Business is elementary for Mr. Holmes



BERNE — Yesterday morning, Timothy Holmes, the new business administrator for the Berne-Knox-Westerlo schools, was getting acquainted with his new job and the area as he prepared to meet in the afternoon with architects about the school’s renovation project.

Holmes, 44, began working for BKW on Jan. 14, replacing David Weiser, who was hired as BKW’s business administrator in the fall of 2006. Weiser left BKW in the summer for a position at the larger suburban Bethlehem Central School District.

Holmes will earn $93,000 annually.

Originally from Binghamton, Holmes received his certification in school business administration from the State University of New York College at Brockport in May. Holmes was previously a business manager for Candor Central School District, a rural district where he worked for six-and-a-half years. Before that, Holmes worked at Susquehanna Valley schools for three-and-a-half years as a business accountant.

Holmes is married and has two sons and two daughters. His 25-year-old son attends SUNY New Paltz. His daughters, ages 17 and 12, and 14-year-old son attend Chenango Valley schools.

Holmes’s family is currently living in Chenango Bridge (Broome County), and he is living in South Westerlo.
"I didn’t want to pull [my oldest daughter] out of her senior year. So we’re going to let her graduate. Then my family will move up here. We’ll be looking for a home at that point," Holmes said.

His 14-year-old son, he said, is a good athlete and plays both football and baseball.
"I promised him that he would attend a school that has a good football program and a baseball program, so...we’re still getting an idea as to where we’re going to live," Holmes said. BKW has no football team.

When searching for a job, he and his wife were looking at the lower Hudson Valley up through the Albany area because they love the mountains, he said.
"Then this district came up on the Internet," said Holmes. "Then we kind of scoped out the area. We’re near Albany, which is a definite benefit, but we’re also in the mountains...So I came and applied and fell in love with the area."
Asked about his first impression of BKW, Holmes said, "The school itself — I love the school. I come from a rural school so I’m used to that. People have been very helpful, very nice, very professional. So far, my impression’s been very good."
The biggest challenge facing BKW is the high number of special-needs students, "which is very costly to the district," he said. "And, basically, that’s out of our hands as far as the cost, but is a concern to me because of costs to the district."

BKW currently transports 33 special-needs students to 24 different schools, said BKW Superintendent Steven Schrade. This year, BKW did not develop a new special-education program, but one is in the planning stages, which would keep two, three, or four students at home, Schrade said.

Asked why David Weiser left the district, Schrade said Weiser had indicated that, though he had been a business administrator at two other school districts before he was hired at BKW, he had started a family, and all the responsibilities were more than he was able to take on. Weiser is now an assistant business administrator at Bethlehem, Schrade said, in a larger district.

BKW had had a long-time business administrator, Perry Kane, for decades followed by a period of short-term administrators.

A shortfall in revenue in the school’s budget was discovered in 1999 by Stephen Bangert, who left the district in January of 2000 for the Hoosic Valley School District. BKW then hired Gregory Diefenbach as its business administrator. Asked if he is concerned about a shortfall recurring, Schrade said a shortfall only occurred once, in the 1999-2000 school year, and had not occurred before then or since.
"I have absolutely no concerns at this time," Schrade said.
Asked what guides the budget process, Holmes said, "I think the most important thing is keeping the taxes low without hurting your program. I think that’s key.
"In a lot of districts, we’re overtaxed so we have to be very mindful of the taxpayer. But also, you want to make sure you have the best program possible. So, you don’t want to cut teachers or do any of that kind of stuff," he said.
"You want make sure you maintain a good education for the community because," Holmes said, "a lot of times, in rural districts, the community revolves around the school district — the school district is the main employer and the main focus of the town."