BERNE — An educator in the Middleburgh school district, Kim Lovell says she sees many parallels between the school she teaches in and the school she sends her child to, Berne-Knox-Westerlo.

The BKW Board of Education appointed Lovell at its latest board meeting. She will replace Sue Schanz, who resigned from the board in January, without explanation after six months in office.

Lovell was sworn in at the board’s meeting on Feb. 16 and joined the board for the rest of the session.

A graduate of the State University of New York College at Oneonta, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in general education, and of the University at Albany, where she earned a dual master’s degree in literacy and special education, Lovell has been teaching for the past nine years, first at Cairo-Durham in special education, and now at Middleburgh, where she is a literacy specialist.

“I’ve always enjoyed working with children and making a difference with children,” said Lovell. “I chose special education and literacy because of the need for special ed teachers.”

Lovell has three children, an infant, a toddler, and a kindergarten student at Berne-Knox-Westerlo Elementary. She moved to East Berne about a year-and-a-half ago, she said.

She put her name in to be appointed, she said, because she wanted to make a difference in education.

“Since I’ve been a teacher, I’ve felt a drive to do something more,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to be on the board.”

She said her goal is to run in May to keep her seat.

“What a great way to introduce myself to the town and the school district,” she added.

As a board member, she said she would like to put the students first, and drive to increase whatever is needed, be it funding, curriculum, professional development, or better technology.

She added that her background both as a teacher and a parent will serve a role while she is on the board. Adding that, although she does not want to prioritize any group, supporting teachers and staff will in turn support the students they teach.

“I think I would also represent the parents in the community,” she said, explaining that one of the main reasons she put her name in was her children. “Of course I want the best education for my children,” she said.

Poverty, she said, can affect a child’s academic performance. The number of BKW students receiving free or reduced-price lunches, a measure of poverty, has recently risen to 40 percent.

Lovell said that she felt that poverty is being addressed by the school through its different programs, and said that this continued with both school and community support.

Lovell said that she is “very excited” about the school’s capital project.

“I think it’s a necessity that we update our schools,” she said. “Schools are a thing that drive families to our area.”

Lovell noted that she sees many similarities between Middleburgh and BKW, and even Cairo-Durham, in demographics, a rural setting, and a small-town community that is very supportive.

She says she hopes her role as a teacher in Middleburgh and Cairo-Durham will benefit her role on the board.

“A lot of times you see people making decisions who aren’t in the classroom,” she said. “I think having the eyes of the educator can help.”

She added that she enjoys being in a small-town community, saying she sees it where she works but also in BKW.

“I’m very happy to bring my children there,” she said of BKW. “I could bring them with me to Middleburgh, but I choose not to.”