Berlin Central School District (BCSD) is a rural

Rural

Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...

 public school district

School district

School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...

 located in the eastern part of Rensselaer County

Rensselaer County, New York

Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 159,429. Its name is in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the land in the area. Its county seat is Troy...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 and borders the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The district has three operating school buildings: two elementary schools and one middle school

Middle school

Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...

/high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 building. The district is a member of the Rensselaer-Columbia-Greene Board of Cooperative Educational Services

Board of Cooperative Educational Services

In 1948, the New York State Legislature created the Boards of Cooperative Educational Services to provide school districts with a program of shared educational services.-History:...

 (BOCES), known as Questar III.

Geography

The district serves five towns in Rensselaer County: Berlin

Berlin, New York

Berlin is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,901 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Berlin in Germany, although natives pronounce the name differently, with the accent on the first syllable....

, Grafton

Grafton, New York

Grafton is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,987 at the 2000 census. It is believed that the town received its name from Grafton, Vermont, from where the first town supervisor, Nathaniel Dumbleton, was originally from. The town is an interior town near the...

, Petersburgh

Petersburgh, New York

Petersburgh is a town located in the northeast section of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,563 at the 2000 census. The town was named after an early settler.- History :...

, Poestenkill

Poestenkill (town), New York

Poestenkill is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 4,054 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the Poesten Kill, an important stream in the area. The words "poesten kil" are traditionally supposed to signify "foaming water" or "foaming creek" in Dutch...

, and Stephentown

Stephentown, New York

Stephentown is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 2,873 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Stephen Van Rensselaer. The town is in the southeast corner of the county...

.

Board of Education

The Board of Education

Board of education

A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....

 (BOE) is the authoritative legislative body of the school district. It approves policy

Public policy

Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...

 and funding

Funding

Funding is the act of providing resources, usually in form of money , or other values such as effort or time , for a project, a person, a business or any other private or public institutions...

; sets committees and district priorities; and approves employment (including the Superintendent) within the district, among other things. The BOE is made up of seven members:

• Gina Goodermote -President
• Jim Willis -Vice President
• Rachel Finney
• John J Nash
• Beverly Stewart
• Alan Webster Jr
• Frank Zwack

Superintendent

The Superintendent is Stephen Young. The Superintendent is the Chief Administrative Officer

Chief executive officer

A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...

 of the district and is responsible for the day to day operations of the district in addition to administering policies of the Board.

Schools

The district is currently served by one elementary school: Berlin Elementary School. On March 9, 2010 a letter was sent home to the parents of Grafton Elementary School students stating that Grafton Elementary would close in June 2010 at the conclusion of the school year. This would centralize all students in the district. Stephentown Elementary School was closed in summer 2009 due to low enrollment. Berlin Junior/Senior High School is the lone upper level building. Each building has its own building principal.

Education-related

• New York State Education Department
  New York State Education Department
  The New York State Education Department is the state education department in New York. It is part of the University of the State of New York , one of the most complete, interconnected systems of educational services in the United States...
  
  
• University of the State of New York
  University of the State of New York
  The University of the State of New York is the State of New York's governmental umbrella organization responsible for most institutions and people in any way connected with formal educational functions, public and private, in New York State...
  
  
• Regents Examinations
  Regents Examinations
  Regents High School examinations, sometimes shortened to the Regents, are mandatory in New York State through the New York State Education Department, designed and administered under the authority of the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York...
  
  
• Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES)
  Board of Cooperative Educational Services
  In 1948, the New York State Legislature created the Boards of Cooperative Educational Services to provide school districts with a program of shared educational services.-History:...
  
  
• List of school districts in New York
• New York State School Boards Association
  New York State School Boards Association
  The New York State School Boards Association serves as the statewide voice of more than 700 boards of education. The collective influence of some 5,000 school board members, who constitute half the elected officials in the state, enables NYSSBA to work toward the benefit of the elementary and...
  
  
• National School Boards Association
  National School Boards Association
  The National School Boards Association, or NSBA, is a nonprofit organization operating as a federation of state associations of school boards across the United States. Founded in 1940, NSBA represents 95,000 local school board members who govern 14,890 local school districts serving more than 47...
  
  
• No Child Left Behind Act
  No Child Left Behind Act
  The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
  
  

Notable documents

• Teachers' Contract
• New York State District Report Card: Accountability and Overview Report 2006-2007. The University of the State of New York.
• New York State District Report Card: Comprehensive Information Report Report 2006-2007. The University of the State of New York.