Letter: Vote Yes to Greylock School Build

To the Editor:

We are in a crucial point where we are in a place to receive a substantial amount of money, $45 million to be exact to go towards the Greylock School Project. Some may walk into Brayton Elementary School and think to themselves this building is fine.

What you don't see is that students are in classrooms with no windows, the number of stairs these students have to walk up and down, the lack of updated technology services, security systems. The HVAC and roof have out lived their life span and will need repairs and upgrades in the immediate future. There are likely other repairs that will need to be addressed if the project does not move forward.

There are only so many Band-Aids that be put on without increasing the community's contribution to the yearly budget. Then let's just talk about the topography. The school is located on a hill with limited access up and down for traffic flow. Playground areas are non-existent. You may say to yourself there is a playground down the hill by Brayton Hill. Well just think about how far a student has to walk to the bathroom if they are playing down there. Needless to say it is far from the school and there is no direct line of sight from the school. This is a safety concern and there is limited resources for oversight of children.

Everyone talks about how the city could use updated emergency services etc. But think about this. The $45 million is from the state only for the MSBA building project. It cannot be used in any other project. If you were a younger person looking to be a firefighter, police officer, DPW worker or other public service job, wouldn't you like to start a family in an area that has a school with a structural design that serves the learning and physical needs of the student?

Let's look at the teacher shortage that is impacting the area. What teacher wants to work in a basement with no windows? If you taught in a preschool program, wouldn't you want bathrooms within your classroom? Some may think these are minor things that don't make a difference. Ask a teacher and see what they say.

I urge you to vote YES to make a difference in our city, youth, and North Adams Public School System.

David Sookey
North Adams, Mass. 

Sookey is a member of the North Adams School Committee and a parent. 

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.