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Welcome to the
Berne-Knox-Westerlo Central School District
Our Mission Statement
Let the entire Berne-Knox-Westerlo community strive to do all
that it can to help our students be all they can be.
About BKW Schools
The Berne-Knox-Westerlo Central School District
is located in the southwest corner of Albany county in a rural
area nestled in the Helderberg Mountains.

The district is located 16 miles south of the
city of Schenectady and 25 miles west of the city of Albany. the
district is centered in the hamlet of Berne (population 2,860)
on Route 443, and covers approximately 126 square miles.
The district was organized in 1931, but was
enlarged through the annexation of several common school
districts. It now includes the towns of Berne, most of Knox, and
most of the town of Westerlo, along with small portions of
the towns of New Scotland, Rensselaerville, Middleburgh and
Wright.
The school district has two school buildings:
Berne Elementary School that serves students in K-5 and
Berne-Knox-Westerlo Middle/High School for students in grades
6-12.
About
the surrounding area
Located in the district is
Hannay Reels, the nation’s largest manufacturer of hose reels.
Also in the district is Helderberg Blue Stone & Marble, a
large supplier of building stone in New York State.
The area features many private summer homes. It is a
recreational area that includes three lakes: Warner, Thompson and Onderdonk. It also contains Thacher Park and Thompson Lake
campground. Within the school district boundaries are hundreds
of acres of conservation and wildlife sanctuaries. Also included
in the area are 10 churches, one branch bank and two public
libraries.
The district is located within a short driving distance of many
colleges and universities, including the State University of
New York at Albany, Union College, Siena College, Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, The College of St. Rose, Schenectady
Community College and Hudson Valley Community College.
The School Budget
The budget for the 2009-10 school year is $19.79 million.
Voting on the School Budget
In order to vote on school budgets and in Board of Education elections, you must be at least 18 years of
age, a resident of the district for at least 30 days prior to
the vote and a United States citizen.
You are eligible to use an absentee ballot if you are unable to
vote in person because you are: out of the district for
work-related or military reasons, hospitalized, permanently
disabled, sick and confined to home, in jail or on vacation and
out of the district.
Tax rates for 2009-10 school year
Berne - $27.617138 per $1,000 of assessed
value TBA
Knox - $29.825910 per $1,000 of assessed value TBA
New Scotland - $15.868622 per $1,000 of assessed
value TBA
Rensselaerville - $30.748360 per $1,000 of assessed value TBA
Middleburgh – $22.595386 per $1,000 of assessed value TBA
Wright - $19.622309 per $1,000 of assessed value TBA
Westerlo - $1864.119353 per $1,000 of assessed value TBA
Our local legislators:
Directions
to BKW |