BERNE — The Berne-Knox-Westerlo Board of Education may add $5 million to a $15 million capital project in order to upgrade the technology at the secondary school. The original $15 million scope was to repair and upgrade the aging elementary school building, but board President Matthew Tedeschi on Monday recommended the addition to the fall vote.

The board reviewed a presentation by district Superintendent Timothy Mundell, with photos of a school upgraded by Synthesis Architects — the same firm currently planning upgrades to BKW — contrasting with images of BKW’s elementary school that displayed few upgrades in the last 60 years.

However, these photos did not fully load onto the computer projecting the display. With wireless internet going to each of the board members’ tablets and livestreaming the meeting onto the district’s Facebook page, Mundell’s presentation could not fully transfer over.

“Also the need for improved technological structure,” quipped Mundell, as images of an upgraded school froze and revealed a desktop background. “So you have wifi access that’s high-speed and readily available for digital images — which are large files.”

The upgrades to the elementary school would include a conversion from steam heating to hot-water heating, which Mundell said would reduce energy costs, as well as surface upgrades such as changes in classroom setup that would, he said, allow for a variety of learning styles and reduce distractions such as crowd noise in the hallways.

Eighty percent of the $15 million project would be funded by the state, said Mundell, which would leave about $3 million to be funded by the school district. About $1.6 million would be taken from BKW’s reserve fund, and the rest would be bonded over 18 years and funded by property taxes. The tax increase would be less than $20 for every home valued at $100,000, said Mundell, comparing it to buying a $1.66 cup of coffee once a month.

Tedeschi suggested adding an option on the ballot this fall to fund a $20 million capital project, passing only if the entire project passes. Tedeschi noted that, with 80 percent funded by state aid, the increased cost to the school district would go from $3 million to $4 million. The additional funds would upgrade technology in the secondary school, he said. The auditorium where the meeting took place, with its earlier glitch, is in the secondary school.

Mundell had implored voters to choose to conduct a capital project now, to take advantage of the high state-aid rate and amount of reserve funds, as well as a low interest rate to bond the remaining cost. Tedeschi, taking note of these factors, suggested it was also time to take advantage of these opportunities in the secondary school as well.

Mundell had also presented the upgrades as a boon for students in the elementary school, saying that this generation would need to learn to use technology. At a recent meeting, he noted that the district’s policy would soon be updated to encourage responsible use of electronics, rather than forbidding such devices.

“We have areas of our community where you can’t use a phone; you don’t have wifi,” said an audience member.

Board member Helen Lounsbury said that wireless internet is being arranged by the county to be set up to be available in the Hilltowns, and noted that, if homes do not have internet or cell service, perhaps this is an example of why it should be provided in the school. A Facebook comment on the live feed of the meeting later agreed with that sentiment.

“If we don’t do the high school now, we’re going to have to do it later,” said Tedeschi.

“Let the community decide,” said board member Lillian Sisson-Chrysler, who in the past has balked at the project’s cost. She pondered whether the ballot should also include an option for a $7 million capital project.

“I would never agree to that,” said Tedeschi.

Board Vice President Nathan Elble suggested first obtaining a scope from Synthesis on what upgrades in the secondary school would cost. Board member Kimberly Lovell suggested also researching what resources would be made available in the elementary school by the capital project that would be absent in the secondary school, to ensure students would have continuity.

Calvin Rugg, of Synthesis, who was presenting plans to upgrade the elementary school, agreed to return with a scope of upgrades to the high school.

Rugg had displayed an overview of the campus, showing how parking would be rearranged and an entrance for visitors would be kept separate from an entrance for students into the elementary school. A plan to situate an outdoor classroom in the elementary school courtyard — where students often play — was debated by board members.

The board also appointed the firm Sano-Rubin Construction Services, LLC, to serve as the project’s construction manager. The Albany-based company has done work on campuses such as Russell Sage College and Union College. The board also approved a resolution to comply with the State Environmental Quality Review Act for the project.

The board asked Mundell to arrange a tour of both BKW’s elementary school and the newly upgraded facility by Synthesis in the Duanesburg Central School District.

Other business

The board also:

— Appointed Stacy King as school business manager, following the departure of Sarah Blood;

— Appointed former district maintenance mechanic Keith Domermuth as director of facilities, following the retirement of Peter Shunney;

— Appointed Dana Slater, Mundell’s sister, as a special education teacher, and Carli Elble, Nathan Elble’s wife, as a teaching assistant. Both appointments were made with explanations that the two were the most qualified for the job after multiple selection processes. Mundell said he was involved with Slater’s appointment only when he had to officially make the job offer, and Elble abstained from voting to appoint his wife;

— Adopted the board goals for the 2017-18 school year;

— Discussed addressing the cost for students of school supplies by having the school fund a supply of basic materials for students to use. Lounsbury had asked to add the discussion to the meeting, saying that residents had found the supplies parents must buy costly. Elementary school Principal Annette Landry defended teachers’ list of school supplies, saying the lists go through her and she is mindful of the cost. She also said teachers are budgeted $200 to purchase supplies to be used in their classroom, and that the Backpack Program offers school supplies to families in need; and

— Discussed extending the pre-kindergarten program from half-day to full day and administering an after school program, in order to combat high costs of daycare.