Districts like at Cobleskill-Richmondville are currently letting students take college courses from the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill in the high school, in order to earn a degree a year early.

Although graduation is not until Saturday, many goodbyes were said at Berne-Knox-Westerlo’s campus on Monday night. 

Newly elected board member Helen Lounsbury called for more public input at an upcoming organizational meeting. Other members questioned how involved the public should be in decisions by the board members it elected.

The $23 million district budget, with 0.5 percent reduction in the tax levy, passed with over three-quarters of voters supporting it.

BERNE — A 9-year-old Berne-Knox-Westerlo student has placed third in the annual Child Abuse Prevention Posters Contest.

The student, Sadie Poole, had drawn herself and her family to demonstrate the love a family has. The poster includes herself, her brother and sister, her parents, her dog Max, and her cat Pumpkin.

Kimberly Lovell and Nathan Elble are incumbents. Helen Lounsbury, Martin Szinger, and Randy Bashwinger are challengers. Candidates were asked about the school budget, the capital project, and other issues facing the district in the coming school year.

The hope is that the future vegetables and flowers will teach students about nutrition and agriculture, as well as provide for school lunches and other school programs.

Emma Detlefsen, a third-grader at Berne-Knox-Westerlo, has been afflicted with a chronic disease since she was an infant. She and her family have chosen to face it with fundraising and lobbying.

The Berne-Knox-Westerlo School District received $100,000 more in state aid than it had budgeted for. After a debate over whether to use all the funds to reduce taxes, the board of education agreed on a 50-50 split between the tax levy and the district fund balance.

BERNE — A decision by the governor and the New York State legislature to extend the state’s current budget until May 31 has left many school districts concerned about how they will develop their own budgets without knowing the amount of state aid.