Town Government
School Committee & Superintendent
The Superintendent
Patricia Kinsella
About 560 students start their day in this district, and one person answers for all of it. Patricia Kinsella is the Superintendent of the Pioneer Valley Regional School District, proposing the school budget, setting academic priorities, and running the schools day to day. The Superintendent is hired by and reports to the elected regional School Committee, which carries out an annual evaluation. Because the district is regional, that committee answers to three towns at once: Bernardston, Leyden and Northfield each elect three of its nine seats. The district was a four-town region until Warwick withdrew in 2023, a change that reshapes a budget and a ballot at the same time.
| Role | Superintendent of Schools |
|---|---|
| District | Pioneer Valley Regional School District (Bernardston, Leyden, Northfield) |
| Phone | 413-498-2931 |
| Website | pvrsdk12.org |
The School Committee
The Pioneer Valley Regional School Committee has nine members serving staggered three-year terms, three elected by the voters of each member town: Bernardston, Leyden and Northfield. The committee sets district policy, approves the school budget, and hires and evaluates the Superintendent who runs the schools day to day. Its meetings are public and streamed, which means a Leyden student who shows up can speak. Because the district is regional, its budget has to clear Town Meeting in all three member towns, so a Leyden family that cares about the schools has two rooms it can work: the district committee, where Leyden elects three of the nine seats, and its own Town Meeting, which votes Leyden’s share of the bill.
Melissa Gerry
Reina Dastous
Michele Giarusso
Stephanie Arroyo
Sharon Fontaine
Frank Ribeiro
Gretchen Kelton
Stephen Martin
Melissa Ross
The District at a Glance
- Enrollment: about 560 students.
- Schools: three, including Pioneer Valley Regional School for grades 7 to 12.
- Graduation rate: 97.3%.
- State data: DESE profile (code 07500000).
Meetings & Participation
- When: through the school year, with agendas posted on the district website at pvrsdk12.org.
- Public comment: residents may address the committee. Check the agenda for sign-up details.
- Watch: meetings are streamed for the public and posted online.
- Subcommittees: much of the detailed work on budget, policy, and facilities happens in subcommittees.
Curious how a bill becomes law, or how students can take on a civics project?