Letter: Response 10/23 Letter: Vote Rikleen for Senate

To the Editor:

The recent letter supporting Senator Markey in the 2026 Senate primary focuses on only one of his opponents (Congressman Moulton), quickly dismissing my candidacy with a passing parenthetical.

The writer criticizes Moulton for running only on age, and that's a fair critique. So far, it's the only clear thing he's running on.

My campaign is completely different. I'm not running on age at all — you won't find a single mention of it on my website or in my stump speech. I'm running because our democracy is in crisis, and too many of our Democratic leaders are failing to meet the moment. I include Senator Markey and Representative Moulton in that critique.

The letter says Senator Markey is "fighting Trump's fascist policies every single day." I wish that were true. He talks a good game, but he's done less to resist this administration than he did during Trump's first term. Individual senators have many procedural tools to slow or block Trump's agenda — and Markey has used none of them, despite that he occasionally used some during Trump's first term.

Alex Rikleen
Acton, Mass.

Rikleen is running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

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 fulling 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.