Sep 25, 2026 · 10 min · 6 segments
School consolidations and closures are surging because of shrinking enrollment. Communities in the Berkshires and Marlborough, Vermont have experienced this in recent years.Listen to Northeast…
Sam DingmanHostMy name is Abigail
Ayala.
This is
first year in this school.
On April 9th, 2026, parents of students at the Morningside Community School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, lined up at the microphone to speak against the planned closure of the elementary school.
Abigail Ayala spoke to the Pittsfield School Committee with the help of a translator.
Closing the school is going to be really hard for all the students, and it's going to stop the development of each of them in the transition between schools, take away from the friends, and all these transitions is going to be really difficult process for the kids.
My youngest boy, he's nine years old, and he's on the autism spectrum.
And I think changing him from where he's going right now would be very detrimental to him.
He's terrified of getting on a bus, and for us, just transportation.
I work all day, and I think that the school should remain open.
Days after parents and other city residents pleaded to keep Morningside Community School open, the Pittsfield School Committee voted to close it at the end of the academic year.
According to the district, the decision to close the school in one of the city's most under-resourced communities... was driven by student performance, the condition of the building, and ensuring a beneficial learning environment and equitable access to resources.
But it's also part of a pattern that's being seen across the Northeast as school districts face declining enrollment, aging infrastructure, and other funding challenges.
My name is Abigail
Ayala.
This is
first year in this school.
On April 9th, 2026, parents of students at the Morningside Community School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, lined up at the microphone to speak against the planned closure of the elementary school.
Abigail Ayala spoke to the Pittsfield School Committee with the help of a translator.
Closing the school is going to be really hard for all the students, and it's going to stop the development of each of them in the transition between schools, take away from the friends, and all these transitions is going to be really difficult process for the kids.
My youngest boy, he's nine years old, and he's on the autism spectrum.
And I think changing him from where he's going right now would be very detrimental to him.
He's terrified of getting on a bus, and for us, just transportation.
I work all day, and I think that the school should remain open.
Days after parents and other city residents pleaded to keep Morningside Community School open, the Pittsfield School Committee voted to close it at the end of the academic year.
According to the district, the decision to close the school in one of the city's most under-resourced communities... was driven by student performance, the condition of the building, and ensuring a beneficial learning environment and equitable access to resources.
But it's also part of a pattern that's being seen across the Northeast as school districts face declining enrollment, aging infrastructure, and other funding challenges.
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