BERNE — After years of eking out wins, and sometimes facing budget defeats, Berne-Knox-Westerlo saw its $22.6 million budget for next year pass by a landslide on Tuesday.

Three candidates vying for two school board seats had a cordial exchange on Tuesday as all three of them said their top priority for the rural district with declining enrollment is a sustainable spending plan.

The Berne-Knox-Westerlo School voted to support sharing a football team with Duanesburg, knowing that board had voted down the plan, 4 to 3. The BKW superintendent urged football supporters to attend Duanesburg's next board meeting.

A coach seeking the reason for his dismissal was not wrong; rather, the school district stone-walling was wrong. A free and open exchange permits progress.

With $120,000 repairs needed to a library, and two more resignations by high-level administrators, the Berne-Knox-Westerlo School Board, and its new superintendent, Lonnie Palmer, are making big decisions about the district's future.

BERNE — At the end of its July 15 meeting, the school board used colorful markers and shiny stickers to determine its priorities and goals for the year: settle contracts, improve academic scores, differentiate instruction, reduce bullying, create budget timelines, and promote positive news.