FEBRUARY 19, 2026
Council votes down benefits for domestic partners
By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com
AGAWAM
Changes on tap for 2026-27 school year
Even though the current school year doesn’t end until June, plans are moving ahead for some changes in the district for the 2026-27 school year. School Superintendent Sheila Martin highlighted the changes in her “Superintendent’s Notes” portion of the School Committee’s Feb. 10 meeting.
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WEST SPRINGFIELD
West Springfield principals present accountability and climate reports
At the West Springfield School Committee meeting on Feb. 10, Mittineague Elementary School Principal Michael Pescitelli and West Springfield Middle School Principal Peter Gillen presented the 2025 accountability and climate reports for their respective schools. Page 5
AGAWAM — Agawam employees must be married to claim benefits for their partner, the City Council decided at a meeting on Feb. 2. The council voted 10-2 against an ordinance proposed by Councilor Thomas Hendrickson that would have allowed the significant others of municipal employees in committed domestic partnerships to be eligible for spousal benefits. For some councilors, it was the cost to the town, for others the language was too vague or otherwise objectionable. Many councilors, though, expressed their opinion that marriage is legal for all people and that should be enough.
Councilor Thomas Hendrickson, who proposed the ordinance, said many municipal employees are in committed domestic relationships with a partner without being married. The purpose of the ordinance is to extend to those people the same employee and health care benefits that are available to spouses.
“We have incredibly hard-working people who contribute an immense amount to this town” and “we want to extend benefits to their spouse and allow them to include them on that,” Hendrickson said. He added, “Marriage isn’t the right situation for everybody.”
Councilor Dino Mercadante asked, “How committed are you if you’re not willing to get married and make that step?”
Residents speaking during the public comment period objected to the reference to “two or more” partners. Aleksandr Tokarev wanted the ordinance to specify how many people would be allowed to register in a partnership. He feared people would “abuse the system” by saying they were in a partnership with multiple people so that they could claim benefits. The domestic partners would only have been eligible for benefits provided through the city, not state benefits. Despite this, he
said it would “eliminate the need for someone in the household to work” and be a “backdoor to socialism.”
Similarly, Dennis Doreshenko was concerned that people would claim “potentially infinite” partners. He also expressed concern about the cost. The family plans under Agawam’s various insurers range in cost, but the portion the city would pay for a spouse is about $21,000 on average. Hendrickson sought to reassure people that partners would need to cohabitate, and there-
fore, city employees would not be able to fraudulently claim an “infinite number of partners.”
Councilor Peter McNair said taxpayers are “strapped” and he could not support the cost of the ordinance.
For Councilor George Bitzas, the matter was “black and white.” He said there was no problem to solve because same sex marriage has been legal since 2004. The ordinance “discourages” marriage and the only municipali-
Councilor George Bitzas listens as Councilor Robert Rossi explains that he is conflicted about a proposed domestic partnership ordinance.
Photo credit: Agawam Media
STRM: Whitfield talks tenure as City Council president
By Dennis Hackett dhackett@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD — On the latest episode of “So That Reminds Me,” hosts Ryan Feyre and Tyler Garnet sat down with Springfield City Council President Tracye Whitfield to talk about her tenure as City Council president.
Whitfield discussed what a City Council president does, which includes presiding over the meetings, coming up with the agenda for the meetings and deciding subcommittee assignments for the city councilors. She also said that there are new challenges as the president.
“I’m still learning the role and it’s interesting, I get a lot more calls, a lot more invites to events — I do try to attend as many as I can, but I also work with the other city councilors and try to get them the same exposure, I like to share everything, but it’s definitely challenging,” Whitfield said. She also discussed a recent conflict of interest violation from the Feb. 2 council meeting after she did not recuse from presiding over a public hearing involving a property on Wallace Street her son Jelani Bland had requested be discontinued. His company, which Whitfield is a part of, is interested in building on the land on the abutting property. For fuller coverage of this issue, head to thereminder.com or pick up the Feb. 19 edition of the Springfield Reminder.
Alongside the violation, Whitfield explained that one of the things she is doing as council president is creating a training framework to help new councilors.
“I was really interested in doing that because when I joined the council in 2018, there was like literally no training. You just sit down, you take conflict of interest training on your own; no one to explain anything, there’s just like no training at all, and I want to be a different president,” she said.
Whitfield also said that she is planning on holding office hours as well.
“I just want the public to know that I am here and I’m obtainable, I am available and I hope that the community takes advantage of that,” she said.
She also discussed what it meant to her to be the first woman of color to be the Springfield City Council president and said that she never thought about being in politics when she was growing up.
“I mean it means everything to me, because now I am a role model. So even when I make mistakes, I have to own them and take accountability for the things that I do, and I’m always gonna do that because no one knows everything,” she said. “Just being a role model to other young people so they know that your path might take you in different directions then you planned, but everything you learn along the way is helping to build your skillset to go in different paths than you initially planned.”
Whitfield also reflected on how long it took for a woman of color to be the president of the council.
“It just means a great deal to just show, especially young girls, that they can be anything they want to be, because this is 250 years in the making. I hope breaking this barrier it’ll open other doors where a woman of color hasn’t been in a position,” she said.
