During the Superintendent’s Report at the Wednesday, April 10th School Committee Meeting, Superintendent Joseph Curtis and Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Kristen Behnke highlighted some positive developments within the school community. Amidst the ongoing budget deliberations for the Fiscal Year 2025, where significant cuts to school positions are anticipated within Pittsfield’s public schools. Superintendent Curtis and Assistant Superintendent Behnke took the opportunity to share an exciting budget update.
Speaking to the Committee, Assistant Superintended Behnke said “The House Ways and Means budget was released today and I’m very, very pleased to announce that the issue that we found with not all of our low-income students being counted has been rectified as part of the House Ways and Means budget. We needed two additional students in order to tip back into Group 11 to receive additional funds per student. And the the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recognized 11 students.”
They announced an additional $2.4 million increase in the FY ’25 House Ways and Means or HWM budget, which follows the recognition by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, or DESE, of 11 additional low income students in Pittsfield for the FY 25 formula. Superintendent Curtis attributed this budget boost to Assistant Superintendent Behnke’s diligent efforts in uncovering this information. “Miss Behnke’s being modest and she notified the Committee that we found a technical error. And I have to say, although it was a team effort, including Mayor Marchetti…Assistant Superintendent Behnke found the error. And when started working with State Representation at the Department of Elementary Education and such, their first inclination without giving all the behind the scenes details that that was that it was our issue. And through her persistence and working, they did finally concede to that it wasn’t our issue and it wasn’t avoidable on our part. So I really have to acknowledge her work.”
The FY ’25 Chapter 70 budget now stands at $63,960,959, marking a $3.1 million increase over the FY ’24 budget.
