About

Founded in 2015, Berkshire Educational Resources K12 (BERK12) is a group of local educators, business and nonprofit leaders, school leaders, and community members dedicated to strengthening PreK-12 education in Berkshire County, MA. BERK12 came together to address challenges such as long-term enrollment declines, strained school finances, and disparities in educational opportunity. Through collaborative efforts, we are addressing the challenges of being a largely rural region and have created a model that can be replicated. Berkshire Community College serves as fiscal sponsor for BERK12.

Mission

BERK12's mission is to support Berkshire County school districts and educators by collaboratively offering solutions to short and long-term issues, in order to promote high quality public education, which all children deserve, regardless of background or circumstance.

Who We Are

 
 

  • Current Board Members

    • William Cameron (Chair) - Superintendent, School Committee 

    • Andrea Wadsworth (Vice-Chair) - Vice President of Finance and Administration - BCC, Lee School Committee

    • Ellen Kennedy - President of BCC, Various Committees Across Community

    • Will Singleton - Retired Educator, Pittsfield NAACP

    • Tom Matuszko - Executive Director, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission

    • Cindy Brown - Associate Commissioner of Regulatory and Veterans Affairs

    • Robert Vaughan - Chair, Lenox School Committee

    • Peter Dillon - Superintendent, Berkshire Hills Regional School District

    • Michael Case - Central Berkshire Regional School Committee Member

    • Brian Fairbank - Chair, Fairbank Group

    • Jason (Jake) McCandless - Superintendent, Pittsfield Public Schools

    • John Hockridge - Former Chair and Committee Member 

    • Nat Karns - Former BRPC Executive Director

    • Carl Stewart - Former Southern Berkshire Regional School District School Committee

    • Ginger Armstrong - Founder of the Berkshire Educator's Action Network and Lee Educators Association President

    • Jonathan Butler - President and CEO, 1Berkshire

    • Vanessa Wassenar – Williamstown - Consultant - Education and Nonprofits

    • Dennis Sears - Southern Berkshire Regional School Committee Member

    • Shawn Armacost - Former Chair, Central Berkshire Regional School Committee

    • Lisa Donovan - Professor MCLA

  • H. Jake Eberwein - Project Director

    Brendan Sheran - Project Manager

    Bill Ballen - Project Facilitator

    Judy Rush - Project Facilitator/Professional Development

    Lisa Donovan - BRAINworks

    Rob Putnam - Research Facilitator

    Abrahams Group - Finance

    Catherine McKeen - Grants/Funding

    Mary Nash - Public Relations/Research

    Open Architect, Dashboard

    Alexander Designworks, Website

    Content specialists have included: Ken Rocke, Sarah Carleton, Frank Cote, Rich Labrie, Mark Maloy, Josh Shaw, Ann Tupper, Jim Ayres, Russell Dupere, Dave King, Joyce Butler, Parker Elmore, Stacey Schultze, Ellen Sutherland, Christina Hunt-Wood, a number of student interns

    Plus…Many content specialists, state associations and groups, individual district leads and participants

  • Partner Districts 2025-2026: The following school districts are partners with BERK12

    • Berkshire Hills Regional School District

    • Berkshire Arts and Technology Public Charter School (BART)

    • Central Berkshire Regional School District

    • Farmington River Regional

    • Hoosac Valley Regional School District

    • Lee Public Schools

    • Lenox Public Schools

    • North Adams Public Schools

    • Northern Berkshire School Union

    • Pittsfield Public Schools

    • Richmond Consolidated School

  • We are grateful for the support and involvement of our local and statewide partners:

    Barr Foundation
    Berkshire Community Action Council
    Berkshire Community College
    Berkshire County’s school districts
    Berkshire Legislative Delegation
    Berkshire Regional Planning Commission
    Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation
    Berkshire United Way
    Commonwealth of Massachusetts/Community Compact Funding
    Feigenbaum Foundation
    Gilson Family Foundation
    Lee Bank
    Massachusetts Association of School Committees
    Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
    Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care
    Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
    Massachusetts Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Funding
    Massachusetts Teachers Association
    MassHire Workforce Board
    Mill Town Capital
    National Endowment for the Arts
    Williams College

    BERK12 is funded by state grants, foundations, private donations, and contributions from school districts. Berkshire Community College serves as fiscal sponsor.

A Video introduction to BERK12

 
 
“I really commend and appreciate the teachers and education
professionals of Berkshire County taking the time to make sure that
we’re the best we can be and doing it together.”
— MA State Senator Paul Mark