[Added 1-27-2026 by Ord. No. 1333[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This article, adopted as Art. LVI, was renumbered to fit the organization of the Code.
There is hereby established and constituted a commission on school building needs, to be called the School Building Needs Commission, hereinafter referred to as the "Commission."
The Commission shall consist of 19 members all serving for a term of five years with staggered appointments.
A. 
Seven of the members shall be appointed by the Mayor, subject to approval of the City Council, including one community member with architectural or engineering experience, and one community member with construction experience.
B. 
Five of the members shall be appointed by the Superintendent of schools, subject to the approval of the School Committee. Three of which from the professional staff of the school system and one shall be appointed from the parent teacher organizations or similar bodies as established at the various schools of the City of Pittsfield.
C. 
Seven members will serve on the Commission due to the nature of their position or role:
(1) 
The Mayor.
(2) 
Superintendent of Schools.
(3) 
A member of the School Committee, elected by the School Committee.
(4) 
A member of the City Council appointed by the President and confirmed by the City Council.
(5) 
Director of Maintenance.
(6) 
Purchasing Agent.
(7) 
Local Budget Official, either the Director of Finance or School Finance Director.
Excepting the seven members who shall serve so long as they hold office, the terms of initial appointment shall be for one, two, three, four or five years and must be so arranged so that approximately the terms of 1/5 of the members will expire each year. After the expiration of the initial appointments, each member shall serve a term of five years. Except for the initial members appointed to a five-year term, three members of which shall be appointed by the Mayor and two appointed by the Superintendent of schools, one member appointed to each initial term shall be appointed by the Mayor, and one member shall appointed by the Superintendent of Schools. Vacancies in the Commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments.
The Mayor shall have the authority, with the approval of the City Council, to discharge the Commission, or, to remove any of the Mayoral appointees. The School Superintendent shall have the authority, with the approval of the School Committee, to remove any School Superintendent appointees. Any of the additional members serving due to the nature of their position or role may be removed and replaced by their respective appointing authority at any time.
The members of the Commission, in accordance with Article 10, Section 10-6(a), of the City Charter, serve without compensation. The Superintendent of Schools serves as a co-chair of the Commission. The Commission shall elect from its members one co-chair and a secretary at the first meeting of the Commission after January 1 of each year. Each person so elected shall serve for a term of one year or until their successor shall be duly elected and qualified.
A. 
The Commission shall establish a subcommittee consisting of four students, two elected from each of the City's high school student councils, who shall provide input on the building project to the Commission by meeting quarterly with the co-chairs of the Commission. The students shall be elected at the beginning of each academic year and shall serve for that academic year.
B. 
The Commission may establish such other subcommittees for the duration of a building project as it deems necessary. Membership on subcommittees will be determined by the Commission. Subcommittee members who are not members of the Commission shall not be voting members of the Commission. A member of the commission shall chair each established subcommittee.
The Commission shall submit reports, recommendations, plans, and other official documents to the School Committee for its review prior to the submission of such reports, recommendations, plans and other official documents to the Mayor and City Council for action.
This Commission shall comply with the requirements for school building committees as established from time to time by the Massachusetts School Building Authority, or other applicable guidelines or statutes, and this ordinance shall be amended as needed.
The Commission shall meet as often as its business may warrant or require. Regular or special meetings may be called by the Chair, Co-Chair or any three members of the Committee. In accordance with Article 10, Section 10-6(b), of the City Charter, the Commission shall make rules governing its meetings.
All present and future members of the Commission shall be classified as "special municipal employes" as that term is defined by MGL c. 268A, § 1(n), as amended. Such classification shall apply to Commission members only in the performance of their powers and duties as outlined in Chapter 2, Article LV, of the Code of the City of Pittsfield.