Looking at the makeup of the council she is presiding over, she said it’s a good balance of people.
“I think there is a good balance on the council as far as race and ethnicity — well, we could use a couple more females — but we’re getting there, even the age differences within the council, I think it’s a good balance,” she said.
Whitfield said another area she wants to improve on is creating more “robust” small business support in the city.
“We have a lot of people leaving because there’s not a lot of resources for small businesses. I also run a statewide coalition, and so when I go throughout the state, I see other initiatives that I’m like ‘oh, we can do that in Springfield,’ but it’s not as easy to implement change in Springfield, so I think that is very much needed,” she said. “We have to get small business technical assistance going for our small businesses to make sure that they have their back-office supports services together, like their accounting, marketing, business plan, their legal, all that in place, so when it’s time to get loans and grants and things like that, they’re ready.”
One area Whitfield said
Springfield could use some improvement in is with educating residents about clean energy practices.
“I do think we still have a lot more work to do as far as educating our residents on conversions, like maybe to fuel pumps and other clean energy types … the rebates and what it means to have a clean environment,” she said.
“We have work to do, but I still think that it can be done.”
Whitfield added that she was looking at getting a fuel pump because she currently uses oil.
During the sit-down, Whitfield talked about challenges with creating affordable housing, working on the city’s budget, economic development and much more.
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ties that allow it are “extreme, radical left, liberal.” Municipalities that recognize domestic partnerships include Arlington, Boston, Brewster, Brookline, Cambridge, Nantucket, Provincetown and Somerville.
Councilor Robert Rossi disagreed with Bitzas. “This has nothing to do with sex as far as I’m concerned. Nothing to do with any place else in the country or the state. This is about people who choose to live their lives together with someone else. More and more people choose to live together,” he said.
That said, Rossi was conflicted about the ordinance. He said, “I firmly believe that people have the right to live the way they want to live,” but also said there are “consequences” to actions, including not getting married. Financially, he was concerned. The cost to Agawam for employee benefits would “knock your socks off,” he said. He suggested creating a program that would allow domestic partners to pay the cost out of pocket without city participation.
Councilor Cecilia Calabrese shared Rossi’s conflict. Despite personal reasons for being in favor of the ordinance, she cited City Solicitor Christopher Cappucci’s memo referencing a
CORRECTION
Whitfield added that she wanted to change the narrative around the city.
“We have a lot of great assets, we are the City of Firsts. [I] just want to change the narrative to a more positive narrative than what some of the surrounding communities may hear, think or speak, because it’s just really not true. Usually people that are involved in the violence live that life, it’s not happening randomly,” she said. “I just want to change the narrative on how people think and talk about Springfield, as well.”
To hear the full episode, visit thereminder.com/our-podcast or search “So That Reminds Me” on your favorite podcasting platform.
lawsuit against the city of Boston after it allowed benefits for domestic partners in 1998. In that case, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that domestic partners and their dependents are not insurable through the municipal employee. “I think that we’re inviting litigation,” she said. She also said that she “can’t accept” the language allowing “two or more” partners.
Councilor Christine Rickmon supported the ordinance. “It’s kind of a generational thing. A lot of people are not getting married for various reasons,” she said, citing the financial cost of it and rising student loan debt. “I don’t think we should tell people that they should get married or not get married,” she said. For her, it boiled down to helping municipal employees.
What was most concerning aspect for Councilor Edward Borgatti was the cost to the town, however, he said the language in the ordinance was “confusing” and allowing two or more partners was “kind of crazy.” He added, “I am for doing something for domestic partners because I think there’s a pool of people out there that we’re missing out on because they’re in great relationships and they just do not want to be married.”
Only Hendrickson and Rickmon voted for the ordinance. Councilor Rosemary Sandlin was absent, and the rest of the council was opposed.
In the Feb. 12 edition of the Reminder in the press release titled “2026 West Springfield Cultural Council grants announced,” the release incorrectly listed the Dixieland Stomp Concert as taking place at the West Springfield Senior Center in February. The location and date of this event is to be determined.
Springfield City Council President Tracye Whitfield (center) sits down with “So That Reminds Me” hosts Ryan Feyre and Tyler Garnet.
Reminder Publishing photo by Chris Maza
Please email your community listings to: dhackett@thereminder.com Items are printed on a space available basis.
AGAWAM
AGAWAM PUBLIC LIBRARY
The following events are organized by the Agawam Public Library, located at 750 Cooper St. All events are free and open to the public. Some programs require
TOWN EVENTS
registration. For more information or to register, head to agawamlibrary.org or call 413-789-1550 ext.
3.
Adult programs: One-on-One Library Tech Help Appointment — Monday, Feb. 23 between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. To book an appointment, please visit agawamlibrary.libcal.com/appointments.
• Virtual Author Talk: “Smithson’s Gamble: The Smithsonian Institution in American Life, 1836-1906” — Tuesday, February 24 at 2 p.m.
• Writers Group hosted by Kath-
erine Anderson — Thursday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m.
• Burglary at the Louvre: How Can Writers Top This? — Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.
Children’s programs:
• Music With Mr. Liam — All ages. Saturday, Feb. 21 at 9:30 a.m. — Registration is required. This program is provided by Pathways for Parents.
