District explores partnership with East Aurora Boys & Girls Club; Assemblyman Burke pledges $300,000 to help launch

West Seneca administrators and representatives from the Boys & Girls Club of East Aurora outlined a proposed affiliation on July 22 to open a Boys & Girls Club unit in West Seneca to provide after‑school programming for upper‑elementary and middle‑school students.

Dr. Krueger introduced the district’s rationale, citing strategic‑plan data showing need for supervised after‑school options at the middle‑school level and a rise in students classified as economically disadvantaged. She said the district has “41% of our student population is considered economically disadvantaged” and noted transportation and family financial barriers could limit access to existing programs.

Gary Shutram, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of East Aurora, presented a model in which West Seneca would be a unit under East Aurora’s corporate nonprofit. He described a staffing and governance model: an East Aurora corporate board would remain the ultimate fiduciary authority while a West Seneca unit committee (community leaders, school officials, parents) would provide local direction and help lead fundraising. “We will lend our expertise. We will lend our staff to your staff,” Shutram said.

Shutram estimated an initial annual operating budget of about $460,000 and said the club would need roughly one year of operating costs in the bank before launch. He said a unit would need a full‑time site director, an office manager and program staff; his initial staffing projection for startup included seven direct staff capable of serving about 140 children per day based on a 1:20 staff‑to‑member ratio. “So that'd be a 140 kids we could serve per day,” he said. He also said East Aurora serves about 380 kids daily and has 1,600 members at its main club.

On funding, Dr. Krueger told the board that Assemblyman Pat Burke initially pledged $100,000 and later followed with an additional $200,000, for a total pledged amount of $300,000 to support launch costs. Dr. Krueger and Shutram noted start‑up expenses (equipment, furnishings) and ongoing operating costs (salaries, supplies). The presented sample budget did not include facility rent, utilities, or maintenance; the superintendent asked the board to consider whether the district would offer nominal lease terms, cover utilities, or otherwise support start‑up costs, and suggested drafting a memorandum of agreement to clarify responsibilities.

Administrators identified possible district locations if BOCES moves from Winchester Academy, including former East Elementary or the first floor of Winchester Academy, which would allow middle‑school students to walk to programming. Gary Shutram and Dr. Krueger said the club could be open to scholarship members: “Parents who are facing financial hardship but are not on school free reduced lunches can submit a letter for scholarship,” Shutram said, and noted that children eligible for free or reduced price lunch receive free membership.

Board members discussed next steps: forming a West Seneca unit committee, vetting potential sites, confirming facility responsibilities (cleaning, snow removal, utilities), working on a fundraising plan and resource‑development support from East Aurora, and returning with a memorandum of agreement. Shutram said his board had not yet approved the unit and that a target opening “as soon as 2026” was possible if fundraising and approvals proceed. The board agreed to include the topic in a future work session for deeper discussion and requested sample MOUs and Winchester Academy operating costs to evaluate facility commitments.