Read or listen to Berne-Knox-Westerlo Board of Education incumbent Nathan Elble’s responses to questions from The Enterprise about the school’s budget; the relationship between a school board, district superintendent, and taxpayers; and what issues will be most critical to the district in the next three years.

As they each seek re-election to the Berne-Knox-Westerlo Board of Education unchallenged, Nathan Elble and Kimberly Lovell spoke with The Enterprise about their views on the school’s budget; the relationship between a school board, district superintendent, and taxpayers; and what issues will be most critical to the district in the next three years. 

Faced with potentially drastic cuts in future state aid, the majority of candidates favored renegotiating contracts rather than cutting school programs in Guilderland.

GUILDERLAND — Blanca Parker says she appreciates the education she got in the Guilderland schools and she’s running for the school board both because she wants to give back and because she thinks she can help make improvements.

GUILDERLAND — Luciano Alonzi says his recent firsthand experience as a Guilderland student gives him insights other board members may not have. At 22, he’s making his first run for school board.

He says he’s “seen the system from the inside.”

GUILDERLAND — Benjamin Goes says the best thing he’s ever done is volunteer with Guilderland High School’s E = mc2 program, helping students with individual projects. “It inspired me to be more involved with the schools and to find more ways to support students so I decided to run for school board,” he said.

In the midst of the pandemic, Governor Andrew Cuomo softened election requirements; candidates now need to collect only 30 percent of the statutory threshold. Michelle Hinchey, a Democratic candidate for the state Senate’s 46th District, is challenging the petition her Democratic opponent for the nomination, Gary Greenberg, had submitted. Greenberg suggested that the challenge is emblematic of insider-versus-outsider politics.

On Saturday, New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, called on the State of New York to take steps to ensure eligible New York voters can take part in the scheduled April 28 Democratic presidential primary, as well as a handful of additional special elections around the state on that date, without risking the spread of the coronavi

On March 8, Gary Greenberg called for a change in petitioning after a Guilderland woman, an American citizen of Chinese descent who was circulating his nominating periton, was verbally assaulted.

A primary will allow Guilderland’s Democratic committee to “harness the energy of more and more Democrats,” committee Chairman Jacob Crawford said Monday night in explaining to the committee why he would be voting to change from a caucus system to a primary.