• Family Take & Make Crafts: Movable Horse Puppet — Feb. 23 and 26. While supplies last — Drop-in & pick up. A new Take & Make craft
will be available the first day of each week and again on Thursdays.
• Open Lego Building — For grades 1-4. Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 4:30 p.m. Registration is required.
• Tea Party Story Time — For grades K-2. Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. Registration is required
• Teen Trivia Thursdays — For grades 7-12. Thursday, Feb. 26 from 2-3:30 p.m.
FAMILY DINNER NIGHT AT ITALIAN SPORTING CLUB
The Italian Sporting Club will host a family dinner on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Serving from 6–8 p.m., this evening to enjoy good food and great company with friends and family. Dinner will feature pasta with homemade meatballs, baked chicken,tossed salad, coffee and dessert — prepared by Pajers. Tickets are $15 per person and are now available at the club (Monday, Thursday or Friday evenings) or through an ISC member. Tables may be reserved upon request. Bottles of wine will also be available for purchase. . The ISC is located at 349 Cooper St.
West Springfield partners with Hartsprings for donations
WEST SPRINGFIELD — The Town of West Springfield is proud to share the collective impact of residents’ generosity through its 2025 donation efforts that support sustainability and local families.
To date, the town has facilitated the donation of more than 24,000 pounds of reusable items, including:
• 17,209 lbs of clothing
6,574 lbs of miscellaneous items
• 585 lbs of books
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see our community’s generosity accumulate into real, measurable impact for those who need it most,” said Mayor William Reichelt. “Every bag of clothing, every box of books, and every donation represents a resident choosing to give back. Togeth-
er, these efforts strengthen our community, reduce waste, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of families and children we serve.”
These contributions help reduce waste sent to landfills while directly supporting community partners and children in need. By donating instead of discarding, residents play a vital role in environmental stewardship and
community well-being.
Drop-off locations:
• 266 Cold Spring Ave. (Hartsprings Main Office — no furniture)
• West Springfield Water Department, Piper Road
A monthly donation event is also held at West Springfield Town Hall, 26 Central St., the fourth Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Donations support children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters, helping strengthen mentorship programs that make a lasting difference in young lives. The town of West Springfield thanks all residents who continue to give thoughtfully and generously — together, these small actions create a meaningful impact.
Agawam launches 2026 senior/veteran property tax work-off program
AGAWAM — The town of Agawam is accepting applications for the 2026 Senior Citizen/Veteran Property Tax Work-Off Program from Feb. 23 through March 10. This initiative allows eligible seniors, age 60-plus) and veterans to earn credit toward their property tax bills by working in the
Senior Center or Veterans Office.
“We are committed to supporting our senior citizens and veterans through this meaningful program,” said Mayor Christopher Johnson. “This initiative not only assists our residents in managing their property taxes but also fosters a strong sense of community involvement and civic engagement.”
Eligible tasks may include administrative duties, cemetery headstone restoration and other municipal assignments.
Application process and details Applications must be picked up at the Council on Aging/
Senior Center, located at 954 Main St. in Agawam and are due by March 10.
A lottery will be conducted on March 11, if applications exceed available spots. If the senior/ veteran declines participation based on placement, then another senior/veteran will be chosen in their place until positions are filled or applications are exhausted whichever comes first. For questions or to submit applications, contact Cindy Sullivan, Executive Director of the Council on Aging, at 413-732-2835 or csullivan@ agawam.ma.us
Worldwide podcast teams with local authors for yWrite Author Showcase
AGAWAM — Fourteen local authors will give 10-minute presentations during the first yWrite Author Showcase on Saturday Feb. 28 at Agawam Congregational Church. This showcase will be much different than normal Author Book Fair for even though the writers will be selling their books, the day will be filled with author readings, book discussions and Q&A sessions.
This event is hosted by the International podcast yWrite, which streams online and on local cable access channels. Each of the participating authors has appeared as guests on the yWrite podcast and are considered part of the yWrite family sharing their writing experiences to help other writers. yWrite is a televised podcast produced by Angela Grout, an award-winning author and the former owner of the Agawam Flower Shop. Grout began the podcast after closing her business during the pandemic. The audience of the podcast has spread
over continents. The purpose of the podcast began as a mission to interview authors about their writing process. In the past two years, and with over 100 episodes recorded, the audience has expanded to readers wanting to know the stories behind the stories.
The first yWrite Author Showcase will be held on Saturday Feb. 28 in Agawam. Reverand Daniel Cohen, the pastor of the Agawam Congregational Church as teamed up with yWrite’s Angela Grout to host this event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cohen has also been featured on podcast because he is the author of the self-help spiritual guide called “ITS NOT ALL ABOUT YOU: The Secret Joy of Practical Humility.”
