[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6215672,"mediaKeyId","3656740-a4554f86f2e178403206a4d5c5cec076","parentId",3656740,"title","Redistricting committee recommends shifting Clinton and Allendale students and proposes West-to-East middle-school move for board review","audioSeconds",3075,"startMs",615000,"endMs",3690000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3656740-a4554f86f2e178403206a4d5c5cec076&start=615&end=3690","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3656740-a4554f86f2e178403206a4d5c5cec076/thumbnail_615000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6215672/New-York/Redistricting-committee-recommends-shifting-Clinton-and-Allendale-students-and-proposes-West-to-East-middle-school-move-for-board-review","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6215672-86c5a633591a5c9b68d75898689b0904/orig.mp4?Expires=1771186739&Signature=G-SwlFCXH3Jtb3glQ3RCA5YxDhuHns60ofe52hnSVhmvXWChpuafAonNt6wbrdKhiOUMFKwGzR1spQT5SasnjbW308HgIMJUnAUMA6qVrC8bMsQ6tEdGlrePW9cGC6C9qasW9dqZA2t1zYFmSToqRjUN7bRc71mZOxDSeRpMCCtPkvRbMxCKgNgxyXosB-zTMUbNUAWPejXItqR1zHVHiDJAcMGpTcSVoSHaCjo50ViY5KvoyrQHsFP7ohARNptjc4e8ElvkKApWcH0H9Df81khJrgNzsr2q7e5EELurlk4W6sB4po-eHLCGdTr6UfbEdTjH59eEM7EGM~MY1anaaA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-06-04T14:31:05Z","article","A volunteer redistricting committee recommended two main changes to the West Seneca Central School District on June 3: a set of elementary boundary shifts that would move portions of Clinton Elementary to Northwood and a peninsula of Allendale students to Winchester Potters, and a separate proposal to reassign a defined area of students from West Middle School to East Middle School with the corresponding high‑school progression to East High.

The committee, facilitated by Tony Day of the Western New York Education Service Council, said the work aimed to rebalance building capacity and create dedicated instructional and intervention spaces. The committee did not make the final decision; it presented its two recommendations for the Board of Education’s consideration and implementation planning.

Why it matters: District officials said some elementary buildings are substantially overcapacity while others sit with underused rooms. Clinton Elementary had about 632 students in the current counts cited by the committee, while Winchester Potters had about 379. The committee said moving roughly 110–120 students from parts of Clinton to Northwood and about 98–116 students from a peninsula area of Allendale to Winchester Potters would relieve severe space constraints at Clinton and Allendale and better distribute intervention and special‑area rooms across the five elementary schools.

Key committee findings and recommendations

The committee of 33 volunteers met monthly and reviewed six concepts before converging on two primary recommendations for the board. Tony Day told the board the committee’s charge was to provide options that (1) would maintain the district’s five K–5 elementary schools with two middle and two high schools unless the board wished otherwise, and (2) produce at least one recommendation that maintained the current structure while addressing capacity and program distribution.

The “base redistricting” recommendation includes: shifting a defined area now assigned to Clinton into Northwood (projected to reduce Clinton’s enrollment from about 632 to roughly 534) and moving a contiguous peninsula area from Allendale to Winchester Potters (Allendale projected to fall from about 503 to roughly 384 while Winchester Potters would rise from about 379 to roughly 494). Committee materials list specific streets for each proposed boundary change and include multi‑year enrollment projections.

Separately, the committee recommended the board consider transferring a contiguous portion of West Middle School attendance (students living south of Cayuga Creek and east of Union Road in the committee’s maps) to East Middle School and having those students continue on to East High School. The committee said moving roughly 100–135 students would create four to five classroom spaces at West Middle and enable dedicated rooms for disciplines now operating on carts or shared spaces.

Implementation timing and caveats

The committee repeatedly emphasized that any accepted change would require a planning and implementation period. Tony Day said the earliest the committee would recommend implementation is February 2026 so districts have time to resolve staffing, transportation routing and other operational matters. The committee explicitly did not recommend immediate changes for the coming school year without that implementation window.

Committee members and district staff flagged caveats the board must weigh, including:
- Transportation and routing: District transportation staff reviewed scenarios and said the proposed elementary and middle‑school shifts are feasible with a year’s planning but may require schedule/tier adjustments.
- Program continuity for specialized classrooms: The district has extensive self‑contained and ENL (English as a New Language) programs that require rooms by regulation; the committee aimed to preserve placement options so students do not have to change programs mid‑sequence.
- Equity and community impact: Several board members and public commenters cautioned about splitting stable neighborhood cohorts and asked for careful grandfathering and transition‑support plans if boundaries change.

