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School Committee Chair Richard Peters, new Dalton representative Sara Tucker and Superintendent Leslie Blake-Davis.

Central Berkshire School Committee Appoints Dalton Representative

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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DALTON, Mass.  — Central Berkshire Regional School Committee appointed its newest member, Sara Tucker, during its meeting last week. 
 
Tucker will be serving as the committee's Dalton representative taking the place of the town's former representative Nicole Tucker. Although Sara and Nicole share a last name they have no relation. 
 
Nicole Tucker decided to leave her seat early, which caused a vacancy on the committee that needed to be filled. The district put a call out for applications and received three but two dropped out. 
 
The seat will be included in the elections in November so the community can vote who they want to have as the Dalton representative. 
 
Sara Tucker is a supervisor for an adolescent unit at the state Department of Children and Families. 
 
As a social worker, she has experience working with teens in the criminal justice system which the committee has not had before, committee Chair Richard Peters said. 
 
"I'm excited actually, because obviously she has a lot of energy and a lot of really good experience and it's good to have a really great mix of people, parents, other folks who've been not in education, folks that are in education, and we have a really good blend of all of the above characters," Peters said. 
 
"So, it really works out well and everybody on the committee is very respectful and it's just a pleasure to be on this committee, and I hope it maintains that for sure. It actually makes it really nice. So, I'm excited to have her, that's for sure." 
 
Tucker has children in the district, one who will be going to Nessacus Regional Middle School next year and another one is involved in special education and receives Individualized Education Program services. She also is president of the Parent Teacher Organization.
 
"Since my kiddos started, I've been trying to figure out ways to kind of be helpful to the school system to be helpful to my children and their growth within the school system," Tucker said. 
 
"I think she has an excellent background," Superintendent Leslie Blake-Davis. "She has great ideas, great suggestions. She's very invested in all students. She has children in the district."
 
As the PTO president, Tucker has helped the Craneville Elementary School principal bring in more "diversity, equity inclusion" with a reading program. 
 
The program works to increase belonging and make children feel included while also encouraging readers, especially the reluctant readers, she said. She is also working with Craneville to bring the entrepreneur fair for its fifth graders. 
 
She has a master's degree in social work from the University of Albany in New York and a post-master's certificate working with adolescents and children that are dealing with different challenges. 
 
"Having that experience and coming from where I'm trying to kind of fix things. I would love to be able to kind of come in here and help create more positive change for our kids and our staff," Tucker said. 

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Lanesborough Picks Information Panel for Public Safety Proposal

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The town has a public safety building proposal to present to taxpayers, and now, an informational committee will help move the process forward.

On Monday, the Select Board voted to form a public safety building informational outreach committee and re-appointed four members: Dean Clement, Daniel MacWhinnie, Mark Siegars, and Lisa Dachinger.

"The Public Safety Building Committee has done their job. Now we need, hopefully with some of those same bodies, to form a new committee of some type and move forward," Select Board member Timothy Sorrell explained.

Earlier this month, the town officials voted to advance a $7.3 million combined police/emergency medical services facility to town meeting, discarding the option for a $6.5 million separate build.  The same design, then priced at $5.9 million, was shot down in 2023.

"There is the option to go to what could be a debt exclusion, which requires a two-thirds majority at either a special town meeting or an annual town meeting, and that can be followed by inclusion in a ballot," Town Administrator Gina Dario said.

Siegars advised that if the question goes to a ballot first with a fixed project budget, that amount can't be changed for a subsequent special town meeting vote.

"In our discussions, there are committee members who are willing to stay on if you wanted to continue the committee or appoint to new one, who have volunteered to be involved with any public information sessions to try to answer the questions with the idea that that they would also explore further and work with Gina and town counsel on specifically what the question should be for a special town meeting, and if, if warranted a subsequent ballot vote," he reported.

Chairman Michael Murphy echoed the former committees' arguments that the town can't explore grants and financing until it has approved an amount.

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