BERNE — In early March, Berne-Knox-Westerlo faced a $1.5 million budget gap in a proposed $25 million spending plan for next year.

By deciding to draw $1.2 million from its fund balance, the district now has a gap of $260,000.

At a school board meeting on Monday, March 30, Superintendent Bonnie Kane suggested cutting two teaching posts to save $200,000; one staff-support position to save $40,000; and to cut sports with fewer than 10 participants to save $20,000.

The board is slated to adopt the final spending plan in April and voters will have their say on May 19.

The district has operated on a $24,737,328 contingency budget this year after voters rejected a budget proposal last May that would have raised taxes 5.1 percent, which was over the state-set levy limit, requiring over 60 percent voter approval.

The school board put up the same $26 million proposal in June. While the May vote fell short by just eight votes, the June vote, with a much larger turnout, failed by 28 votes

Six posts were then cut as were field trips and some extracurricular activities to meet the state requirement of no increased tax levy.

The 2026-27 proposal would raise the levy by 3.77 percent, which is under the state-set tax cap, requiring just a simple majority vote to pass.

The $25 million proposal for next year, while several hundred-thousand dollars higher than the current contingency budget, is more than a half-million dollars lower than the budget for the 2024 and 2023 school years.

On Monday night, Kane also showed the board what another $431,000 in reductions would look like for the potential of a contingency budget.

This would include cutting four teaching posts, reducing classroom support and maintenance, reducing sports, and eliminating trips and sports transportation.

“Obviously, we’re not in this situation,” Kane told the school board.

BKW, a rural district with declining enrollment, gets about half of its funds from state aid and the other half from local property taxes.

A projected 17 percent increase in health insurance is helping to drive costs along with projected salary increases and increases in operational expenses: a 12-percent hike for fuel, 10-percent for electricity, and 10 percent for repair costs.

The proposed spending plan also includes two new special-education classrooms, involving two teachers and two aids.

When BKW voters go to the polls on May 19, they will also be deciding on a $430,782 bus proposition, which would purchase two van-style buses that each hold 28 passengers for $302,578, and one van-style wheelchair bus for $128,204.

Finally, voters will be electing school board members. The five-member board has two posts up for re-election — the seats held by Nathan Elble and Kimberly Lovell.