PITTSFIELD — Longtime educator Heather McNeice is hoping to bring her decades of classroom experience to the Pittsfield School Committee, pledging to rebuild community trust and advocate for better resources for teachers and students.
In an interview on WTBR’s Morning Drive with host Bill Sturgeon, McNeice, who taught in Pittsfield Public Schools for 22 years before moving to Lenox Public Schools, said her heart has always remained in the district she once served.
“Ever since I’ve left, I have thought about running for school committee,” she said. “This makes it possible for me to be involved in Pittsfield Public Schools, but from a different vantage point…to affect education from a different seat.”
McNeice cited the current climate of distrust around the schools as a major concern, referencing the attention the district has received over the past year. “It makes me so sad that there’s this sense of distrust in our schools,” she said. “A few things that go wrong can kind of paint a brush over all the things that are going right.”
She emphasized her desire to spotlight the good work still happening in schools and to be a voice for classroom educators. “You always want different perspectives on that committee,” she said. “The fact that we don’t have a teacher saying what’s happening in the classroom, being part of those decisions, is a disservice to the decision-making process.”
McNeice also warned that staffing and class sizes remain a serious barrier to meeting student needs, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The number of students we have on IEPs and 504s who need individualized service…it’s not reasonable to meet the needs in an individualized basis when the needs have grown and our staffing continues to suffer,” she said. “We’re asking teachers to meet students where they are—but we don’t get to redo third grade with a fifth grader who missed that development.”
She acknowledged she’s still learning about the responsibilities of school committee officers but said she’s open to taking on a leadership role if elected. “If you’re not all in, you’re in the way,” she said, quoting her son.
When asked about the district’s proposed restructuring plan, including changes to the middle school model, McNeice expressed a cautious openness.
“I’m pretty much just as split on the situation as most people are,” she said. “If there’s real data that gives evidence [that we can] better meet their needs because we’re focusing on their age level, we’re focusing on their social emotional needs, we’re focusing on the academics that we need… to reduce this practice of of social promotion– if there’s evidence to show that, then [I] would definitely lean towards the side of doing it.”
McNeice also emphasized fiscal transparency, especially as looming budget cuts threaten to impact programs. “If we have to make cuts, we have to start to understand how the money is really being spent,” she said. “How many of those dollars are being paid to manage the people who have a direct impact on students?”
Closing the interview, McNeice made a simple pitch to voters: “I know that I will do my homework,” she said. “I will do everything within my power to try to make a difference and to understand what it is that will make a difference.”
Editor’s Note: This article is based on the October 21, 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=54186. 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.
