This state revenue report came out last Wednesday, and even though the total revenue remains above benchmark, May revenue came in $192 million under benchmark.
While the FY25 state budget Conference Committee started their debates last week, this news will most likely factor into the bottom line for what they are able to produce for final vote in the House and Senate. Looking forward to the state budget process wrapping up prior to the next fiscal year start on 7/1/2024.
The Community Outreach & Advocacy Subcommittee and the District Administrative Team is working on the third and final District-wide mailing, the End of Year Newsletter, with articles being submitted this week to the Subcommittee for review and editing. The final version will be on its way to all mailboxes by the last day of school! There is much to celebrate and share about this amazing school year, and the document will highlight what is happening over the summer for our school community too!
To review the documentation presented at the SBRSD hearing, please see the District website at https://www.sbrsd.org/documents/district/budgets/fy25-budget/567699 .
The Superintendent Student Advisory Councils had their last meeting of the school year today! This was a great opportunity to obtain incredibly valuable feedback on this pilot year, including hearing their experience on the council and their ideas to improve and expand the teams’ outreach for next year!
As always, they had amazing insights and reflections including these below:
- They loved the food provided and the structure of the meetings!
They appreciated that they had a chance to express their ideas, and that I would actually listen
to them, and that action would be taken as a result.
- They liked getting to know others and hearing their insights and thoughts on different topics
- They liked giving back to the community and wanted to do more of that next year!
One thing that is certain is that these councils will continue on, as the elevation of student voice and choice is so important to our school community and to making it the best it can be!
Our next Community Team Meeting is set for June 11th at 5:30 pm. We are excited to get our working groups formulated, and for these groups to start on the next phase of this journey.
Tomorrow, we will hear from our Transcend partners in a short video about our work next year, and about our new team members and coaches that we will be working with to help us develop our studio models.
We are thrilled for this next part of the partnership and our work together ahead and look forward to determining how best to keep the initiatives moving ahead in the summer months!
To learn or become a part of this incredible community focused initiative please find the link here at https://www.sbrsd.org/page/transcend-partnership.
SBRSD Presented with Prestigious MASBO Award for Operational and Cost Efficiency
During a School Committee meeting held on Thursday, June 6, Southern Berkshire Regional School District was honored with the Donald D. Johnson Operational and Cost Efficiency Award. The award was presented by Margaret Driscoll, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of School Business Officials (MASBO). The award recognizes the accomplishment of a district that has implemented a program, activity, or initiative that resulted in increasing efficiency to save funding.
“I am thrilled to have the privilege of accepting this award on behalf of the district,” said Superintendent Dr. Regulbuto. “We have earned this award because of the school committee, the administrative team, and everybody in the district who has worked incredibly hard to be innovative and resourceful.”
SBRSD’s actions to keep assessments down include advocating to state legislators for district and rural aid, writing and receiving 1.5 million dollars in annual grants to increase opportunities for students while trying to lessen the burden of the school community, allocating most ESSER funding to replace the HVAC system on the main campus so that the member towns did not have to incur debt, implementing ways to offset or reduce rising costs of energy by installing a rooftop solar array on the main campus, and receiving credits from the utility companies related to HVAC updates and working in collaboration with other districts and community members to expand offerings and share services.
“The award nomination explains that the district is not only committed to being effective and efficient with their resources but also promotes alignment with student needs and strives to keep assessments to the towns manageable, with a focus on district sustainability,” said Driscoll. “In alignment with the district’s Strategy for Continuous Improvement Plan and through the lens of student interests and needs as the priority, a key focus has been on program design enhancements highlighted by the designation of the Early College program. Stemming from the Superintendent’s conversation with a 4th-grade student, Dr. Regulbuto and SBRSD staff went to work to ensure that all students had the option to participate in college without barriers and to create a program that provided skills and competency that were tangible and transferable whether or not they decided to go into higher education, the military, or enter the workforce.”
This award is made possible through MASBO’s partnership with Voya Financial Advisors. Included in the award is a $2,500 student scholarship awarded to the district, a plaque in recognition of the implementation of the cost-saving initiative, and a trip where the district’s Superintendent will attend the Association of School Business Officers International Annual Conference and Expo.
5th and 6th grade Spring Concert
New Marlborough Central 3rd Grade Recognition Night
There were tons of smiles during the New Marlborough Central 3rd Grade Recognition Night last week!
Bailey Parmalee - FFA Project Presentation
During our School Committee meeting this week middle school student, Bailey Parmalee presented her Future Farmers of America (FFA) Club project! Bailey did a fantastic job talking about what the club is, the work that they do, and how they hope to expand the club in the future.
Innovation Pathways offers opportunities for students to explore cutting-edge technology and in-demand fields! The program emphasizes real-world skills through career-focused experiential learning. Participants connect with industry mentors, go on field trips, get set up with internships in their areas of interest, and more!
Mount Everett currently offers two technical pathways in Advanced Manufacturing and Information Technology.
To learn more about our Innovation Career Pathways please use the links below! To express interest in learning more about Innovation Pathways please use our form - Expression of Interest Form