At Berne-Knox-Westerlo’s regular board of education meeting, Yira Matiz, who was hired last summer to teach seventh- and eighth-grade Spanish, accused the school administration of not performing its due diligence when following up on complaints that Matiz was ineffective in the classroom. Matiz was forced to resign, she said.

Guilderland’s teaching staff, like those of Voorheesville and Berne-Knox-Westerlo, remains overwhelmingly white, a pattern seen at schools across the country.

Tara Molloy-Grocki is the new president of the Guilderland Teachers’ Association. She replaces Erin McNamara, who started in the post in 2014.

When the state budget was finalized, a week after deadline, the Voorheesville schools came out $55,000 ahead of what the governor had proposed in aid, allowing the addition of two part-time teachers.

The $35,000 to repair Guilderland’s 1800s cobblestone schoolhouse that was originally included in the superintendent’s draft budget has brought heated discussion.

Members of the Guilderland Teachers’ Association — over 100 of them — turned out in force at Tuesday’s school board meeting.

By doing away with the pre- and post-assessment tests for evaluations, the Guilderland teachers' union took a bold step for students' welfare that other districts should follow.

In the elementary school, teachers are embracing the math modules set out by the state as guides for curricula. Throughout the district, administrators are hoping hires of teaching assistants and teaching coaches will set BKW on the right track with the Common Core standards.