BArT Awarded Grant Funding to Address Hate Crime Prevention

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ADAMS, Mass. — Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School (BArT) has been selected for the Healey-Driscoll Administration's program to prevent hate crimes and reduce incidences of bias in schools.
 
"We want to make sure that students know that in Massachusetts, they are all welcome at school and supported by our incredible educators and staff. The Hate Crimes Prevention Grants provide our local schools with the resources and tools to prevent hate and create safe environments for students and their families," said Governor Healey.
 
BART has received $40,000 to help strengthen their ongoing work to foster a safe, inclusive, and respectful school community. It will support specialized training for staff and continued funding for the DEIB office. It enables the school to further invest in evidence-based curriculum and diverse library resources, expand student programs, and bring in speakers who reflect a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. Together, these efforts will deepen belonging, promote understanding, and help prevent hate and bias in schools and across the region.
 
"Our students have the right to feel safe and secure at school. These grants will help protect our school environments from hate and ensure that students are in the best environment to learn," said Representative Ken Gordon, Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Education.

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Hoosac Valley Seeks to Prevent 'Volatile' Assessments

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass.— The "volatile" shifts in Hoosac Valley Regional School District's town assessments year to year is hard for smaller towns to absorb; however, a proposed change to the regional agreement would fix that. 
 
During the Select Board meeting last week, Superintendent Aaron Dean presented the proposed change to the regional agreement that would set assessments based on a five-year rolling average rather than the annual student enrollment.
 
"The long-term goal is to make the assessment process a little bit more viable for people from year-to-year," he said. 
 
An ad hoc committee was convened to review the district's agreement, during which concerns arose about the rapid fluctuations in assessments.
 
"I think you have to look short term, and you have to look long term. The goal is to kind of level it off and make planning easier and flatten that curve in terms of how it's going to impact both communities," Dean said. 
 
Every year, it is a little more difficult for one community because they are feeling disproportionately impacted compared to the other, he said. 
 
"The transient nature of this population right now is like nothing I've ever seen," Dean said. 
 
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