Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff Members, and Students
With the 23-24 school year ending, we have swiftly pivoted to the move and grade reconfiguration so that our schools are ready to welcome our students in late August. The 21st Century programs for the elementary grades will use Greylock Elementary School as a home base for the summer and so the school remains in operation until the end of July. Brayton and Colegrove Park, while housing some specific summer programs, are getting cleaned out and reorganized for the students that they will serve this fall. The central office is busy closing this fiscal year and opening a new one, hiring new employees, and developing transportation routes that will service all of our resident students. In addition, the City of North Adams recently received a unanimous vote from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) approving the Greylock Elementary School project scope and budget. Please review the following items for more information regarding these items:
Staffing
While the budget for the next school year did eliminate 26.0 FTE staffing positions for the 2024-2025 year, as is typical at the end of one school year there have been numerous staffing changes. I am happy to report that at this current time, almost all professional staff members on the recall list have been recalled. We were able to recall a nursing position and school adjustment counselor to manage student caseloads and needs. No teaching assistants had been laid off and there are open positions at the various grade levels, representing different types of assignments. If you might be interested in working for North Adams Public Schools, then you can see what positions are open for application by going to our human resources page on our website.
Transportation
I know parents and guardians are anxiously awaiting the publication of our new school year bus routes, but until we complete our data reporting for the 23-24 school year, we cannot complete this task. We also need to have all new enrollments for PreK, Kindergarten, and new students in place. However, we are working to complete these tasks, and based on resident student addresses we expect to have completed bus routes in early August after the bus routes are verified and tested. When these bus routes are ready for publication they will be posted to our district website and pushed out through social media, as well as announced to registered parents through text messages and email.
In the meantime, we do have an update for parents who drop and pick up their child(ren) using a personal vehicle. We have posted for morning and afternoon supervision at both Brayton and Colegrove Park Elementary Schools for 20 minutes prior to the start of school and at the end of the school day. Dropoff at either school can begin as early as 8:05 am and pick-up can occur as late as 3:15 pm. For parents who need to drop off/pick up students across multiple grade levels at two schools, parents should consider dropping off at the earliest time at one school and then transporting their other child to their school to ensure that all students are able to arrive on time for the start of the school day. Consider practicing this run to determine the most efficient route for you and your family. Also, consider using the bus transportation provided to you knowing that bus routes will be developed to accommodate early elementary students separate from upper elementary students. The high school arrival and dismissal times will not change and the bus transportation of students attending Drury High School will run to accommodate those earlier arrival and dismissal times.
Safety planning
With all of the changes occurring in the district, it is important that we review and update our school safety plans and protocols. North Adams Public Schools received a Safety Planning grant from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to do this work during the summer and engage with our emergency service providers to inform the plan development. Plans are now required to have Medical Behavioral Health Emergency Response Plans to address concerns for student mental and emotional health in addition to the Medical Emergency Response Plans that we already had as part of our comprehensive safety plan. This work is ongoing and updates for parents and guardians will be provided at the start of the school year; however, parents can expect that we will continue to practice our plans with drills for shelter-in-place, lockdown, evacuation, fire safety, and crisis intervention in the new school year. North Adams Public Schools, North Adams Police Department, North Adams Fire Department, and North Adams Ambulance are committed to ensuring our schools are safe for all students.
Greylock Elementary School Building Project
The next step in our MSBA supported project is for the community to approve the project and there will be multiple opportunities to learn about the project, including the design and location of the new school, the cost, and why this project is necessary. Please come to one of the following events:
Special City Council Meeting at 5:30 pm on July 22 at City Hall
Community Forum and Tour at 6:00 pm on August 15 in the Greylock Elementary School cafeteria
Community Forum and Tour at 6:00 pm on August 22 in the Brayton Elementary School Welcome Center/Library
In addition, there will be programming on community access television and information on the district website. While everyone is entitled to their opinion and position, make it an informed decision for you and your community.
Please stay tuned for more information and announcements as we prepare the new North Adams Public Schools grand opening this fall. In the meantime, I hope that each of you will have the opportunity to enjoy the sunshine, the company of family and friends, and a good book to engage you this summer.
Sincerely,
Dr. Barbara Malkas
Superintendent of Schools