Forty gather to help map BKW's future

The Enterprise — Melissa Hale-Spencer

“Organized chaos” is how Matthew Tedeschi, center, describes the after-school “free-for-all” his children had experienced as high school athletes. “It was not conducive to getting your homework done,” he said. Parent Kelly Lendrum, left, listens. High School Principal Marna McMorris, right, responded, “I would love extended supervision.”

BERNE — A public forum drew two score people, including all five school board candidates, to the Berne-Knox-Westerlo High School cafeteria on Monday night to help the superintendent set a course for the future of the rural district — a district with declining enrollment and a nearly non-existent commercial tax base that has seen frequent leadership turnover in recent years.

The school board currently has two vacant seats out of five. That’s because Vasilios Lefkaditis was elected Knox town supervisor and Earl Barcomb was elected as a Knox councilman. Although they resigned from their school board posts to take their town offices, both Lefkaditis and Barcomb attended Monday’s forum.

Petitions for candidates seeking election were due on Jan. 25; five district residents are running for the two seats, the most contested race in recent years. Denise Robinson, the school board’s clerk, listed the candidates in the order in which they will appear on the Feb. 23 ballot: Ed Ackroyd, Nathan Elble, Matthew Tedeschi, Maryellen Gillis, and Amy Damin.

Although the school board has not yet officially accepted the petitions, Robinson said they all appear to be valid, each with 25 signatures or more.

The top vote-getter will fill out Lefkaditis’s term, which expires on June 30, 2017, and the second-place candidate will fill out Barcomb’s term, which ends on June 30 of this year.

Defining dreams

Residents were divided into five groups for literal round-table discussions meant to illicit “the hopes and dreams of this community,” said Superintendent Timothy Mundell, new this school year, replacing two year-long interim superintendents.

“We’ve been through a rocky period over the last five or six years with changeover of leadership,” Mundell told the gathering. “I’m staying...It’s hard for me to work without a plan.”

He asked the participants, “What’s the road map?…What are the priorities?…Bring your best ideas to the table.”

The forum was not the place to discuss personal issues or money, he said. Mundell urged, “Let’s identify our greatest hopes and dreams and figure out what we can do…to accomplish those goals.”

He concluded, “Greatness doesn’t have to cost money. It’s about human capital.”

Facilitators from the Board Of Cooperative Educational Services circulated from table to table, paired with BKW administrators to elicit ideas on a list of topics.

Midway through the session, William DeVoe, a BOCES publicist who organized the event, addressing the topic of culture and climate, asked at a table, “How does the community feel about the school district? How do students feel?”

DeVoe said he had gathered that students in the elementary school in Berne have “a good sense of pride” but that the attitude of a secondary student could be characterized as, “What do you expect from me? I’m only from Berne.”

“That pisses me off,” said Nathan Elble. “I liked my time here. I brought my kids back.” He has two children in first grade and one in third grade at the BKW elementary school.

He went on, “I don’t feel, when I was here, that was the pervasive attitude. We were proud.”

Marlene Tiffany, a long-time teacher at the elementary school, now retired, suggested that pride is instilled early, at the elementary school. She urged bringing back the morning show where different classes would perform.

As the discussion unfurled, DeVoe took notes and made occasional prompts. “There’s been volatility here the past few years,” he said.

Michael Swain suggested, “Let the students have more sway.”

“So they are the ones to improve the climate?” asked Tiffany.

Swain nodded, yes.

 

The Enterprise — Melissa Hale-Spencer
“Bring resources to the school,” urges Richard Umholtz, left, recommending that volunteers could provide after-school activities at Berne-Knox-Westerlo. Michael Swain, right, listens during a forum Monday at the high school.

 

Similar discussions took place around the room, creating a low hum of constant conversation.

Hopes and dreams came in many forms. Right at the start, Jessica Barcomb said, “I have wanted a vegetable garden at the school for a long time.” This idea was embraced by others at her table who shared their knowledge of nearby schools with successful gardening programs that taught lessons in subjects like biology as well as in charter traits like generosity as some schools donate food to the needy.

At that same table, later in the evening, Amy Damin spoke of the advantages of more distance learning to increase opportunities for college credits.

At another table, Maryellen Gillis, an educator who also acts as the coordinator of youth activities in the town of Knox, spoke about the school social worker being stretched thin, with time to work only with students who have had their needs identified.

Gillis said student needs are not being met and that a child who, for example, loses his temper “impacts everyone.”

“I would like to see an active counseling program that could be tailored to the individual child,” Gillis said.

Anne Payne spoke of a program BKW students had been involved in, Point Break, where “children speak to each other on their own level.”

Concerns were also raised about the many advanced courses that had been cut to save money, which hurt students’ chances of being admitted to certain college programs.

At another table, Assistant Principal Annette Landry spoke of the wonders of field trips, before budget cuts, that would help young students envision their careers. “Everything stopped,” she said.

At a fifth table, it was explained that all students hear BOCES presentations on Career Technical Education, with programs that teach trades, and on New Visions, in which students can explore careers in fields like law or medicine.

At the first table, after a discussion on the importance of extracurricular activities, Earl Barcomb said, “With a positive high school experience, they want to come back to the community…Some go to top-notch colleges, some kids like to work with their hands. That’s the challenge of a small district.”

 

The Enterprise — Melissa Hale-Spencer
Let’s identify our greatest hopes and dreams,” urges Berne-Knox-Westerlo Superintendent Timothy Mundell at the start of a public forum on Monday.

 

Super’s view

Mundell said on Wednesday that he was pleased with the turnout — “40 people in the dead of winter” — and felt it represented a cross-section of the community, including experienced participants as well as new voices.

He’ll read the notes typed up by the BOCES facilitators, he said, which will also be posted to the district’s website. Referring to DeVoe, he said, “I’ll work with Bill to make sense of ideas.” He also is looking at templates from other districts.

When asked the cost of the planning project, DeVoe told The Enteprise the school board had authorized spending up to $4,000. "To date," he wrote in an email, "including Monday night's community forum, the district has expended approximately $1,000."

Mundell left the room for the discussion period of Monday’s forum. “I like to be absent for authenticity,” he explained on Wednesday. “The tendency is to say what you think the boss wants to hear.”

Similarly, he plans to have DeVoe “facilitate conversations” with various school leaders in academic departments as well as, for example, with the transportation department.

Mundell went on a listening tour when he arrived in the Hilltowns this summer. “I’ve heard about the importance of consistency and stability regardless of the constituency,” he said. “I can be flexible and understand diverse needs. But, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

Planning allows people to focus their energy and talents, he said. “We can try to be proactive with our resources, to budget in alignment with goals, hopes, and dreams.”

He believes with the recent shift in state attitudes on Common Core Standards and teacher evaluations there is a “window of opportunity...so we can have some local control.”

He has a vision for the district, Mundell said, so that people across the community feel ownership. “It’s not just the administrator of the day imposing his views,” he said.

Every year, Mundell said, he plans in the summertime to present the school board with a list of goals for board approval “so in September we have a shared purpose.”

“As an old football coach,” Mundell said of himself, “You come out with a game plan...then alter things based on what you see on the field.”


Updated on Jan. 28: Information on the cost of the planning project was added on Jan. 28 when William DeVoe responded with the information.

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