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By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

TURNERS FALLS — Franklin County Technical School English teacher Jay Butynski describes himself as “a goofball by nature,” a quality he doesn’t hide from students who have come to find his classroom a safe and engaging place.

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

GREENFIELD — In an instance of a national effort gaining traction locally, 75 junior and senior students at Four Rivers Charter Public School were given hands-on instruction on how to respond to, and potentially reverse, a drug overdose during a three-hour training session this week.

By DOUG SELWYN

Anguished cries coming out of school administration offices and school committee meetings signal the annual return of budget season. School district decision makers across the state desperately try to create budgets that serve the needs of all of their children. The money coming from the state and the drained treasuries of their local towns is nowhere near enough to cover the actual cost of educating the children.

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

TURNERS FALLS — In the wake of last year’s ballot question to remove the MCAS test as a graduation requirement, school officials this week decided on the competency determination students must meet to get their diplomas at Turners Falls High School.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Five years after its approval, legislation aimed at improving K-12 education statewide known as the Student Opportunity Act is not infusing school districts in western Massachusetts with much-needed additional funding as promised.

By PEYTON FLEMING

Hazel Foucault, Emma Thrower and Adrian Grant bucked the tide. They opted to stay at Mohawk Trail Regional School instead of leaving — as hundreds of other students have done in the past two decades — for a charter school, vocational program or private school.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

GREENFIELD — Learn what it’s like for someone to further their education while incarcerated during a screening of the PBS documentary “College Behind Bars.”

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

GREENFIELD — Tensions rose between City Council and School Committee Wednesday in the wake of Mayor Ginny Desorgher’s announcement that the city cannot fund the School Department’s nearly $25.59 million budget proposal for fiscal year 2026, a $1.89 million increase over the current fiscal year.

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

MONTAGUE — In recognition of her work to grow the music program at Turners Falls High School and Great Falls Middle School, music instructor Alyssa Comeau received a 2025 Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award.

By COLLIN BINKLEY and CHRIS MEGERIAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order Thursday calling for the shutdown of the U.S. Education Department, according to a White House official, advancing a campaign promise to eliminate an agency that’s been a longtime target of conservatives.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

As schools across the country grapple with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), new policies are being introduced to govern its use in classrooms, with a goal of balancing innovation with concerns over privacy, equity and academic integrity.

By DOMENIC POLI

GREENFIELD — If you enjoyed Greenfield schools’ inaugural Cardboard Building Challenge, you’re in luck: Brittany Hathaway, vice president of Federal Street School’s Parent-Teacher Organization, says the event is just getting started.

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

GREENFIELD — Although the mayor announced last week that the city could not fund the School Department’s nearly $25.59 million budget proposal with a $1.89 million increase, a key driver of which was redistricting measures, the School Committee voted 6-0 with one abstention to continue with its redistricting plan in September.

By DOMENIC POLI

ORANGE — Seven positions were poised to be eliminated in Ralph C. Mahar Regional School’s fiscal year 2026 budget until the teachers union agreed to a change in the insurance deductible amount to save enough money to spare two of those jobs.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

COLRAIN — In her fifth year teaching kindergarten and fostering independence in Colrain Central School’s youngest learners, Grace Ahrensdorf has been named a winner of the 2025 Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award.

By CHRIS LARABEE

Budget season rolls on at the Frontier Regional and Union 38 school districts, with Sunderland, Deerfield and Conway elementary schools recently sharing their fiscal year 2026 budget proposals.

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

GREENFIELD — Mayor Ginny Desorgher addressed the School Committee Wednesday night to explain why the city cannot fund the School Department’s proposed $1.89 million budget increase in fiscal year 2026.

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

TURNERS FALLS — A feasibility study is underway through the Massachusetts School Building Authority to explore the possibility of building a new Franklin County Technical School or renovating its existing building.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

CHARLEMONT — Some Mohawk Trail Regional School District member towns are considering filing a class action lawsuit against the state of Massachusetts for failing to adequately fund rural schools through Chapter 70.

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

MONTAGUE — Community members in the Gill-Montague Regional School District are advocating against fiscal year 2026 budget cuts that will result in layoffs for the school resource officer, the curriculum director and a special education instructional assistant.

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

GREENFIELD — For her work supporting the youth of Franklin County through academics and music, Greenfield resident Gloria Matlock was recently honored with the Black Excellence on the Hill award from the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus.