BERNE—For the second year in a row, the Berne-Knox-Westerlo School District’s budget was approved on a second vote. This time, the margin was larger: 63 votes.

After a $17.6 million budget was defeated in May, a slightly scaled down version passed this Tuesday, 549 to 486. Although only one more person voted for the budget than in June, 79 fewer people voted against it.
"It certainly puts a positive light on the district, and we’ll be able to go into the next school year on a much lighter note," said Superintendent Steven Schrade.

BKW was one of only a few districts in the Capital Region and the only in Albany County with a budget defeat in May. If the budget had been rejected a second time, the district would have gone to a state-set capped budget. The budget that was approved was only $110,769 above the cap.

After the first defeat, the district cut the budget proposal by $50,000. Although he says the $50,000 was a factor, Schrade believes another reason for Tuesday’s victory came from Westerlo.

In February, the school board voted unanimously to close the Westerlo Elementary School for the 2005-06 school year. The district will save $100,894 with the school closed, and declining enrollment district-wide will allow for the students to be absorbed into the larger elementary school in Berne.

In May, some Westerlo residents, disappointed with the school closing, advocated voting down the budget.
"Some of the folks in Westerlo came to the polls this time to vote ‘yes’ instead of ‘no,’" Schrade said.

Voters wanting to express their unhappiness over the closing of the Westerlo Elementary school may have felt their message was sent with the first vote and that now it’s time to put the issue in the past, Schrade said.

The budget is an increase of 5.9 percent over this year’s. It carries a 4.9-percent tax-levy increase. The sate-capped budget would have had a 4.3-percent tax-levy increase.

Though tax rates depend on town-set assessments and state-set equalization rates, Schrade has said the tax rate increase will average between 4 and 4.5 percent, depending on the town.

Last year, a $16.6 million budget failed in the first vote by 32. A month later, it passed by 11. After two years of winning in the revote, Schrade said the district will try to continue to keep tax hikes down.
"Fortunately, there are no more school buildings that will be closed," Schrade said.