WHO WE ARE
We are writing as representatives of a group of local school districts who are exploring potential avenues for collaboration as a way to provide the best possible educational offerings to every student in our region. Over the coming year, we will work together on an important question:
How can we ensure that each student across North Berkshire County has access to outstanding educational opportunities while responding thoughtfully and proactively to changing enrollment, evolving educational needs, financial realities, and the opportunities and challenges facing our schools and communities?
To help answer that question, the participating districts – the Northern Berkshire School Union, North Adams Public Schools, Hoosac Valley Regional School District, and Mount Greylock Regional School District – have launched the North Berkshire Educational Sustainability Study (NBESS). This study will represent a collaborative effort to better understand the current landscape of secondary education (grades 6–12) and explore opportunities for future collaboration.
This study is being guided by a regional Steering Committee representing school committees, municipal leaders, parents, and community members from across the participating districts.
BERK12 has been selected to facilitate the process, conduct community-based research, and support the Steering Committee throughout the study.
The NBESS Steering Committee is a group of community members from the towns that represent the four school district partners (see profiles below):
Hoosac Valley Regional School District
Mount Greylock Regional School District
North Adams Public Schools
Northern Berkshire School Union
The Steering Committee formed in the winter of 2026 to discuss a potential work plan, author a request for proposals, solicit proposals, and evaluate proposals and secure a partner consultant (BERK12). The combined districts serve about 3600 preschool through twelfth grade students in northern Berkshire County.
NBESS Steering Committee
The following are members of the NBESS Sustainability Study Steering Committee:
Erin Milne, Adams, School Committee, NBESS Chair
Damon Grimes, North Adams, Parent, NBESS Vice-Chair
Arleigh Cooper, Savoy, School Committee, Vice-Chair
Ron DeAngelis, Cheshire, Select Board
Lydon Moors, Lanesborough, Community Member
Carrie Green, Williamstown, School Committee
Peter Breen, North Adams, City Council
John Jacobbe, Clarksburg, Community Member
Sue Oleson, Florida, Community Member
Cassandra Rocehlo, Cheshire, Community Member
Jessica Chittenden, Adams, Community Member
Fred Puddester, Williamstown, Community Member
Curtis Elfenbein, Lanesborough, School Committee
Amber Caproni, North Adams, Parent
Emily Daunis, North Adams, School Committee
Dan Haskins, Clarksburg, Select Board
Curtis Elfenbein, Lanesborough, School Committee
——
Joe Bergeron, Superintendent of MGRSD
Tim Callahan, Superintendent of NAPS
Aaron Dean, Superintendent of HVRSD
John Franzoni, Superintendent of NBSU
——
H. Jake Eberwein, BERK12
Brendan Sheran, BERK12
About our districts
Hoosac valley regional school district
The Hoosac Valley Regional School District serves the towns of Adams and Cheshire. It also accepts tuition students in grades 7-12 from Savoy. It operates three schools (grades PreK through 12) and supports 992 students (2025-26 enrollment) as follows:
Hoosac Valley High (7-12)
Hoosac Valley Middle (3-6)
Hoosac Valley Elementary (PK-3)
Link to Hoosac Valley website, HERE.
Mount Greylock regional school district
The Mount Greylock Regional School District serves the towns of Lanesborough and Williamstown. It also accepts tuition students in grades 7-12 from Hancock and New Ashford. It operates three schools (grades PreK through 12) and supports 1,156 students (2025-26 enrollment) as follows:
Mount Greylock Middle/High (7-12)
Williamstown Elementary (PK-6)
Lanesborough Elementary (PK-6)
Link to Mount Greylock website, HERE.
LInk to Mount Greylock DESE profile, HERE.
North Adams public schools
The North Adams Public Schools serves the city of North Adams. It also accepts tuition students in grades9-12 rom Clarksburg, Florida and Monroe. It operates three schools (grades PreK through 12) and an adult learning center, and supports 1,064 students (2025-26 enrollment) as follows:
Brayton Elementary (PK-2)
Colegrove Park Elementary (3-6)
Drury High School (7-12)
Link to North Adams website, HERE.
LInk to North Adams DESE profile, HERE.
Northern Berkshire School Union
The Northern Berkshire School Union the towns of Clarksburg, Florida, Monroe, Rowe and Savoy. Four schools (operating as independent districts) share a central office and various ‘union’ positions. Students in the NBSU schools tuition for secondary levels grades. NBSU operates three schools (grades PreK through 6 and PreK through 8) and supports 366 students (2025-26 enrollment) as follows:
Clarksburg Elementary (PK-8)
Rowe Elementary (PK-6)
Abbott Memorial Elementary (Florida/Monroe) (PK-8)
Emma Miller Elementary (Savy) (PK-6)
Link to Northern Berkshire School Union website, HERE.
DESE Profiles are available by linking directly to each school on the list above.
About BERK12
Founded in 2015, Berkshire Educational Resources K12 (BERK12) is a group of local educators, business and nonprofit leaders, school leaders, and community members dedicated to strengthening PreK-12 education in Berkshire County, MA. BERK12 came together to address challenges such as long-term enrollment declines, strained school finances, and disparities in educational opportunity. Through collaborative efforts, we are addressing the challenges of being a largely rural region and have created a model that can be replicated. Berkshire Community College serves as fiscal sponsor for BERK12.
BERK12's mission is to support Berkshire County school districts and educators by collaboratively offering solutions to short and long-term issues, in order to promote high quality public education, which all children deserve, regardless of background or circumstance.
This work is grounded in several core principles drawn directly from earlier regional efforts:
Engagement First
Durable solutions emerge only when communities feel heard and see their values reflected early. Engagement is foundational—not supplemental—to credible sustainability planning.Right-Sized Analysis
High-level baseline information is sufficient to frame choices, reveal tradeoffs, and identify opportunities in Phase I. Deeper projections and modeling should follow only once options are narrowed.Multiple Pathways
The process must explore a range of plausible futures, including the status quo, rather than steering prematurely toward a single solution.Iterative Regional Learning
Lessons from the 2D8T, South Berkshire, and Rowe efforts demonstrate the importance of pacing, clarity, and iterative feedback, allowing engagement, data, and option development to inform one another over time.
A link to the BERK12 website is HERE.
A link to a BERK12 one page overview is HERE
A link the the BERK12 view book is HERE.