Snow/Sleet Starts Off Weekend

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It may be spring but winter isn't quite done with us. This week's drop in temperatures and flurries are being followed by a more significant storm that could drop 2 to 6 inches over the region this weekend. 
 
A winter weather advisory is in effect beginning at 11 p.m. on Friday through 11 p.m. Saturday for Berkshire County, Southern Vermont and eastern New York. 
 
The National Weather Service in Albany, N.Y., says be prepared for gusty winds and icy roads on the morrow as snow turns to freezing rain on Saturday. 
 
These periods of rain and sleet will turn back to snow by Saturday evening and snowfall rates may get close to one inch per hour late Saturday before precipitation ends. Areas to south and east may see flooding as more than 3 inches of rain is expected to fall along the Atlantic Coast, according to Accuweather. 
 
Up to 18 inches of snow could fall across upstate New York and central Vermont but North Berkshire looks to get 2 to 3 inches, with the potential for 4 to 6 along the Vermont border. Southern Berkshire could see 1 to 2 inches of snow that could turn to fully to rain/sleet. 
 
A reminder that most parking bans are still in place until at least March 31. Also, Thunderfest in Adams has been postponed to Sunday, March 24. 

Tags: snow & ice,   snowstorm,   

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Clarksburg Students Write in Support of Rural School Aid

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

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. 
 
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