Pittsfield Extends Interim School Superintendent Contract
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips' employment has been extended to 2027.
Last week, the School Committee approved an employment contract that runs through June 30, 2027. Phillips was originally appointed to a one-year position that began on July 1 and runs through the end of the fiscal year in June 2026.
"You didn't ask me simply to endure challenges or struggle to prove myself. Instead, you believe in me, you've given me the space to grow, the encouragement to stretch, and the expectation that I can truly soar," she said earlier in last Wednesday's meeting when addressing outgoing School Committee members.
"You question, you poke, you prod, but not to tear anything down, but to make our work stronger, grounded in honesty, integrity, and hope. You've entrusted me with meaningful responsibility and welcomed me into the heart of this community. Serving you and leading our public schools has been, thus far, a joyful, renewing chapter in my life, and I want to thank you for this opportunity."
Chair William Cameron reported that the extended contract includes a 3 percent cost-of-living increase in the second year and more specific guidelines for dismissal or disciplinary action.
Phillips was selected out of two other applicants for the position in May. Former Superintendent Joseph Curtis retired at the end of the school year after more than 30 years with the district.
The committee also approved an employment contract with Assistant Superintendent for CTE and Student Support Tammy Gage that runs through June 30, 2031. Cameron reported that there is an adjustment to the contract's first-year salary to account for new "substantive" responsibilities, and the last three years of the contract's pay are open to negotiation.
The middle school restructuring, which was given the green light later that night, and the proposal to rebuild and consolidate Crosby Elementary School and Conte Community School on West Street, have been immediate action items in Phillips' tenure.
The Crosby/Conte project has been recommended for action at the Dec. 12 Massachusetts School Building Authority board of directors, from whom the district is seeking funding. School officials have the option to participate by Zoom or send a letter of support by Dec. 11.
After the vote, there may be discussion about the potential for a debt exclusion for full project funding, particularly for those invited into a feasibility study, such as Pittsfield. At the end of November, the City Council unanimously authorized the mayor to enter into a contract with the MSBA for a $2 million feasibility study.
Mayor Peter Marchetti doesn't feel the city will fall into that category. A debt exclusion is a temporary property tax increase, approved by voters, that allows a municipality to raise money outside its normal levy limit for large capital projects.
"But with projects this size, there is the opportunity, if Pittsfield doesn't have the borrowing capacity to go to the community, to ask for a vote to kind of take it out of the Proposition 2 1/2, and I'm really trying to put this in layman's terms the best I can, so that borrowing doesn't impact a tax hike based on Proposition 2 1/2," he said.
Cameron has observed strong support for the project because of the educational needs of the neighborhood that would be served by the new building, and the unsatisfactory condition in which children are being educated in Crosby and Conte.
"I want to thank the council for its continuing support for this project. I think they recognize that this is an urgent matter for the city," he said.
In other news, the district is nearing the end of its purchasing process for 25 new school buses that will arrive shortly. Phillips reported that they are wrapping up the seat-belt purchase and will be able to support a camera system on some of the buses.
Tags: contracts, interim appointment,
