Berkshire Hills School Committee Ratifies Two Labor Contracts Covering Non-Teaching Staff

LENOX — April 16, 2026 — Berkshire Hills School Committee unanimously ratifies two labor contracts and a Richmond tuition deal. The committee voted 7-0 on April 16 to approve a Unit C contract covering paraprofessionals and administrative assistants — setting a new $20-per-hour starting wage and raises of $1.80, 80 cents, and $1 in successive years — and a cooperative group contract covering custodians, food service, maintenance, and technology staff, each receiving $1-per-hour annual increases plus a clothing allowance increase from $250 to $300. Both contracts add 20 days of paid parental leave and expanded vacation schedules. The committee also approved a three-year tuition agreement with Richmond Consolidated School at 4 percent annual increases. Superintendent Richard Dohoney, whose negotiating team was assisted by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, described the contracts as bringing language across the district's three bargaining units to their most parallel alignment yet — a foundation for upcoming negotiations with the teachers' union. Four students from the county's Prevention Needs Assessment coalition presented 2025 survey data showing 91 percent of students report stress from school issues and 62 percent have not accessed mental health services.