West Seneca voters to decide $162,000,977 2025–26 budget May 20; buses, auditorium and two board seats also on ballot

The West Seneca Central School District on Tuesday held a public budget hearing outlining a proposed $162,000,977 budget for the 2025–26 school year and three propositions voters will decide May 20, Superintendent Dr. Krueger said.

The budget presentation, required by the state, shows the proposed 2025–26 total represents a 4.15% increase from the current year. The district is asking voters to approve Proposition 1 (the $162,000,977 annual budget), Proposition 2 (authorization to use bus reserve funds for replacement buses), and Proposition 3 (an $8.5 million auditorium infrastructure project), Dr. Krueger said at the hearing.

The propositions matter because the budget presented is below the district’s allowable property tax levy cap, Dr. Krueger said, and failure to pass the budget would force the district to adopt a contingent budget that would reduce appropriations by about $1,922,000. The district said that contingency reductions would likely include about $1.2 million in staffing-related cuts (administration and instruction) and roughly $742,000 in postponed equipment purchases.

Personnel costs make up the largest portion of the proposed budget; capital and operating expenses (building operations, utilities and maintenance) and employee benefits are also significant components, Business Official Will Thiele explained during the presentation. Revenue sources shown in the district materials include local property taxes, state aid, sales tax and other revenue; the tax rate experienced by residents depends on the tax levy, assessed property values and the state equalization rate, Dr. Krueger said.

The presentation included program-level details: the district built a budget advisory committee this year and used a community “thought exchange” to solicit priorities, with class size repeatedly cited as a top concern. The district also included a capital outlay item: state rules allow a $100,000 capital outlay project that receives about 76% state aid, and the district identified replacing exterior doors at Northwood Elementary School as that project.

Proposition 2 would permit the district to withdraw money from a bus reserve account the district has been funding to pay for scheduled bus replacements. The figure announced in the presentation for the total proposed amount to purchase replacement buses was unintelligible in the audio transcript of the meeting; the district’s presentation materials on the website should be consulted for the precise dollar amount.

Proposition 3 would fund auditorium and technical-system repairs across the district’s four secondary-school auditoriums (East and West middle and high schools). The total project cost is $8.5 million; the district said there would be no additional tax impact because the board would use $2.1 million from an existing capital reserve to cover the district’s local share and expects to receive roughly 76% state aid on the project.

The budget package described at the hearing also noted that the board adopted the 2025–26 budget at its April meeting before this public hearing to inform voters. The hearing itself was informational: board members asked no substantive follow-up questions during the public session, and no members of the public offered comments specifically about the budget when the hearing was opened for public comment.

The May 20 ballot will also include the election of two Board of Education trustees. Incumbent Edmund Bedian submitted the required paperwork and will appear on the ballot; other prospective candidates may run via write-in votes. Dr. Krueger described the procedure for counting write-in ballots: polls are open May 20 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., but the district will not begin reviewing handwritten write-in ballots the night of May 20. District staff will resume counting write-ins at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 21, in the East Senior library; the district said it will provide an update at about 4 p.m. on May 21 and, if necessary, resume the process at 9 a.m. on May 22.

For more information, the district said it has posted presentation slides, a short video about the auditorium infrastructure project and a frequently asked questions document on the West Seneca Central School District website.