Chicopee School Committee Endorses $106.7 Million Berry School Rebuild
School Committee · Meeting of September 17, 2026
Chicopee School Committee endorses $106.7 million Berry Elementary rebuild, rejects immigration policy. The committee voted 9-0 to endorse the final design and budget for a new Anna E. Berry Elementary School, presented by architect Bertram Gardner of Kaelin Binnick Associates, with an estimated $56.6 million in state MSBA reimbursement; the City Council bonding vote is expected in early October.
Gardner warned that a four-year delay would add roughly $64 million to the project. In a closer vote, the committee rejected a Massachusetts PROTECT Act policy governing school interactions with civil immigration enforcement, 6-2-1, two votes short of the eight needed, after member Ron Bernard asked, "Are we willing to take that one in a million chance?" Separately, the committee voted 9-0 to ask the City Council to make Academy Street one-way during school hours to address traffic hazards at DuPont Middle School.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,203 words
Source: the School Committee meeting of September 17, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Keep reading with a 30-day free trial
Subscribe to Hampden County News to keep reading this post and get 30 days of free access to the full post archives.
Starting a trial requires a payment method. After 30 free days your subscription begins at the price shown at checkout and renews automatically until you cancel. You can cancel anytime from your account. Subscription terms
A subscription gets you:
- Subscriber-only posts and full archive
- Post comments and join the community
- 24x7 access to local news