $60 million. 

 

Karhan said the class was broken into four groups and the students were provided a submission letter from Rural Schools Advocacy. The students used the first paragraph, which laid out the funding facts, and then did research and wrote their own letters. 

 

They will submit those with a school picture to the governor.