What the committee did not decide

The committee examined, but did not endorse, several other approaches: opening a separate west‑side ENL classroom at Allendale (the committee said space could be created but programmatic costs and economies of scale require district policy decisions), moving fifth grade into a middle‑school model (members said past attempts failed largely for implementation reasons and the committee lacked sufficient time to study the curricular and operational implications), and wholesale reconfiguration concepts (for example, K–2/3–5 splits) that would require longer strategic planning.

Voices from the meeting

Tony Day, executive director of the Western New York Education Service Council, presented the report and stressed the committee’s role as advisory. Board members asked detailed operational questions about room counts, intervention spaces, and whether students could be grandfathered to remain with their current cohorts. One board member noted that a shift could require district staffing changes such as additional assistant principals or nurses at receiving schools and that those fiscal implications should be factored into any final decision.

Next steps

The committee presented its two recommendations to the board for consideration and asked the board to name a small implementation team to refine street‑level boundaries, verify neighborhood continuity, analyze transportation and staffing impacts, and develop transition plans (including options for grandfathering and targeted supports). Several board members asked administration to return more detailed cost and program‑fidelity analyses at upcoming meetings before any final vote.

Ending

The redistricting report framed the proposed shifts as measures to relieve overcrowding and to preserve program integrity; the board will take the committee’s recommendations under further review and has scheduled follow‑up discussion and Q&A as part of its meeting cycle prior to any formal action.
","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","BOE Meeting, June 3, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","A volunteer redistricting committee recommended shifting parts of Clinton Elementary to Northwood and a section of Allendale Elementary to Winchester Potters, and separately advised the board to study moving a defined area of West Middle School students to East Middle School to create classroom capacity and dedicated instructional spaces.","taxTitle","WEST SENECA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT, School Districts, New York","taxId",38550,"location","New York","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6215662,"Board approves personnel and consent items; redistricting recommendations presented for study",393,6541000,6934000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3656740-a4554f86f2e178403206a4d5c5cec076&start=6541&end=6934","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3656740-a4554f86f2e178403206a4d5c5cec076/thumbnail_6541000.jpg","/articles/6215662/New-York/Board-approves-personnel-and-consent-items-redistricting-recommendations-presented-for-study","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6215662-790f616725f5168abfadc7cffae5139d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771186739&Signature=QzkD7oLzujkhMpSRIONota4MJni0T5SpPzpiy0ndSmj04NChgBkO6rxHpj89zw5HmuTavbTzs~dgm26C5FP1~sFbmIS5SexFrIhuJsSNRe2LrdfBAr06PACJNF4m1WigQszhTUT9AdhPQpqJOhGqkPGz6N5GymsOXIK7BTK6EkMUV2w2kffNSvwVIO8~LW~v5jgB77Jab0IJrjFZLj1fup8SJUPRh0eA3ihbmnPH3BvlxOhb1dIbNNkq~XdrOSMCi-XmSKHLBB0v15ZUwiJA1-Mmi2jHKGmqTdSCJUu8-T-Sep3AP-UOcS5ow2oB4ngbZMfD8R6QoYZL8mV17FpBqA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The West Seneca Central School District Board of Education approved multiple personnel, classified, and consent items during its June 3 meeting and received the redistricting committee’s recommendations for board consideration.

At a glance — key approvals and tallies

- Personnel certified (agenda item 5a): approved unanimously (6–0 at time of vote recorded on the agenda). The motion covered certified personnel appointments referenced in the agenda.

- Personnel classified (agenda item 6a and 6b): approved (votes recorded as 6–0). Minutes show approval of summer and temporary classified positions and bus‑wash summer hires.

- Consent agenda (items 8–11): approved as moved (vote recorded 6–0).

- Personnel item 12a: approved (6–0).

- Item 13a: approved; recorded vote was 5–0 with 1 abstention.

- Item 14a: approved; recorded as passing with a 5–0 vote and one abstention/extension noted in the minutes.

- New business (items 15a–15n): approved unanimously later in the meeting (recorded 7–0), following reconvening with a full board.

- Executive session convened to discuss contract negotiations and the superintendent’s evaluation; board voted to enter executive session 7–0.

