HILLTOWNS — Berne-Knox-Westerlo Superintendent Bonnie Kane says that she is a servant leader. 

“I believe that we are all better when we work together toward community-established goals,” she told The Enterprise this week. “My primary focus is to lead with integrity and support all members of our learning community.”

Kane is in her first month as superintendent, having replaced Timothy Mundell, who held the position for a decade that saw the district undergo major transformations and develop a sense of community and pride that, by the way board of education members and some administrators have described it, was lacking in the past. 

While Mundell was an outside hire — raised in Ballston Spa but developed professionally on Long Island — Kane is homegrown. She began her time with the district as an English teacher, then was appointed as the high school principal in 2022, after the former principal, Mark Pitterson announced his retirement. 

Kane told The Enterprise then that she learned only after she got her first job with the district that she’s fulfilling something of a family tradition. 

“My sister briefly served as business manager, but my husband’s grandmother taught in the district for the majority of her career,” she had said. “Similarly, my husband’s uncle, Perry Kane, served the district for over thirty years as a business teacher and business administrator before retiring in 1995.”

Bonnie Kane holds a master’s degree in curriculum development and instructional technology, and also received a certificate in advanced study from the State University at Stony Brook in educational leadership, along with an internship credit for local district leadership, helping craft BKW’s reopening plan during the pandemic, among other things.

She told The Enterprise this week that she’s currently pursuing a doctorate degree in educational administration.

She was hired by the school board, in a unanimous vote, about a month after Mundell announced his resignation. Her replacement as high school principal, elementary teacher Mark Tidd, was similarly hired without the usual process of advertising and bringing stakeholders into the decision.

The school board president at the time, Kimberly Lovell, told The Enterprise in May, “I must admit that I was initially hesitant to embrace this change. However, I have since recognized the significance of our collective efforts in shaping what we have established as a roadmap for success at BKW. Despite the challenges posed by the current educational climate, we have achieved a level of stability that is unparalleled in recent years.”

Similarly, Kane told The Enterprise this week, “Working within the organization for eight years prior to becoming superintendent has allowed me to see the growth of programs specifically designed to be engaging and focused on individual pathways for students,” she said. “It has also provided me with the opportunity to collaborate with families and community members in my service to students.”

She said that this has fed into her leadership style, which she says has a strong instructional component. 

“Working as an educator in the district has allowed me to develop a passion for improving academic programming at all levels and it’s been incredible to be a part of the transformation that BKW has made in the past eight years,” Kane said. 

“I hope to continue the work to move the district forward in this respect. BKW is a truly special place because of the emphasis of putting students at the heart of our thinking. This is truly at the heart of my work as an educator and administrator which is part of what made me excited to lead such an outstanding district.”

She said that her goals for the district, at this early stage, are to continue the work that’s already been endorsed by the Blue Ribbon Commission and the New York State Education Department. 

“As a district, we will continue our emphasis on creating opportunities for students that are individualized and geared toward life after high school,” Kane said. “I would like to continue our work in developing new programming for students and new pathways toward meeting graduation requirements.”

This is aligned with plans recently announced by the state’s Board of Regents, which governs education in New York.

Kane also said that she’d “like to expand the work with the New York State Education Department on crafting new Career and Technical Education programs, utilizing the curriculum that our teachers are developing.”

Kane’s start as superintendent is complicated by the fact that the district is, for the first time in over a decade, constrained by a contingency budget after voters twice rejected the board of education’s original budget proposal this summer, before Mundell retired. 

It also faces potential state aid cuts that were only narrowly avoided this year, when Governor Kathy Hochul announced that she would have a commission look into the Foundation Aid formula before making the changes Hochul had initially proposed. 

Kane acknowledged the difficulty of the moment, but suggested that the district will adapt and be resilient. 

“While this is a difficult time for the district, we continue to search for opportunities for our students,” she  said. “We realize that these opportunities may look different than they have in previous years. The possible aid cuts will negatively impact many local districts and I am hopeful that we can work together to continue to offer our students a first-rate education. 

“While challenges may lay ahead, I’m confident that we can come together as a community to support all of our students.”