Southern Berkshire School District Directs $462,000 Toward Reinstating Cut Staff Positions

LENOX -- May 28, 2026, Southern Berkshire Regional School District finds $462,000 to begin restoring cut teaching staff. The School Committee voted 7-2 at its May 28 meeting to maintain town assessment increases at 6 percent, then voted unanimously to set aside $200,000 of a newly certified $933,154 excess and deficiency surplus for unforeseen circumstances, leaving roughly $462,000 for Superintendent Dr. Dominic Ricca to direct toward reinstating some of the 11.2 full-time-equivalent teaching positions and additional staff eliminated in reduction-in-force notices, far short of the approximately $1.05 million needed to restore all positions. Financial consultant TJ Plant of Open Architects, brought on in December to untangle the district's books, confirmed FY26 would close without a deficit and explained that the E&D figure fell $270,000 short of projections because of capital expenditure irregularities dating to 2017. A packed audience of students, alumni, and parents filled the meeting with testimony about the loss of the district's chorus teacher, arts programs, and elementary specialists, with parent Kevin Fish calling the budget process "completely backwards" for setting an assessment cap before identifying educational needs. The committee will hold its budget adoption vote Wednesday, June 3, at 6:30 p.m., with the adopted budget then requiring approval by at least four of the district's five member towns.