Letter: Support Tara Jacobs for Governor's Council

To the Editor:

I watched the recent District 8 Governor's Council debate held by NEPM and other Western Massachusetts media outlets. The dialogue between Democrat Tara Jacobs and her Republican opponent laid out stark contrasts, and a difference in vision beyond simple party affiliation. To summarize:

Tara: Find the best people for our judiciary and encourage them to apply for positions.

Opponent: Just vote on who is presented. The Governor's Council is not an employment agency.

Tara: Work with the executive, legislative, and judiciary to advocate for equity, justice, and other important issues in our district.

Opponent: Why reinvent the wheel? It's been around for 4 billion years.

Tara: Work with community leaders, judicial advocacy groups, and the legal community to get a full picture of a nominee's history, impact on the community, and fitness for a specific position.

So I encourage you to vote on Nov. 8 for Tara Jacobs under the heading of "Councillor, Eighth District."

Thomas Bernard
North Adams, Mass.

Bernard is a former mayor of the city of North Adams. 

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 fully 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.