North Adams School Committee Seeks New Members

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Adams School Committee will holding of a joint convention to elect two new members to fill current vacancies. The convention will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 5, in the library at Brayton Elementary School.
 
Legislative authority for this joint election is provided under the City Charter and applicable special acts: when a vacancy occurs on the School Committee, the City Council and the remaining School Committee members meet in joint convention to elect a person to serve until the first Monday in January following the next regular municipal election. The mayor, as chair of the School Committee, if present, will preside.
 
The School Committee is the governing board of the city's public school system. Its primary responsibilities are to establish the purposes, programs, and procedures that promote student achievement and to ensure prudent stewardship of school resources. The committee acts as a legislative body to set policy, selects an executive officer to implement policy, and evaluates outcomes — all in an open process that seeks input from the public, students, and staff; as outlined in North Adams School Committee Policy Reference Manual, policies BA and BB.
 
Call for Nominations:
Residents of North Adams who are registered voters and who wish to be considered for appointment to the School Committee are invited to submit a statement of interest. Nominations will be accepted by email to btassone@napsk12.org through 2 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026.
 
Timeline:
  • Tuesday, Aug. 25: School Committee to review process.
  • Monday, Aug. 31: Call for statements of interest issued; pre-convention meeting notice distributed.
  • Thursday, Sept. 24: Statements of interest accepted until 2 p.m.
  • Monday, Sept. 28: Nominations/statements of interest provided to all School Committee and City Council members.
  • Monday, Oct. 5: Joint convention to elect new School Committee member.
 
Convention Process:
 
The joint convention will be held in person in the Brayton Elementary School Library. Each qualified candidate may deliver a statement of up to three minutes. After each statement, up to 10 minutes will be reserved for questions from convention members.
 
Election requires a motion and second to initiate discussion; absent a second, the motion fails and the candidate is no longer considered, and another motion will be requested.
 
A roll call vote requiring a simple majority of convention members will decide the election. If a candidate does not receive a simple majority, they are removed from consideration and the process continues until a candidate attains a simple majority.
 
For more information about the process, eligibility, or to submit a statement of interest,  contact Bobbi Tassone at btassone@napsk12.org.

Tags: board vacancies,   

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Boutique General Store Opens on Holden Street in North Adams

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A newly opened boutique general store on Holden Street offers local and regional products along with a curated selection of gifts, wines and artwork. 
 
"It's just a lot of my favorite makers and small brands that I've, in my mind, collected over the years because I've wanted to do this for I don't even know since forever," owner Hannah Blazejewski said. "I'm trying to keep as much of the product at least local to New England as I can." 
 
The name for the Diving Horse at 26 Holden St. was inspired by one of her favorite movies, "Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken," the story of a girl who joins a diving horse stunt show during the Depression.  
 
Blazejewski found the current space earlier this year before moving back to the county in March. It was formerly North Adams Yoga, so when she moved in she repainted the place and also worked with Outlook Builders to build the shelving and her dream "mousehole" wall.
 
The store showcases local goods from throughout New England, and she described it as a general store and gift boutique built around a personal collection of favorite makers, small brands, and hard-to-find products.
 
Her shop also includes children's items, artwork, stickers, home decor, cheeses, non-perishable items, wines and a selection of Scandinavian candy.
 
She said she hopes to contribute to the local economy, connect with other businesses and artists, and respect the city's history and culture.
 
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