The Berlin Banner – Budget Edition
BOARD OF EDUCATION SEATS
There are two seats up for election this year. Both seats are three-year terms (July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2024). There are three candidates running for the two seats. Voters will be asked to vote for two candidates. The candidates will appear on the ballot in this order:
Nick Cave
Trevor Jewett
Katie Snyder
2021 BOARD OF EDUCATION CANDIDATES
The Board of Education is comprised of seven members elected by district residents. All members serve without pay for three year terms. Under the Education Law of New York State, the Board is responsible for the education of students who attend the schools in the district; for the preparation of the annual budget, for district adherence to state law and State Education Department regulations concerning the conduct of the public schools. The Superintendent of Schools is charged with the administration of Board policies. There are three individuals running for two seats on the Board of Education. One board member is running for re-election, Katie Snyder. The two new candidates are, Leonard (Nick) Cave and Trevor Jewett.
Nick Cave
I have been a Resident of Petersburgh, NY for 17 Years with two children who have been enrolled in the district from PreK through Middle and High School. My wife is a graduate of Berlin and has lived here her entire life. My goal is to contribute in a meaningful way to the operation and oversight of our School District by serving on the Board of Education. I am a self-motivated “ends in mind” individual with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from MCLA, where I graduated with Honors.
I am currently employed by TriWire Engineering Solutions as the Director of Business Development and have 21 years of experience managing for large corporations like Walmart, Best Buy, and AT&T. During that time, I have had to manage anywhere from 25 to 250 employees and account to P&L/budgets totaling more than $170 Million Dollars. In addition to experience in business I have worked in corporate business to business sales for the last 8 years. This has allowed me to develop countless relationships in the North East and provided exposure to numerous industries. This allows me to contribute meaningfully to forward and efficient planning for our district.
During the Pandemic we have had to adjust to a different style of learning. I have worked remotely for the last 8 years and am very adept at several types of conferencing services. I offered to support the district in getting free versions of WebEx conferencing when the Pandemic first hit at the end of the 2020 school year. I am a team player and believe that it takes cooperation and group effort to effect change. My ability to work well with others from multiple backgrounds and experiences will allow me to be successful as a Board Member. I offer a unique perspective to the Board of Education which will support our district.
My desire in joining the Board of Education is to assist the district in growth, performance, and efficiency with a focus on student culture and experience. My combined experience in management and business-to-business sales will be a positive addition to the existing board and allow for our continued growth and success.
Trevor Jewett
I am a lifelong resident of the Berlin Central School District. I live with my family in the town of Berlin. I have two children. My youngest is a freshman at the Berlin High School. My oldest graduated from the Berlin High School in 2019 and is attending college.
After graduating from Berlin High School in 1999, I obtained an Associates degree from SUNY Cobleskill in 2001 and a Bachelors in Business from SUNY Utica in 2002. I am a small business owner of a contracting/building company. I have enjoyed serving as a Member of the Berlin Grievance Board for ten years.
I am very proud to have attended BCS and to have my children attend. BCS has a unique setting in that we are some what isolated, which has through the years allowed for a certain family feel and ability for students to grow as a group. We have the opportunity to implement educational programs which other larger schools may not. I look forward to the challenges ahead and the experience of watching our district continue to grow.
Katie Snyder
I am a lifelong resident of Berlin Central School District. Currently, I live in Petersburgh with my husband and our two sons. My oldest son is a first grader at BES and my youngest son will be attending BES in a few short years. In addition to my service on the Board of Education, I volunteer with the Petersburgh Fire Company.
After graduating from Berlin High School, I attended Russell Sage College graduating with majors in Forensic Science and Chemistry and The College of Saint Rose majoring in Adolescent Education with a concentration in Chemistry. Recently, I finished my MBA from the David D. Reh School of Business at Clarkson University. I am currently employed at HMA Contracting Corp as the Operations Manager.
I have been on the board for almost nine years and presently serve as Vice President and on the Facilities Committee and Audit Committee. Serving in these capacities have given me vast experience in the district operations from a management perspective. Working with the district administration, we were able to bring two large projects together which improved the health and safety of our students, staff, and visitors, and advanced academic and extracurricular programs with very minimal impact to taxpayers.
I am proud to be part of the Berlin School District as both a member of the board and as a parent. I would be honored to continue my service to the district and work towards continuous improvement of our programs for all students in the most fiscally responsible manner to our taxpayers.