Somerset-Berkeley School Committee Elects Ferreira Chair, Bypasses Pasternak for Vice Chair Over Training Lapse

SOMERSET — June 16, 2026 — Somerset-Berkeley Regional School Committee elects new leadership, bypasses member over missed state training. The committee unanimously elected Kim Ferreira as chair at its June 16 reorganization meeting, then voted five to one to seat Robert Gaw as vice chair over member John Pasternak after outgoing Chair Ellen Andrews argued that Pasternak's failure to complete eight hours of state-mandated orientation — required under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 71, Section 36A within one year of appointment and now roughly four months overdue — made him unsuitable for a leadership role. "I don't know how we sit across the table with the STA when we go to bargain with them and say that we're going to hold them accountable for meeting their professional obligations, but we're not holding ourselves to that same standard," Andrews said. Pasternak said a snowplow collision had left him without a car for three months and work travel blocked other attempts; he is registered for a Sturbridge training session this weekend. Superintendent Jeffrey Schoonover reported the state is expected to announce new graduation requirements June 17, including a two-year world language mandate affecting the class of 2031 — a change that will require Somerset-Berkeley to expand language staffing by fall 2028.