Cohen and Grout will be among the participating authors, along with G Michael Dobbs, Mary-Annd Schleb, SM Wells, Dee DiFatta, Betsy O’Neill Sheehan, Angela and Michael Tourville, Tanner Ogle, Jackie Vermette, Diane Frasco, Jeff Vanouden-
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND DEAN’S LIST
KINGSTON, RHODE ISLAND — The University of Rhode Island is pleased to announce that several area students have been named to its Fall 2025 Dean’s List. To be included on the Dean’s List, full-time students must have completed 12 or more credits for letter grades which are GPA applicable during a semester and achieved at least a 3.30 quality point average. Part-time students qualify with the accumulation of 12 or more credits for letter grades which are GPA applicable earning at least a 3.30 quality point average. Among them are: Ava Albano, Sarah Champigny, John Cote, Teagan Fullam, Emily Gamelli, Marissa Hermans, Hannah Parker, Adam Ross of Agawam; and Addison Chapman, Aidan Collins, Niamh Ginty, Owen Hall and Ava Methe of West Springfield.
hove, Donna L Marotto and Carole Appleton. The event is free to attend and open to the public with plenty of
free parking. Author presentations begin at 10:30 a.m. in the Agawam Congregational Hall located at 745 Main St. in Agawam. For a
complete listing of the scheduled time for the author’s presentation visit facebook.com/@ywritenow.
By Mike Lydick Correspondent
AGAWAM — Even though the current school year doesn’t end until June, plans are moving ahead for some changes in the district for the 2026-27 school year. School Superintendent Sheila Martin highlighted the changes in her “Superintendent’s Notes” portion of the School Committee’s Feb. 10 meeting.
Special education programming
Martin said the district’s special education programming requires a “strategic evolution” to better align with current best practices and the specific findings of a recent program assessment. Special education programing will transition toward an even more inclusive model.
“We are moving toward a system where every student benefits from the high expectations with
By Katie Castellani State House News Service
BOSTON — The Board of High-
er Education has opened the door for colleges and universities across Massachusetts to offer three-year bachelor’s degrees, a move aimed at boosting access to higher degrees while some have raised concerns it could diminish education quality.
The board voted on Feb. 10 to approve a regulation allowing higher education institutions to submit pilot proposals for degree programs that differ from current criteria, like the 120-credit requirement. The regulation doesn’t provide specific criteria for programs, but says a pilot
appropriate levels of support in the general education environment, when appropriate,” said Martin. “This shift is not just about placement — it is about optimizing our resources.”
The superintendent said the district’s “most valuable assets” — its special education educators — are locked into schedules in ways that limit their impact. “Refining our delivery model allows us to think about teaching more dynamically, utilizing co-teaching and targeted interventions to reach more students,” said Martin.
Ultimately, Martin said these changes respond directly to the district’s data, ensuring that the structural framework “supports, rather than hinders,” the academic and functional growth of learners.
Full-day pilot program for four-year-olds
Martin said the district is ex-
ploring a full-day pilot program for four-year-old preschoolers at the Early Childhood Center. The move is being driven by educational research.
“Extensive studies consistently demonstrate that high-quality, full-day early childhood education plays a pivotal role in early literacy development, providing the extended instructional time necessary to master foundational phonics and vocabulary,” said Martin.
She added that beyond academics, an expanded schedule offers the consistent social-emotional learning required to ensure students are “truly kindergarten-ready.” The superintendent said that by investing in this full-day model, the hope is that an extended school day will set the trajectory for long-term academic success.
New Agawam Junior High School schedule/pro-
should be “responsive to significant changes in society, demographics, technology, educational research or expectations regarding post-secondary education.”
The regulation, which has been in the works for a year and a half, comes as universities across the country are increasingly offering three-year and sub-120 credit bachelor’s programs — often shifting them to 90 credit hours. Board chair Chris Gabrieli noted that there are other possible program structures that may be contentious.
“I do expect there to be some controversy under some of these proposals, maybe all of them, because they all represent innovation and sometimes real bound-
ary changing and that could be uncomfortable,” Gabrieli said. “I think our general view on innovation should be to neither assume all innovations are good ideas, nor to prevent campus driven ideas — if they’re high quality — from proceeding.”
The regulation aims to offer students a faster, more affordable path to a degree. However, some educators have raised concerns over how curriculum cuts and accelerated programs could reduce the quality of students’ education and leave them ill-prepared to enter the workforce.
“We may think that we have reduced their financial burden by taking out 30 credits, but in reality, we will have diminished their
gram of studies
At the junior high school, plans are under way to further enhance the student experience by transitioning the school schedule. This will be achieved by reducing the total number of courses a student takes at once.
Martin said longer instructional blocks will allow for opportunities where students can engage in deeper inquiry and project-based learning. The new schedule and program of studies also will allow for more student choices, letting them explore electives that they are most interested in and that may tie into future career interests.
The superintendent added that the flexibility of this new schedule can accommodate intervention work without taking away from core instructional time.
Electronic attendance report/ kindergarten screening Martin also announced that
with the hiring of a new attendance coordinator for the district, a new electronic attendance report has been added to the first School Committee meeting of the month. The report, in alignment with the district’s strategic plan, will list each school’s average daily attendance percentages by month.
The superintendent also provided dates for kindergarten screening that will begin in late March for two days at each of the district’s four elementary schools. Granger and Phelps schools will be March 24 and 25 while Clark and Sapelli schools will be April 28 and 29. Time slots for individual screenings with families will be arranged once enrollment packets have been received. Kindergarten enrollment will be handled by the Family Resource Center/Central Office, which can answer any questions.
learning experience and narrowed their path to success overall,” Aruna Krishnamurthy, an English studies professor at Fitchburg State University, said during the meeting. “With the 90-credit degree, the state is sending a signal to our hardworking families and our first-generation students they are not worthy of an education that expands the possibilities of their consciousness.”
Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teacher’s Association, noted that conversations on K-12 education have focused on deepening student’s learning and the new regulation would limit opportunities to do so at the college level. Also, if the aim is to boost affordability, the board should tailor regulations more closely to that goal, he said.
“Let’s not use the front of affordability to pursue a weakening of this degree,” Page said.
Vice Chair Harneen Chernow, one of two board members who voted against the regulation, raised concerns that the regulation could create a two-tiered system where students — often from wealthier families — attending more selective and prestigious schools would be more likely to go through standard four-year programs than their counterparts at state or community colleges.
Harneen said that some col-
leges like the University of Massachusetts Amherst have indicated that they are not interested in offering accelerated degree programs while others, particularly community colleges, are open to the idea.
In 2024, the New England Commission of Higher Education, an institutional accreditor for most of the private and public colleges in New England, gave Merrimack College in North Andover a green light to pilot a three-year program focused on non-licensure majors, like business, health science, physics and liberal arts degrees.
Last fall, Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island became the first in the country to launch an in-person, three-year bachelor’s degree. Students are only required to complete 90 to 96 credit hours, and take a regular semester load of courses during the academic year. The university is only offering the accelerated degree program in computer science, criminal justice, graphic design and hospitality management.
Interest in faster and more affordable higher degrees extends beyond New England. In 2024, former Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a law requiring ev-
West Springfield principals present accountability and climate reports
By Peter Tuohy ptuohy@thereminder.com
WEST SPRINGFIELD — At the West Springfield School Committee meeting on Feb. 10, Mittineague Elementary School
Principal Michael Pescitelli and West Springfield Middle School
Principal Peter Gillen presented the 2025 accountability and climate reports for their respective schools.
Pescitelli went first and began with Mittineague’s results for the MCAS for grades 3-5.
In English language arts, 35% of students met or exceeded expectations, which is a 20% decrease from 55% in spring 2024. The performance was graded zero out of four possible achievement points and one out of four possible growth points.
“I would also like just to note, it is not short of our students across the board all trying their hardest, across the entire school” Pescitelli said. “That goes for each grade.”
In math, 40% of students met or exceeded expectations, which is a 10% decrease from 50% in spring 2024. The performance was graded zero out of four possible achievement points but two out of four possible growth points. In science, which is only administered to the fifth grade, 31% met or exceeded, and the performance was graded two achievement points.
Another piece for accountability is attendance data, which Pescitelli said has been pushed significantly.
“We’ve across-district advocated for this,” Pescitelli said. “We’ve been working with families across the district as well. I can only speak to what we’ve done at Mittineague from day one, from this school year, really ensuring that attendance was something at the forefront.”
Chronic absenteeism is when a student misses 10% or more of the school year, excused absence
or not. It did decrease from 20222023’s 20.4% to 11.8% in the 2023-2024 school year, but increased again to 20.2% in 20242025. The current attendance rate is at 93.1%, a slight decrease.
Pescitelli said it is an entire staff initiative, working with the school adjustment counsilor all the way to the clerk.
“We’re working together,” Pescitelli said. “We’re really trying to focus and develop strong relationships and maintain those relationships with our families and our kids, but really trying to support them — listening to their story, what they need, but then also sharing the importance of them coming in each and every day.”
Current strategies to tackle this are parents meetings with attendance success plans, school wide and classroom positive behavorial interventions and supports and community engagement events promoting the importance of attendance.
Pescitelli highlighted certain events that foster an inclusive school community, such as partnering with Artservatorey for programs that culminated into a community literacy night. Artservatorey is an organization from Framingham that strives to expand access and opportunity for children and youth to experience high quality creative and performing arts programming.
He also noted how the school develops a strong team through things like professional development and coaching, monthly staff gatherings, staff wellness challenges and celebrations of staff, students and community.
“You can hear it in the way I’m describing it this evening,” Pescitelli said. “Across the board from our PTO to our families to our parents, across the board, our children, our students … we are all in it for the same reason. We work together as a team.”
Gillen began with the 2025 accountability data for the middle
school. In 2024, 14% of the sixth grade exceeded expectations in ELA, which dropped to 7% for 2025. The percentage of the grade who partially met expectations did rise from 33% to 40% and meeting expectations stayed the same at 29%.
In math, students have been improving steadily since 2023, going from 20% meeting expectations to 36%.
“The work they’ve done since that 2023 year is a trend that I’m confident will continue as you look towards students moving out of that not meeting expectations proponent and moving into meeting expectations,” Gillen said. “We’re happy to see those results continue, we just need to continue to push for all students to make those achievement needs.”
The most growth was seen in the seventh grade for MCAS results. The percentage of the grade meeting expectations went up exponentially in both ELA and math, while the percentage not meeting expectations decreased as well. Exceeding expectations also increased 4% in ELA and 3% in math.
Gillen added that eighth grade did see some dips, especially in the percentage who met expectations in all three subjects. ELA went down 6%, math went down 11% and science went down 8%. The percentage not meeting expectations increased in all three subjects by 9% in ELA, 12% in math and 7% in science.
