Copyright berkshireeagle
PITTSFIELD — The new School Committee elected Tuesday will ultimately decide on the next full-time superintendent of the Pittsfield Public Schools — whether that’s interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips or another candidate. But if a search is to take place, should it start this month or in December — not waiting until January or February, when the newly elected School Committee gets its bearings? Should it wait another year? Or do something different? That’s the situation the outgoing committee will discuss at its meeting Wednesday night. What to do about the position is “completely up to the next School Committee,” outgoing chair William J. Cameron said. “The situation we’re facing is that advertisements are already being published by the school superintendent association in other venues. If the School Committee wants to have an ample pool of applicants we need to advertise ASAP.” “If we wait for the next School Committee to be sworn in and get itself organized before any action is taken it’s going to be pretty late in the day for getting an ample pool of applicants, should the new School Committee want to proceed with interviews,” Cameron added. Phillips, who took office on July 1, is going through a formal first-year superintendent mentoring process. She has indicated that she’d be willing to remain in the role full-time. When the School Committee conducted its search for an interim superintendent, it stipulated that the successful candidate would not be considered for the full-time role. But the candidates for the School Committee, including vice chair Daniel Elias — the only current member seeking reelection — were unanimous in saying Phillips should be considered for the full-time role. As Cameron noted in February, when Superintendent Joseph Curtis announced he would retire with years remaining on his contract, there are several alternatives. The committee could conduct a search. It could reappoint Phillips, whose one-year contract runs through June 30, for a second year of interim service and conduct a search in 2026-27. Or it could simply appoint Phillips or another administrator to the role. In 2024, the Mount Greylock Regional School Committee appointed Joe Bergeron as interim superintendent for two years, after Jason McCandless stepped down. But in September, the committee decided they had the leader they wanted, and unanimously appointed Bergeron to the full-time role. “After the first year, we evaluated him highly — and decided he was the right leader for our district moving forward,” Mount Greylock School Committee Chair Julia Bowen said. The agenda for Wednesday’s meeting also includes an executive session to complete a contract for Bonnie Howland, the incoming assistant superintendent for business and finance. Howland, who was formerly director of student financial services at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, was appointed last month. Howland, who succeeds Kristen Behnke in the role, was the only finalist submitted to the School Committee for a finalist interview. During that interview, Howland acknowledged not having previous school finance experience, but said she is in the process of obtaining certification and would work closely with the Massachusetts Association of School Business Officers as part of that organization's professional development program. The committee will also hear a presentation from the administration on the district’s rate of in-school and out-of-school suspensions, and what the district is doing to reduce its suspension rate. According to information shared in the meeting packet, 207 students have been suspended as of Oct. 31, compared to 261 over the same time period in 2024-25. According to state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education data, in 2023-24, the Pittsfield schools assessed 9.4 percent of students with in-school suspensions and 6.7 percent for out-of-school suspensions. Both are dramatically higher than the state averages for that year — 1.4 percent for in-school suspensions and 2.4 percent for out-of-school suspensions.
