Matt has been instrumental in tremendous BKW progress

To the Editor:

I am writing this letter in support of Matthew Tedeschi for re-election to the Berne-Knox-Westerlo Board of Education. As a lifelong resident of Berne, I have known Matt his entire life. Throughout this time, I have known him as a BKW student, BKW parent, and now as a BKW board member.

As a community member, he is passionate about maintaining the historical integrity of the Hilltowns. As a member of the board, his only agenda is that all BKW children are given the educational opportunities necessary for them to succeed.

Over the past two years, I have had the opportunity to serve on the BKW Budget Advisory Committee on which Matt also serves as a board representative. During these meetings, I have found Matt to be extremely knowledgeable of school budgeting and finance. He objectively advocates for adding new programs, student support services, and school safety while understanding the importance of controlling costs.

In his role as a board of education member, Matt has been instrumental in the tremendous progress our school has seen in the past few years. He was a strong supporter of the district’s capital project scheduled to begin construction this summer.

This project will provide repairs and renovations to the buildings and infrastructure as well as adding exciting new educational spaces for the students. This is a huge accomplishment for the students and community — again achieved with a minimal tax impact.

As a parent and grandparent, I understand and value the importance of investing in our school and all students. As a taxpayer and retiree, I also value the level of financial responsibility that Matt has brought to BKW.

I strongly encourage the voters of the BKW district to vote “yes” on the BKW budget and vote for Matthew Tedeschi on May 21 so that we can continue this positive momentum.

Denise A. (Lendrum) Swezey

Berne