He said the school continues to struggle in overall achievement, which will be an area of focus. For all students, zero achievement points were awarded out of a possible 12. He noted gains made while working with
the lowest performing students, with three out of eight possibtle growth points and four out of eight achievement points.
Three out of four points were awarded as well in improving chronic absenteeism, which is at 1.3% of all students and has declined for the second year in a row. Office discipline referrals have also dropped 34% from 2024-2025, 42% from 2023-2024 and over 70% from 2022-2023.
“This is a great testament to the warm and welcoming environment that we try to provide,” Gillen said. “We’ve been working very, very hard to continue to have those numbers go in a positive direction.”
The school is in year two of providing full inclusion and small group sections for special education. Gillen said things have worked and growth has been seen in the lowest performing students.
“I want to pause for a minute and celebrate,” Gillen said. “It’s
been a long, hard road to start to see some of those upticks and we’re really starting to see them and I’m really, really happy about that programming that we offer.”
The school also offers targeted after school MCAS tutoring with teachers for specifically identified students to focus on preparing english and math skills. Gillen said there are more than a handful of students that participate.
“I am very proud, we’re working very hard, but I’m very, very proud of the work that our school has undertaken over the course of this year,” Gillen said. “It’s a big middle school, one of the biggest on this side of 495, but with a wonderful, wonderful staff, a wonderful community and folks working very hard to implement not just the new programs, but maintain the level of expectation in terms of how are students interact, how we support them and how we support our community, this year and continuing.”
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ery state college and university to review their bachelor’s degree programs to determine if they could be completed in three years by a full-time student. If or when schools submit applications to pilot three-year degrees, those ideas will be subject to approval of the Board of Higher Education.
Katie Castellani is a reporter for State House News Service and State Affairs Pro Massachusetts. Reach her at kcastellani@statehousenews.com.
West Springfield Middle School Principal Peter Gillen (left) and Mittineague Elementary Principal Michael Pescitelli (right) present the 2025 accountability and climate reports.
Photo credit: West Side Media
SKIING
On Feb 10, athletes from Agawam competed in the PVIAC Individual Ski Championships at Berkshire East in Charlemont.
Benjamin Grechka was Agawam’s top male finisher with a total time of 1:30.17.
Nathaniel Uricchio competes in the boys slalom.
Juliet Johnson posted a total time of 1:30.02 in her two races.
Lola Fleury skis the slalom course in 40.78 seconds.
Mitchell Haglund maneuvers through the slalom gates.
Lucia Larocque lines up the next gate
The Brownies Tessa Kowarsky speeds down the giant slalom.
Agawam’s Keelyn Brittain brushes past a slalom gate.
Operations Director: Curtis Panlilio
Executive Editor: Chris Maza
Managing Editors: Dennis Hackett, Ryan Feyre
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DiZoglio files audit law complaint with state court
By Sam Drysdale State House News Service
BOSTON — Auditor Diana DiZoglio sued top legislative leaders on Feb. 10, asking the Supreme Judicial Court to force compliance with the 2024 voter law authorizing audits of the Legislature.
That lawsuit, filed by DiZoglio with her office’s general counsel, Michael Leung-Tat, represents the first direct court action by the auditor to enforce Question 1. The law was approved by 72% of voters and granted her the authority to audit the Legislature, where DiZoglio previously served as a state representative and senator.
In the more than a year since the law took effect, legislative leaders have continued to refuse to turn over any documents, and DiZoglio hopes to force a constitutional clash before the state’s highest court.
In a verified complaint dated Feb. 10, DiZoglio wrote that she seeks “to enforce provisions of the state law — enacted over one year ago with the support of more than 72% of Massachusetts voters — requiring her office to audit the General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.” The complaint names House Speaker Ronald Mariano, Senate President Karen Spilka, House Clerk Timothy Carroll and Senate Clerk Michael Hurley as defendants.
The filing marks an escalation in a long dispute. The Legislature first blocked a proposed audit in 2023, arguing that existing law did not permit the auditor to examine the legislative branch. Voters amended the audit statute to state that the auditor shall “audit … the general court itself” and may “require the production of books, documents, vouchers and
other records relating to any matter within the scope of an audit.”
According to the complaint, DiZoglio moved quickly after the law took effect. On Jan. 3, 2025, she notified Mariano and Spilka that her office would conduct a performance audit of the House, Senate and joint legislative committees. Three days later, the Office of the State Auditor requested budgets, audits, balance forward transactions and records of settlement agreements for fiscal years 2021 through 2024.
“Defendants have refused to produce any documents,” the complaint states.
The auditor says she sought to audit “contracting and procurement procedures, the use of taxpayer-funded nondisclosure agreements and its balance forward line item,” describing those areas as high risk. The lawsuit alleges that neither chamber responded substantively to the document requests, with the Senate instead directing auditors to public websites that did not contain the requested information.
The filing also details months of back-and-forth between the auditor and the Attorney General’s Office, which traditionally represents state agencies in litigation. DiZoglio says she repeatedly asked Attorney General Andrea Campbell to bring suit on her behalf to compel compliance, beginning on Jan. 9, 2025.