Context and next steps

Most approved items were routine personnel and operational motions listed on the published agenda. The redistricting committee’s presentation was informational and advisory; the board requested additional analyses (transportation, staffing, fiscal and grandfathering scenarios) before any boundary changes are put to a formal vote. The redistricting report is expected to return to the board for further discussion and potential action in subsequent meetings.

Ending

The board concluded public comment and routine business, approved the listed personnel and consent items, and moved to executive session for contract and personnel matters. No final boundary changes were approved on June 3.","At its June 3 meeting the West Seneca Board of Education approved routine personnel items, a consent agenda and new business measures. The redistricting committee presented recommendations but the board did not vote on boundary changes.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6215668,"District outlines steps to implement New York’s school cellphone ban; administrators to refine procedures",122,7179000,7301000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3656740-a4554f86f2e178403206a4d5c5cec076&start=7179&end=7301","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3656740-a4554f86f2e178403206a4d5c5cec076/thumbnail_7179000.jpg","/articles/6215668/New-York/District-outlines-steps-to-implement-New-Yorks-school-cellphone-ban-administrators-to-refine-procedures","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6215668-d47fa0a2d0118a15cd01079d2210b840/orig.mp4?Expires=1771186739&Signature=nyaW9xp8fBShVnsQttCgT0jlYuWRZ3vnZZWByyuKmiw2rNUY6dDrmZjLk5GggMO21bu273q2gnexLK6CSKs1VtisC4g6wiIoqRLji9Kgv36kzcKx5Dw009GOP15BZrn-nCz1HR~80QVeqAqU-3h27sdnCt6dbyha1acIK941sAjSCeqLTwtpqGumY0xJK9SAc8HwEJSrvnR1V3uQylHzp-ijQB-0QznvFXNsvOCgHeD0VlXjyr-WozuSM6u00CH0Sq3NTeI-1hcdrD~XIomtfGsfbutQIyxBOKb9zarjtv3-r5stfT~WFVhupwgREK35pr86YtXFcsESPDa5Y3nZVw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The West Seneca Central School District will prepare to implement a New York State law that prohibits students from using Internet‑enabled personal devices — including smartphones and smartwatches — during instructional hours, the superintendent said on June 3.

Superintendent (title) told the board the law requires a “bell‑to‑bell” restriction: from the start of the instructional day until dismissal students may not use smartphones or smartwatches during instructional time, passing periods, study halls or the cafeteria unless an exception applies. The district has begun gathering feedback from bargaining units, principals and student leaders and will return with a detailed implementation plan before the fall semester begins.

Why it matters: The law applies to all district students and will require operational decisions about where and how devices are stored, managed and — where required — returned to students. The superintendent said school attorneys and Erie BOCES policy services supplied a model policy the district is adapting and that the details of enforcement, exceptions and parent communications remain to be finalized.

Key implementation points

- Scope and nonnegotiable rules: The law covers kindergarten through grade 12 and identifies smartphones and Internet‑connected wearables (for example, smartwatches) as devices included in the ban. The district will accommodate medically necessary exceptions documented through IEPs or 504 plans.
- Stakeholder input: The administration has scheduled meetings with building principals, bargaining‑unit leaders and student representatives to refine procedures such as whether devices will be stored in lockers or secured in district‑managed pouches, or left at home.
- Cost and logistics: The superintendent noted that commercially available locking pouches have nontrivial unit costs (one vendor quoted ~ $32 per pouch) and that the district has queried state guidance on whether there are designated funds to purchase equipment; at the time of the meeting officials had not yet received clear guidance on accessing any allocated state funds.
- Communication and transition: Administrators plan outreach to families during July and August so parents and students understand the rule, the district’s chosen storage model and how legitimate exceptions will be handled.

Concerns raised at board discussion

Board members stressed consistency across buildings, timely communication to families and robust protections for students who rely on devices for health reasons. The superintendent said students with medically documented needs (for example, diabetes devices) will be exempt and properly documented; she asked administrators to ensure substitutes and front‑office staff can identify and honor documented exceptions.

Ending

District officials said the law is binding; the remaining work is procedural. The board asked administration to return with a recommended policy, operational details and family‑communication materials before the start of school so implementation is uniform across West Seneca buildings.","Superintendent told the board the district will implement a state law that bans student use of smartphones and smartwatches during instructional time; administrators will solicit bargaining‑unit and student input and return implementation details over the summer.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Redistricting committee recommends shifting Clinton and Allendale students and proposes West-to-East middle-school move for board review

Board approves personnel and consent items; redistricting recommendations presented for study

District outlines steps to implement New York’s school cellphone ban; administrators to refine procedures