PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Jacob Klein, a senior at Pittsfield High School, is running for a seat on the School Committee—and says his firsthand experience as a student is exactly what the district needs.
“I’m currently a student at PHS. So my point of view is completely different,” Klein said on WTBR’s Morning Drive with host Bill Sturgeon. “I’m seeing how things are affecting us—how students are acting, how administrators are responding, how the teachers are teaching.”
At 18 years old, Klein is the youngest candidate on the ballot, but says his perspective is shaped by both life experience and a deep sense of compassion. In 2023, he suffered a severe brain injury, an event he said profoundly changed his outlook. “It’s made me resilient, and it’s made me learn a very important lesson,” he said. “Just to be here is a blessing.”
That experience, he said, drives his commitment to service and his decision to run. “I want to inspire others to feel the compassion and appreciation that I have,” he told Sturgeon. “I see so many challenges in our community, and it really makes me sad. I want to make the world a better place—and I have to start from the bottom and work my way up.”
Klein said his top priority is addressing what he called a crisis of student engagement. “People always talk about absences, but I don’t just look at ‘are students missing school?’ I look at: Why are they missing it? And if they’re at school, why are they sometimes not fully engaged?” he said.
He pointed to the number of students “wandering the hallways” at PHS as a symptom of deeper issues. “A lot of people will say, ‘we should punish them,’ but I think the real solution comes from listening. Why are they doing it in the first place?” he said.
Klein envisions a school system where students have a stronger voice and personalized learning is more accessible. He said he’s benefited from independent studies that allow him to pursue his interests, and believes that kind of opportunity should be expanded. “If someone’s interested in learning something that’s not a main course, we shouldn’t discourage them. We should encourage their individuality and uniqueness.”
His platform includes fostering more open communication between students, teachers, and administrators. He proposed regular forums or gatherings to ensure decisions are made with input from the people most affected. “It’s always top-down. Why not more bottom-up?” he said. “Any good plan won’t come from just me. It comes from the students, the teachers, and the administrators.”
Klein said his role on the committee—if elected—would be unique. “I’m not connected to the district. I’m in the district,” he said. “Who else has that? I’m not an administrator, I’m not a bureaucrat—I’m a student.”
Though he acknowledged the steep learning curve ahead, especially with a mostly new committee, Klein said he’s eager to take on the challenge. “I don’t want it to be something easy. I want it to be a challenge so I can learn and grow and better adapt to the community’s needs.”
When asked how he would handle mistakes, Klein was candid: “I’ll make mistakes. We all do. But I’m going to learn from them. I’m not going to be stuck in the past—I’m going to move forward and become a better person from it.”
He closed his interview with a message to voters: “I really have a deep compassion. My heart aches when I see other people suffering. I want to lead with my compassion,” he said. “Vote for someone who’s willing to listen, to grow, and to represent not just a system—but the students living it every day.”
Editor’s Note: This article is based on the October 22, 2025 broadcast of WTBR’s “Morning Drive” and was written in part using ChatGPT. To view the entire program, visit https://pittsfieldtv.org/program/?id=54191. WTBR’s “Morning Drive” airs weekdays at 7:30 a.m. on 89.7 FM in Pittsfield and 88.1 in Lee; and is simulcast on Access Pittsfield channel 1301. The full interview is available to view through PCTV Select.
