Copyright berkshireeagle
PITTSFIELD — Heather McNeice's first attempt at running for public office was one to remember. McNeice, a Lenox Memorial Middle and High School teacher, ran away with the overall vote for Pittsfield School Committee on Tuesday, according to unofficial results reported by City Clerk Michelle Benjamin. With all but one incumbent of the committee's six elected members stepping aside, voters chose a mix of past experience, educational expertise and new blood to lead the county's largest school district. Following McNeice, who was the overall winner with 3,995 votes, were incumbent Vice Chair Daniel Elias, former School Committee member and past Chair Katherine Yon, General Dynamics employee and city school parent Ciara Batory, early childhood educator Sarah Muil, and education consultant and former media advertising professional Carolyn Barry. Elias, a 28-year member of the panel, unofficially had 2,937 votes, followed by Yon, with 2,674. McNeice, Yon and Muil are all current or former teachers. Muil was a member of the Middle School Restructuring Committee that recommended moving to a pair of citywide middle schools serving grades 5-6 at Herberg and grades 7-8 at Reid. Education consultant Vicki Smith, longtime educator and current Pittsfield Public Schools substitute Geoffrey Buerger and Pittsfield High School student Jacob Klein finished out of the running. Barry finished with 2,291 votes, according to unofficial results — 93 more than Smith, with 2,198. Elias and Mayor Peter Marchetti — who is part of the School Committee by virtue of his office — are the only members returning from the current committee. McNeice, who was a longtime business and student skills teacher at Taconic before taking a job in Lenox, watched the results at her parents' house on Hawthorne Avenue. "I'm excited to be a part of the next chapter," she said. While it's a long-held Pittsfield political truth that lawn signs don't vote, the number of front-lawn endorsements for McNeice throughout city neighborhoods offered a hint that she might do well. "I taught in Pittsfield for 22 years; I had about 120 students a year. They all have parents. They're all part of the story," she said. "I hope those numbers mean throughout my career I was doing something right." Incumbent members Chair William J. Cameron and members Diana Belair, Sara Hathaway, Dominick Sacco and William Garrity — chose not to run for reelection. As provided under state law, the School Committee hires the superintendent and key members of the cabinet, negotiates contracts with labor unions and administrators, sets policy, and approves a budget for the district. The new committee’s to-do list includes addressing the growing outflow of school choice students to neighboring districts, an ambitious middle school restructuring project and hiring a full-time superintendent. The committee also faces the challenge of improving morale in a district battered by an arrest and allegations of misconduct at Pittsfield High last school year. The current School Committee on Wednesday will discuss whether to begin a search process for a new superintendent. Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips has indicated she’d like to remain in the role, but the decision on her future will fall to the newly elected committee. During the campaign, candidates called for greater transparency and accountability from the district, from how it spends its $86.4 million budget to how it communicates with school communities and the public. Student and teacher retention were major campaign themes. Candidates pointed to the 657 students whose families elected school choice over city schools in fiscal 2025 — at a net cost of more than $4 million in Chapter 70 funds. They also spoke of the need to better support and mentor teachers to improve the district’s 82 percent teacher retention rate.
