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Pittsfield School Committee & Superintendent

The Superintendent

Superintendent Latifah Phillips

Latifah Phillips

About 4,700 Pittsfield students start their day in this district, and one person answers for all of it. Latifah Phillips has led Pittsfield Public Schools since July 2024, first as interim and then, in June 2025, as the permanent superintendent the School Committee voted to keep. She runs a system of roughly a dozen schools, proposes the school budget, sets academic priorities, and answers to the elected School Committee that the Mayor chairs. Phillips came to Pittsfield from the Lowell Public Schools, where she served as chief equity and engagement officer, with earlier work directing Native education in Washington State and Indian education in New Mexico. She has described her aim in plain terms: “I really want us to think we’re all in this together.”

Role Superintendent of Schools
In office Since July 2024; permanent June 2025
District Pittsfield Public Schools
Students About 4,700
Schools About 12
State data DESE profile (code 02360000)

The School Committee

Pittsfield’s School Committee has seven seats: six members elected citywide by Pittsfield voters, plus the Mayor, who serves as chair under the city charter. The committee sets district policy, approves the school budget, and hires and evaluates the Superintendent who runs the schools day to day. It is the body with the most direct say over what happens inside your classroom. All six elected seats were on the ballot in November 2025.

Chair · Mayor

Peter M. Marchetti

Elected Member

Heather McNeice

Elected Member

Katherine Yon

Elected Member

Daniel Elias

Elected Member

Sarah Muil

Elected Member

Carolyn Barry

Elected Member

Ciara Batory

The District at a Glance

  • Enrollment: about 4,700 students, PreK through 12.
  • Schools: roughly a dozen, including Pittsfield High School and Taconic High School.
  • High needs: about 71.5% of students are classified by the state as high needs.
  • State data: DESE profile (code 02360000).

Meetings & Participation

  • When: the committee meets at City Hall, and agendas are posted on the district website.
  • Public comment: residents may address the committee with the chair’s permission. Check the agenda for sign-up details.
  • The chair: the Mayor sits as chair, so City Hall and the schools share one leader.

What this seat decides

Your schools

School Committee. Start times, the school calendar, bus routes and stops, the phone policy, athletics and activity fees, and the policies in the student handbook. It sets district policy, and the total size of the school budget is voted by the City Council.

Your principal and your superintendent. The principal for how a school rule works day to day in your building. The superintendent for how the whole district runs. The School Committee selects the superintendent, and the superintendent appoints the principals, so a question about any other staff member goes to the district, not to the board.

Curious how a bill becomes law, or how students can take on a civics project?

The Civics Project Guide