“The OSA repeatedly sought the help of the AGO in enforcing the Document Requests,” the complaint states. It alleges that the attorney general’s office “declined to do so,” instead posing questions that had already been answered and raising hypothetical concerns about future audits.
The complaint accuses the attorney general’s office of “effectively obstruct[ing] the OSA’s
efforts to enforce the Document Requests through litigation” and concludes that by declining to represent the auditor or appoint a special assistant attorney general, the office “has acted arbitrarily and capriciously, or scandalously.”
Campbell has consistently rejected that characterization, maintaining that her office has not received sufficient information from the auditor about the scope of the proposed audit and the legal claims involved to proceed with litigation.
Two weeks ago, Campbell told the News Service, “We’ve not had any issue on any ballot question enforcement or any state agency or constitutional office. The only one we’ve had issues with was the auditor, and I think that’s telling in many ways.”
The relief DiZoglio is seeking from the SJC is straightforward but consequential: an order compelling the House and Senate to produce the requested documents and permission for the auditor to appoint special assistant attorneys general of her choosing to pursue the matter.
The lawsuit lands as the dispute has widened beyond the Legislature. In recent months, courts have cited a 2023 attorney general opinion to decline participation in certain audits sought by the auditor’s office, prompting DiZoglio to warn publicly of a broader retreat from transparency tied to the legislative impasse.
Legislative leaders, for their part, have continued to argue that a legislative audit by the state auditor would violate separation of powers principles, despite the voter-approved statutory change. They have pointed to annual audits conducted by private firms and have accused DiZoglio of pursuing a “political audit.”
Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Deaton on Feb. 9 sought to force legislative compliance with Question 1 through a separate legal theory. Deaton, an attorney, filed suit with the Supreme Judicial Court alongside a group of “taxable inhabitant plaintiffs,” arguing that the Legislature’s refusal to submit to an audit amounts to unlawful spending of public funds.
Deaton paired the lawsuit with a call for what he dubbed a “Democratic Accountability & Transparency (DAT) Squeeze,” urging federal officials to freeze certain discretionary federal grants to Massachusetts until the audit dispute is resolved. In a statement announcing the suit, Deaton said the audit is necessary to ensure “taxpayer dollars actually reach the people who need them most.”
In a lengthy post on X, Deaton said he had written to federal agencies including the Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. Department of Transportation seeking a pause on “non-essential, non-emergency discretionary Federal funding,” while carving out protections for programs like SNAP, Medicaid and emergency services.
The Deaton lawsuit adds another layer to a conflict that has already pitted constitutional officers against one another and drawn in outside political actors. Unlike DiZoglio’s case, which is rooted directly in the amended audit statute and seeks enforcement through the SJC, Deaton’s suit blends state-law claims with pressure aimed at the federal level.
Sam Drysdale is a reporter for State House News Service and State Affairs Pro Massachusetts. Reach her at sdrysdale@statehousenews.com.
SPRINGFIELD — Tickets arenow on sale for the 18th annual Difference Makers awards gala, hosted by BusinessWest. The event will take place on Tuesday, April 7 from 5:30-9 p.m. at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. Tickets cost $95 per person, and tables of 10-12 are available. They can be purchased at businesswest.com/ eventcalendar/difference-makers-2026-tickets/. The Difference Makers class of 2026 will be introduced in the February 16 issue of BusinessWest. This year’s honorees are:
• Ryan Alekman and Robert DiTusa, partners, Alekman DiTusa, LLC
• Rachelle Hannoush, director of Youth, Violence Prevention, and Court Support Programs, YWCA of Western Massachusetts
• Jess Miller, comedian and founder, The Kind Squad
• Darby O’Brien, owner, Darby
O’Brien Advertising
• Julie Quink, managing principal, Burkhart Pizzanelli, P.C.
• Edward Sokolowski, managing partner and wealth advisor, Pioneer Valley Financial Group Margaret Tantillo, executive director, O’Dell Women’s Center Zeno Temple, founder, Just Us Movement
The 18th annual Difference Makers program is sponsored by Burkart Pizzanelli, P.C., TommyCar Auto Group, and Westfield Bank.
BusinessWest launched the Difference Makers program in 2009 to recognize and celebrate the work of individuals, groups, businesses, and institutions that are positively impacting the communities of Western Massachusetts. As our honorees have shown, there are many ways to make a difference within our community, such as working on initiatives aimed at improving quality of life; succeeding in business, public service, or education; inspiring others to get involved; and making an imaginative effort to help solve societal issues.
Bombyx Brass Collective presents pre-spring
By Trent Levakis tlevakis@thereminder.com
NORTHAMPTON — The Bombyx Brass Collective is gearing up for its next show, a pre-spring concert called “Musical Flurries,” on Sunday, March 1 at 3 p.m. at the Bombyx Center in Florence.
The 35-member, semi-professional brass ensemble led by Music Director Juli Sansoucy was founded in January 2022 and plays a mix of musical genres from classical to jazz to pop.
Members include active and retired music teachers, working professional musicians and talented amateur musicians.
The pre-spring “Musical Flurries” show is just one of the group’s regularly scheduled programs. They aim to put on three per year at a minimum.
“Basically, it’s kind of a potpourri of different styles of music, different types of music, basically all 20th-century music, but definitely different genres,” said Ira Brezinsky, an organizer and member of the collective.
