Mill Town Foundation and Pittsfield Public Schools Announce Core Impact Awards

03:38PM / Tuesday, March 18, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass — Mill Town Foundation, in partnership with Pittsfield Public Schools and with support from the Feigenbaum Foundation, has announced the inaugural Core Impact Awards.

The Core Impact Awards will recognize educators and school staff members in the Pittsfield Public School District who have demonstrated a significant impact on student learning, innovation in education, and community engagement.

The awards will honor one full-time teacher or staff member from each of the 14 schools in the Pittsfield Public School District.

The nomination period will close March 21, 2025. Nominations can be submitted by community members, students, parents, and colleagues using a nomination form.

An independent Selection Committee of community members will review the nominations. Nominees will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Student Impact: Evidence of inspiring or improving student outcomes.
Innovation in Teaching: Creative teaching approaches and technology integration.
Community Contributions: Engagement with the school and broader community.
Nomination Quality: Thoughtfulness and depth of the nomination.

The Core Impact Award recipients will be announced in April 2025 and honored at an award ceremony in late May. Honorees will receive a recognition package.

More information on the Core Impact Awards, including how to submit a nomination, can be found at www.milltownfoundation.org.

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Pittsfield Council Revisiting DEI Office Rename

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:11PM / Tuesday, October 13, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The conversation about the DEI office renaming that was halted by a charter objection will resume on Tuesday.

The City Council will discuss a request from Mayor Peter Marchetti to rename the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

It proposes to rename the DEI office to the Office of Equity, Access, and Opportunity and merge the Human Rights Commission and Affirmative Action Committee into an Equity, Access and Opportunity Commission.

The Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee supported the changes in August, and in September, Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham delayed the vote with a charter objection.

Pittsfield's City Code prohibits charter states that "if a single member present objects to the taking of the vote, the vote shall be postponed until the next meeting of the city council." It also stipulates that at least four members must object if it is an emergency measure.

Cunningham also submitted a petition, which was referred to O&R under Rule 27, to replace the DEI Office and the Human Rights Commission with an equity, access, and opportunity coordinator in the Department of Community Development, with formal complaints and Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action functions assigned to Human Resources.

At the last meeting, he spent more than an hour querying the mayor and chief diversity officer about functions and effectiveness of the department, wanting more quantitative data. Cunningham proposed an ordinance that he says keeps Pittsfield's commitment to equity, access, and opportunity, "refocuses it on measurable results for our residents, and delivers it at a fraction of the current cost."

Under this petition, the equity, access, and opportunity coordinator would be a $60,000 to $80,000 per year position.

The DEI Office's fiscal year 2027 budget was about $200,000 after cuts during budget season; $106,700 for the chief diversity officer and $58,000 for the administrative assistant. The coordinator would be appointed by the director of community development and the mayor.

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