BERNE — , 44, a Knox resident, is running for the school board for the second year in a row.

A BKW graduate and a lifetime Hilltown resident, Rue is an active member of the elementary school PTA and the BKW Little League and Softball League. He has a daughter and a son in district schools and is very involved in his children’s activities, he said. He is employed by the town of Guilderland. Rue earned a degree in business at the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill.

Rue, concerned about security in the elementary and high school, said BKW’s security should be updated with added cameras. Anyone entering the schools, he said, should have to use either punch cards or swipe keys. Visitors should have to communicate with someone monitoring the school’s camera before being buzzed in, he said.
"Our children are our best resource and we have to do everything to protect them."
Rue said he supports the proposed budget. "I believe that the budget committee and the school business administrator has done a good job at holding the expenditure line."
If the budget is voted down, Rue said, he believes the district should automatically enact a contingency budget. "We would not gain anything by revoting on the proposed budget, due to the fact that there is not anything that could be taken out of this budget that would not be harmful to the students," he said. The proposed budget is close to a contingency budget as it now stands, Rue said.
Rue favors Spanish for the elementary foreign-language program "because statistics show that this is the second language used in this country." In the business world, Rue said, employees are asked to be bilingual. Job candidates who speak Spanish are often preferred for job openings because they are bilingual, he said.
If classes were added to the curriculum, Rue said, problem-solving classes should be offered. "Students should be able to come up with different techniques in order to solve a problem given to them. The goal of this class should be creativity and to broaden the student’s thinking capabilities," he said.
At the high school, a money-management class should be offered, at least as an after-school program, he said. "The goal of this class would be to teach students how to save and invest money wisely," Rue said.
"Keeping autistic and special-needs children in the district is a good idea. I believe the children would do better in familiar surroundings," said Rue. "The stress of having to ride a bus would be gone. Other school districts may want to use our school district for these services, which may help to offset expenditures to our district. I believe the student body would come to accept as well as embrace this new program."

Rue favors a three-year term for board members. If members would like to serve longer than their term, then they are more than welcome to seek re-election, Rue said.
"I think a five-year term would be a deterrent to anyone thinking about running for the board of education," he said. "In the past two years, there have been four candidates vying for positions on the school board. This tells me that more people are starting to get involved in the school board and what they do. I would hate to see this upswing in interest derailed or people frightened off by the commitment."