MountainOne President Elected Chair of Mass Bankers

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — MountainOne announced that President and CEO Robert J. Fraser was elected as chair of the Mass Bankers Association (MBA), a one-year post which began on July 1, 2024.
 
"Bob is a demonstrated community partner, and we are thrilled to welcome him to this role,"Kathleen Murphy, President and CEO of MBA said. "We appreciate his leadership for our organization, especially as we work to continue to support and advance our industry within the Commonwealth." 
 
"I am honored to have been elected to the position of chair by my peers," said Fraser, who joined MountainOne in 2007 and has served as its President and CEO since 2014. "I truly enjoy working with our members and with the Mass Bankers professional staff team to achieve the strategic priorities for the association."
 
Fraser noted that key focus areas already in full swing for 2024-2025 include creating greater awareness of the role of banks and their positive impact on communities across the Commonwealth and expanding the association's engagement with the industry's emerging leaders.
 
Founded in 1905, the MBA is the only Association representing FDIC-insured community, regional and nationwide banks serving consumer and business clients across the Commonwealth.

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Clarksburg School Officials Cut Fiscal 2026 Budget by $90K

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — School officials have shaved $90,000 out their $3 million budget for fiscal 2026. 
 
The reductions bring the total budget to $3,093,756, a 4.26 percent, or $126,346, increase over this year. 
 
The cuts include a reduction in hours in the school for the dean of students, cutting the tuition to Drury High by a third, imposing tuition for 4-year-olds in prekindergarten and trimming supplies and training. 
 
Town officials had pushed for the school to cut back from an anticipated 7 percent increase. That's frustrated school officials who point out the operating budget is only going up by 0.67 percent but covering nearly $200,000 for retirees' insurance and FICA is responsible for the hike.  
 
The Select Board was nominally supportive of the amended budget presented at Monday's joint meeting of the School Committee, Select Board and Finance Committee but held off on endorsing it until the town budget is presented next week. 
 
"I appreciate your hard work going down. We don't have the town budget ready yet, so I'm not sure if we're in trouble," said Select Board Chair Robert Norcross. "I'm not sure if I can be in favor of this if we have to cut some more. So we are going to work on that."
 
Assistant Superintendent Tara Barnes had outlined two possible options in mid-April how to get the spending plan down to 2 percent or 4 percent; the latter called for about $90,000 in cuts and reduction in positions.
 
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