BERNE—The Berne-Knox-Westerlo School District is a lot different than the one in which the new school board president grew up.
"I went to a very large school," said Janet Finke.

School board leaders rotate into office at BKW. Finke was unanimously appointed president earlier this month. Joan Adriance was appointed vice president.

Finke grew up in Massapequa, on Long Island. She came upstate to go to college at the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill, where she met her husband. Finke has lived in the area ever since.
"I really liked upstate New York," she said.
Finke describes herself as a "full-time stay-at-home parent."

She has two children, one in college, and a son who is entering ninth grade at Berne-Knox-Westerlo High School.

Finke’s first involvement in the school district was in the PTA. She was secretary and co-president. Her experience in the PTA led her to run for school board. She was struck by how the school board makes decisions to deal with ever-decreasing state aid.
"I just wanted to be part of that," she said.

This is Finke’s fourth year on the board in her first five-year term. She is replacing Karen Storm.

As a board member, Finke said, she tries to be fair to all sides of an issue.
"I try to hear things out," she said. "I don’t think we make quick decisions."

She commended the current school board for its forward-thinking decisions.
"We’re not afraid of change because, with state aid and things like that, sometimes you have to make change," Finke said. "Things cannot stay the same. We have to make the best decisions that we can and still know in good conscience that we did the right thing."

This year, the board is faced with creating a facilities plan for the next five years; it will investigate what the district will require in the next few years for space and staffing.
"That would be the biggest chunk that’s going to get done this year," Finke said.30.