To the Editor:

We, the Citizens Review for Academic and Vocational Excellence Committee, are requesting that the Berne-Knox-Westerlo Board of Education honor Randy Bashwinger’s request to include Vasilios Lefkaditis for the Building Focus Committee. As a board member, Mr. Bashwinger is entitled to select one person from the community to be a member of this committee. This request does not require any other approvals.

As to why anyone should be permitted to join the committee, we can only tell you that there are several factors that need to be considered. This is the single largest capital investment BKW has made in recent history. Monetarily it is larger than the cumulative amount of all of BKW’s previous building projects in the past 20 or so years.

Whenever you are faced with an expenditure of this size, it is always in the best interest to bring in as many qualified people as possible to help the board make an informed decision. It is not a decision to be rushed because its effects will survive the decision by greater than 15 years in the form of a financial burden.

More specifically, Mr. Bashwinger’s choice, Mr. Lefkaditis, has extensive financial, real-estate, dveloping, municipal, and school board experience including having guided the district through its previous $12 million project and successfully holding the line on expenses.

Mr. Bashwinger’s choice is a seasoned experienced professional who would have a positive impact on the committee’s decision-making process.

Specifically what led you board members to the decision not to include Mr. Bashwinger’s choice to the Building Focus Committee recommendations? There is still plenty of time for his input.

Given the BKW Board Handbook and the rejection of Mr. Bashwinger’s selection of Vas Lefkaditis, it is unclear as to the grounds for this rejection by a 3-to-2 vote. Each board member was permitted the selection of a community member to participate on the Capital Project Focus committee. Please extend the same courtesy to Mr. Bashwinger. He has earned it.

We would personally appreciate the school board president's support of Mr. Bashwinger’s right to appoint a person of his choosing to the committee. This selection process was extended to all the current board members except Mr. Bashwinger. In addition, it would be helpful if this apparent contradiction could be make clear for those of us unable to attend the Oct. 22 meeting.

Please respond — so the public is aware — answering this letter with a letter of your own in The Enterprise.

We expect the BKW School Board to place us on the next school board meeting agenda.

It was very rude and unacceptable for the school board president not to allow three members of the community — Ed Ackroyd, Walter Galicki, and Richard Umholtz — the opportunity to address the board.

We are providing this request to the BKW superintendent on Dec. 19, 2018.

Ed Ackroyd, advisor

Phil Stevens, advisor

Mike Collins, advisor

Richard Umholtz, advisor

Violet Writer, advisor

Walter Galicki, advisor

Citizens Review for

Academic & Vocational Excellence

Editor’s note: Richard Umholtz submitted this letter to the Berne-Knox-Westerlo School Board Monday before the start of the board’s meeting, planning to discuss it with the board. However, the public-comment session came so late in the meeting that he and two of the other letter writers had left.