Great Barrington, Stockbridge, and West Stockbridge — As previously reported in The Berkshire Edge, the Berkshire Hills Regional School District is planning on laying off staff members as part of its proposed fiscal 2026 budget.

According to documentation released by the school district, the fiscal 2026 budget is proposed for $37.5 million, a $2.42 million (6.89 percent) increase from this fiscal year.

At the school committee’s meeting on Thursday, February 13, Superintendent of Schools Peter Dillon, who spoke to the committee via Zoom, announced the specific layoffs at all three district schools proposed for fiscal 2026.

Originally, and as published by the school district in budget documentation online, a proposal was made to eliminate an early kindergarten class at Muddy Brook Elementary School. The elimination would have meant a $72,825 (42.16 percent) reduction in the fiscal 2026 early kindergarten salary line, reducing the line item from $172,735 to $99,910. Dillon told the committee that, while the school district explored the idea of cutting an early kindergarten class, “we’re not recommending doing that” and did not go into any further details as to why the district came to that decision.

According to Dillon, however, the school district does plan to layoff a third grade staff member by eliminating one of the school’s four sections of third grade classes. According to district documentation, the proposal is a $37,086 (12.60 percent) reduction in the fiscal 2026 third grade salary line item, from $294,220 to $257,134.

“It’s our understanding that there are 61 students in the current second grade, so [next school year] those students would be in two sections of 20 students, and one section of 21 students. If we had four sections, it would be three sections of 15 students and one section of 16 students.”

Dillon said that the school district recommends eliminating a directed study position, which is currently unfilled at the elementary school, for a savings of $27,697, along with eliminating $20,000 in stipends.

At W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School, Dillon said that the district proposed eliminating a computer instruction and design teacher position for a savings of $68,816, as well as the elimination of a mathematics teacher for a savings of $79,925.

The district proposes cutting stipends for middle school salaries in half from $30,000 to $15,000.

Dillon did not discuss a proposed cut detailed in budget documents that shows a salary line item for middle school special education proposed to be cut by $13,488 (2.36 percent), from $570,399 to $556,911.

At Monument Mountain Regional High School, Dillon said that the district plans on eliminating a physical education teacher position, an English teacher position, a half-time French (world language) teacher position, and a computer instruction teacher position. He added that an English teacher and computer instruction teacher will retire at the end of the school year and their positions will not be filled again.

While some of the proposed cuts to various salary line items are not part of the documentation issued by the district before the February 13 meeting, the following reductions are listed:

• The art salary line item is proposed to be reduced by $15,034 (7.74 percent), from $194,286 to $179,252;
• The tech ed line item is proposed to be reduced by $75,392 (49.73 percent), from $151,610 to $76,218;
• The high school stipend salary line item is proposed to be cut in half, from $50,000 to $25,000; and
• The salary line item for intervention specialists is proposed to be cut by $47,120 (21.28 percent), from $221,444 to $174,324.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, several staff members from the school district expressed their anger at the proposed cuts, including Muddy Brook Elementary School fourth grade teacher Kerry Manzolini. “We were originally told that we were going to have more comments and more input into the budget process, and we were told we were going to be informed a little more frequently,” Manzolini said. “Unfortunately, I don’t believe that happened because yesterday I found out one of our third grade teachers will be removed. I think we need to aspire to keep all of our teachers in all of our positions. I’ve been told that there will be thousands of dollars spent on a new reading program, and I think we could go without that for a few more years to save our teachers. I’ve been teaching for 29 years, and I do not believe that Muddy Brook needs a new reading program.”

“I would ask what meaningful sacrifices the central office is making as we make significant sacrifices in staffing for our students?” Du Bois Middle School Spanish teacher Mercedes Girona asked the committee. “What actions will you take as your leadership continues to be visible during this attack on public education, not just here, but in our country? I would also ask how you can justify paying many of our staff members, like our professionals, our secretaries, and our supervisors, many of whom have worked for the district for up to 10 years or more, less than a living wage while those in our central office see raises every single year.”

“I worry about what happens to our students when their leaders lose sight of whom they serve,” Girona added. “I understand that there are budget cuts, but I feel like there needs to be a little bit more humanity. I want to speak for the middle school because there have been times when we have been rebuffed when we have attempted to build a bridge between us and this school committee.”

Monument Mountain High School Physical Education teacher Michelle Campbell criticized the proposed elimination of a teacher in her department. “I’ve been teaching for 18 years at Monument, and if you are looking at cutting this position, you are creating an unsustainable workload for the remaining PE teacher, and that would be me,” Campbell said. “We need to find spots for over 250 students each semester to now take part in an elective, which we are looking to try to cut. PE is one of the only subjects that reaches out to every student in our school. By removing a PE teacher, we are disrupting the education of the entire school population.”

Campbell said that state law mandates that all students receive 990 minutes of structured learning in physical education every school year. “Our school committee policy states that we must increase appreciation of physical fitness, and it’s important in regards to good health,” Campbell said. “If we cut this position, we are not going to meet state requirements, and we will not meet the principle set forth by our school district.”

A public hearing on the proposed school budget is scheduled for Thursday, February 27, at 6 p.m., at W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School.