BERNE — The Berne-Knox-Westerlo School District is gearing up for a full vote on renovating its secondary school with plans that could cost taxpayers anywhere from $2.3 million to $3.7 million.

Plans for renovations, driven by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, were first visited in December with architect Karl Griffith of Cataldo, Waters and Griffith presenting a $13.8 million plan.
This week, Superintendent Steven Schrade ran through three options for renovations and called the initial $13.8 million plan, which includes a new gymnasium and converts the existing gym into two levels, the most "grandiose" of the three options. It would include a cafeteria, kitchen, and weight room on the first floor; and a library, library classroom, and art room on the second floor.

More space would be added for classrooms, said Schrade.

The district share for the plan, he said, estimated at $4.9 million, would be lowered to $3.7 million by using the entire $900,000 in the district’s capital reserve fund and $340,000 in the state’s EXCEL (Expanding our Children’s Education and Learning) aid.

Another option, estimated at $16.1 million, Schrade said, includes moving the sixth grade out of the secondary school and adding four classrooms to the elementary school. The local cost, after using all in the capital reserve fund and EXCEL aid, would amount to $3.4 million.
The third option, which Schrade called "scaled down," is estimated at $12.3 million, and would include remodeling the gymnasium and putting new locker rooms accessible to those with handicaps behind the gym. The local cost would be $2.3 million.

No additional classroom space would be added, said Schrade.

Vice President Edward Ackroyd asked what the estimated impact per $1,000 of assessed valuation would be for each of the options.
Schrade called the figures "rough," adding that in the first year, there would be a tax impact, but there’s usually no additional impact in following years.
"We wouldn’t recommend a vote until the fall," he said.

Other business

In other business, the school board:

— Voted unanimously to permit students who live outside the district to re-enroll each year;

— Heard from David Weiser, the district’s business administrator, that a unified fleet would be more cost-efficient and would save mechanics time. Many vehicles, he said, now require special tools. Weiser recommended bidding with other districts; if another district withdraws its bid, the district’s bid would not be affected, he said.
The board approved a "standardizing resolution," which holds the district harmless if it rejects a bus bid on the basis that the bidder was not submitting a bid for, specifically, a Chevy Suburban, but offered a comparable model and turned out to be the low bidder, Schrade told The Enterprise. BOCES suggested BKW adopt the resolution. The School Board did not authorize the collective bidding procedure for Suburbans, but will probably do so at its next meeting, Schrade told The Enterprise, adding that the district would bid through a BOCES consortium;

— Heard that there will be two informational sessions for parents of 10th-graders to meet with school counselors and discuss their child’s transcripts and graduation requirements. The sessions will be held in the high school library on March 12 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and on March 19 from 6 to 7 p.m.;

— Decided to honor the bowling team in the high school auditorium at its next meeting on March 19. The girls team won the Western Athletic Conference championship tournament and was runner-up for the Section II, Class C-D championship;

— Heard from Schrade that the school received a grant for $250 for gardening supplies from the Home Depot’s Youth Garden Grants Program; and

— Heard a question from PTA President Michelle Tusco. Tusco asked what the district’s policy is on loaning its vehicles to outside organizations and how far school buses are permitted to travel. Schrade said the district loans its vehicles to senior citizens or town youth programs. The buses and Suburbans, he said, are allowed to go a maximum of 75 miles from the schools.