About the Board of Education
The Berne-Knox-Westerlo School District Board of Education is a five-member board elected by the community to establish policy and direct the administration of the district’s schools. Board members are given the charge of exercising the community’s rights to citizen control over public education. Members of the BKW school board serve three-year terms.
Meetings
Regular board meetings are conducted in the Elementary School cafeteria and are usually held at 7 p.m. on select Mondays. Check the meeting schedule for more information. Board minutes and agendas are posted to BoardDocs.
Meetings are also livestreamed on Google Meet. Community members have an opportunity to speak on issues concerning them during the time set aside for “privilege of the floor,” and are asked to complete and return to District Clerk Anne Farnam a Privilege of the Floor Sign Up Form. The Google Meet links are posted on the Meeting Schedule page alongside each meeting date. They are also recorded and posted to YouTube for later viewing.
Individuals or groups may request to put an item on the agenda by contacting the superintendent’s office no later than Wednesday prior to the meeting.
Board members often recognize individuals and groups for their contributions to BKW schools. View these accolades.
Policies
Policies adopted by the BKW Board of Education are public documents, and are available online.
If you would like to review the policy book in person, call the district office at 872-1293 to make an appointment.
Running for the School Board
Petitions to nominate candidates for the office of member of the board of education are available to qualified district residents and may be picked up at the Superintendent’s Office, 1738 Helderberg Trail, Berne, N.Y. 12023 between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Applicants must also meet the requirements to be a member of a board of education:
- Must be able to read and write (§2102).
- Must be a qualified voter of the district; that is, a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years of age or older, and not adjudged to be incompetent (§§2102, 2012, 2507(7); Elec. Law §5-106(6)). Note: a convicted felon is barred from running for a seat on a school board if his/her maximum prison sentence has not expired or if he/she has not been pardoned or discharged from parole (Elec. Law §5-106(2)-(4)).
- Must be and have been a resident (but need not be a taxpayer) of the district for a continuous and uninterrupted period of at least one year immediately before the election (§§2105, 2502(7), (9)(d).
- May not have been removed from any school district office within the preceding year (§2103(2)).
- May not reside with another member of the same school board as a member of the same family (§2103(3).
- May not simultaneously hold another incompatible public office (Matter of Schoch & Betheil, 21 ED Dept. Rep 300 (1981).
School board elections are held each year on the third Tuesday in May. For more information, contact the BKW district office at (518) 872-1293.