A donation of $25 is suggested for the concert, but admission to all Bombyx Brass performances is free of charge, and donations are always accepted. To learn more about this upcoming event, as well as all the other programming at the Bombyx Center, visit www.bombyx.live.
The diverse, family-friendly program features two original works for brass choir: the iconic “Symphony for Brass and Percussion” by Alfred Reed and “Overture in F Minor” by Jean Sibelius. The concert will also include well-known music from John Williams and Hans Zimmer, and standards from the rock
SPRINGFIELD — On Saturday, Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. Young@Heart and Hope Center for the Arts are proud to present “Hope and Glory,” a show that will combine the Hope for the future as represented by the Hope Center’s students, faculty and staff at the newly renovated center at 150 Bridge St. in Springfield. The Glory represents the life and times of the recently deceased Evelyn Harris, who was a member of Young@ Heart for the last 2.5 years of her life and who had such a magnificent impact in our region, nation and the world.
Special guests for the show will include:
Members of Sweet Honey in the Rock, an all-female, African American a cappella ensemble that started in 1973. They are a three-time Grammy Award-nominated troupe who express their history as black women through song, dance and sign language. Evelyn Harris was a member of the group from 1974-1992. Yasmeen Betty Williams is an American gospel singer and former member of the Sweet Honey in the Rock from 1976 to 1986. Williams grew up during the gospel explosion in Washington, D.C. As a youth, she received her training in gospel music from her cousin, Dr. Shirley AblesStarks of the Joy Gospel Singers and her aunt, Vara Simpson, the founder of two gospel groups –The Service Gospel Singers and The Spiritualettes, who were often featured on the Metro D.C. WOOK Radio Station for early Sunday Morning worship. After meeting in Sweet Honey in the 70’s, Yasmeen remained Evelyn’s most cherished friend for the remainder of her life.
Kayla Staley is the director of vocal ensemble at the Hope
group Chicago.
Brezinsky said the show’s first section of performances is very well known among brass players and brass music fans.
“It will be an exciting piece. The middle movement is really beautiful. The first and the third movements are just super exciting, a lot of percussion. Just big, big sound,” said Brezinsky. “‘The Overture in F Minor’ is also an original piece for brass, which is kind of cool because oftentimes, we’re playing transcriptions and arrangements for brass that are normally played on different instruments. It’s also something that really demonstrates really solid, nice brass writing and playing.”
Brezinsky added that the process of transcription pieces of music to fit the brass collective’s form can be challenging, but often leads to interesting adaptations of beloved work for audiences.
“Trying to get the right kind of sound, sometimes just the technique is different. It can be challenging, but it’s also interesting. Sometimes, if we’re playing something that’s super well known, like the Chicago tunes — those were obviously originally written and played for a rock band with horns, but also a vocalist and that sort of thing. So, the arrangements we’re playing have to be switched up to accommodate our instrumentation. It’s just a different take, oftentimes, on music that people are familiar with and hearing it a different way,” explained Brezinsky.
Brezinsky said the show’s second half is the lighter side. Performances will feature wellknown movie themes and more Brass Collective adapted performances of music from the rock
band, Chicago, with percussion accompaniment.
“I suppose the reason for making it such a diverse program is because we’re doing it on a Sunday afternoon. Hopefully making it really attractive for families and young kids who will be interested in different types of music and keep their attention,” added Brezinsky.
Brezinsky said he hopes to see another great turnout for the Brass Collective’s March 1 “Musical Flurries” show, and expressed gratitude for the Bombyx Center for their partnership in helping them bring these performances to the community.
“We love to play for an audience. More often than not, the audience we get at the Bombyx Center is pretty good. A couple of hundred people might typically show up for one of our shows and having a pretty full house to play for is very gratifying. Most of our concerts that we do, we don’t get
paid for. Whatever we collect at the door or in advance in terms of donations, [it] all just goes back into the pot to purchase music or equipment, advertising, that sort of thing,” said Brezinsky. “We haven’t been around all that long, but we’ve developed a little bit of a following. We always see new faces, but we also see a lot of faces returning time after time, people that just appreciate and enjoy the kind of music and the kind of sound that we have.”
Other Bombyx Brass Collective happenings
The Bombyx Brass Collective will also feature as performers on a parade float during this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Holyoke. About eight to 10 members will perform class horn band music on one of the floats throughout the parade route.
Aside from the show and parade, Brezinsky also emphasized the group’s established special
program, where they visit public schools throughout the region to share their talents and enthusiasm for music with students of all ages. The one-day program provides guidance to students during the school day and gives public performances in those communities the same evening.
Since 2023, the collective has visited music students in Holyoke, Monson, South Hadley, Sturbridge, Westfield and Wilbraham. Coming up on April 2, the Bombyx Brass Collective will partner with Enfield Public Schools to visit with middle and high school music students during the day before putting on a community show that evening.
For more information and to inquire about having the Bombyx Brass Collective come to your community, school or organization, email bombyxbrass@gmail.com.
Center’s after school. Kayla is a bright fireball of energy based in Springfield Massachusetts. A thriving freelance soul vocal artist,
The Bombyx Brass Collective.
Reminder Publishing file photo
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