BERNE — Assemblies, snacks, and hearing your name on the announcements are all rewards for a student’s good behavior, according to Berne-Knox-Westerlo teachers.

The school uses a framework of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, also known as PBIS. The program, which was first introduced to the district five years ago, encourages good behavior rather than punishing the bad.

Gerry Swalnick, the founder of Northstar Education Services, a service provider and lender, presented the basic concepts of PBIS at the BKW School Board meeting on Oct. 22. Two BKW Elementary School teachers who also serve as two of three faculty coaches for the program, Brenda Dibble and Lauren Griggs, spoke about how the program is being used in the school.

The PBIS terminology comes from the 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, known as IDEA. Swalnick explained a new type of behavior intervention was introduced for students with disabilities who had previously had negative behavior punished rather than positive behavior reinforced.

He said three “tiers” are classified in the program. The majority of students are in the lowest tier with the least amount of behavior reinforcement, and the fewest students are in the top tier with the highest need for reinforcement. The top tier of students — Tier 3, about 5 percent of BKW students — have clipboards assigned to them that staff use to “check in” on their behavior.

Anne Farnam, the school board clerk and secretary to the superintendent, told The Enterprise that the BKW elementary school principal, Annette Landry, reports that all students at the elementary school receive Tier 1 services; 10 to 15 percent of students receive Tier 2 services while 5 percent receive Tier 3 services.

Troubling incidents may also be reported by students through a newly-introduced form, and staff are trained on what is considered bullying and what is considered conflict between students.

Griggs said that students need some sort of tangible positive reinforcement, which at the elementary school comes in the form of a “paw” as part of a dog theme; the BKW mascot is a Bulldog. Dibble explained that a “paw” is a ticket that can be used to purchase or participate in something. Younger students could have their names read in the morning announcements, and older students could purchase snacks with the tickets.

Griggs said that the tickets are tracked by student volunteers using QR, or Quick Response, codes to find out what a class’s positive-to-negative behavior ratio is. Dibble added that other things like school assemblies help reinforce good behavior by celebrating students who have been “good citizens.”

Dibble, Griggs, and Elementary School teacher Lindsay Zayachek are all coaches who train other school staff on how to administer PBIS and then review their performance.

Board President Matthew Tedeschi inquired about funding for the program, which Griggs said is currently being funded by the teachers themselves. She said that funding would help, “even just to have little notebooks or pencils in the front office,” for recording behavior. Tedeschi said that the board would look into including funding in next year’s budget

Capital project

The board debated before ultimately holding a vote on whether new board member Randy Bashwinger should recommend someone to serve on a subcommittee dealing with the school’s capital project as had his predecessor, whom he ousted in May.

Bashwinger asked the board if he could recommend Knox Supervisor Vasilios Lefkaditis for the subcommittee. Lefkaditis, a former school board member, had previously expressed concern about the magnitude of the project’s budget and later was critical of what he felt was a lack of security features in the planned project.

Bashwinger reflected this sentiment when explaining why he felt there should be another voice on the subcommittee, saying that the $20 million project could be a waste of money on a decreasing student body; he also questioned opening up the cafeteria with more windows as a security risk for students.

Tedeschi was critical of Bashwinger’s suggestion, saying that the subcommittee was created nine months ago and was halfway finished with its work after holding two meetings. Board member Helen Lounsbury stated she thought two meetings did not mean the subcommittee was halfway finished and felt Bashwinger should be able to appoint someone, as it was not stated he couldn’t do so.

Last November, two-thirds of BKW voters approved the $19.8 million project, about 80 percent of which will be funded by state aid. Half of the district’s $4 million share will be paid with reserve funds, leaving $2 million to be covered by taxpayers in the form of bond payments over the course of 18 years. Work is projected to begin in June 2019.

The board voted, 3 to 2, against a motion proposed by Lounsbury to allow Bashwinger to make his appointment. Bashwinger and Lounsbury were in favor; Tedeschi and board members Nathan Elble and Kim Lovell voted against it.
 

Other business

The board also:

— Heard an announcement from Lounsbury that she will not be running for reelection this May. Lounsbury was elected to the school board in May 2017 to fill in for Susan Schanz’s term, which ends next year. A former BKW teacher, she had previously served on the board for 15 years prior to being elected to her new term. Tedeschi, whose term is also up next year, said that he intends to run for reelection, saying that he wants to continue what he considers to be progress and stability in the district;

— Reviewed a presentation by Tim Doyle of the consulting firm the Bonadio Group on the district’s audit, which Doyle gave a relatively positive review of;

— Approved two foreign-exchange programs for students: one for an Australian student who will stay with a host family and one in which Chinese students will visit the area for a week;

— Approved a contract with the Albany County Health Department to allow the secondary-school gym to be used as an area to deliver medication in the event of an epidemic;

— Approved a grant-funded trip for the secondary school’s history club to travel to Hyde Park and West Point;

— Discussed creating a “topic calendar” in which the topic of a main presentation at an upcoming board meeting would be announced ahead of time;

— Discussed potentially funding a driver’s education course;

— Heard from Superintendent Timothy Mundell that he has been discussing further vocational courses with the Capital Region Board of Cooperative Educational Services after receiving a letter spearheaded by Richard Umholtz about offering more vocational courses; and

— Discussed whether maps of bus routes and schedules should be made available to the public or if this is a safety concern.