Letter: Yes to Greylock Project

To the Editor:

It was brought to my attention that a claim I referenced in my previous letter to the editor was not accurate in my representation of it. However innocuous my intention was, it still mischaracterized the arguments that were made regarding the number of studies utilized. And, beyond that, I realized making the case for the school using the quotes of others was unnecessary. There are a plethora of good faith and factual reasons to support the school project, and I will continue to work with those at the forefront.

Reflecting on my own experiences in the North Adams Public School system, it's easy to reminisce about my time at Greylock Elementary over a decade ago. It's just as easy to remember my time fondly at the Brayton Elementary afterschool programs and at the YMCA. But nostalgia should not lead this vote, nor should the controversy of the moment.

The Greylock School Project is worth the investment. City history has been achieved in its record grant funding from the MSBA. $42 million offered by the state; that kind of money doesn't often come to North Adams. But this time it did. $20 million is not a small number to consider, but the alternative is an estimated double with no state assistance. Factored into this alternative would be roof repairs, piping renovations, and mechanical systems replacements. The estimated cost of such runs at approximately $45 million, laid solely at the feet of the taxpayers of North Adams.

Josh Vallieres
North Adams, Mass. 

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.