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Parents and students urge board to pause redistricting; board and superintendent say process will continue with more input
Summary
Dozens of parents, students and volunteers packed the May 6 meeting to oppose redistricting options that would move small groups of students mid-track; speakers said the changes would harm social and academic continuity and asked for alternatives such as building use or long-term reconfiguration.
Dozens of community members addressed the West Seneca Central School District board on May 6 to oppose proposed redistricting options that would reassign small groups of students between the district's east and west attendance zones.
Parents, students and local volunteers said the plans would disrupt friendships, extracurricular teams and students' emotional stability at critical ages. "These are children, not wounds," said Amy Scott, a parent and Allendale substitute teacher, who described concerns about unequal course offerings between East and West high schools and the emotional impact of moving students after they had already begun to build relationships.
Several speakers said the proposals appear to single out particular neighborhoods and to shift the burden of past enrollment decisions onto current students and families. Jeremy Weingarten, a parent who said his neighborhood has been repeatedly considered for reassignment, told the board: "We seem to be the only neighborhoods that have been under constant consideration to be flipped." Students who spoke said redistricting causes anxiety and can make it hard to form and keep friendships; a fifth grader, Brooklyn, told the board she feared being separated from friends and family and described difficulty adjusting to a new school and schedule.
Speakers pressed for alternatives. Several parents asked the district to consider using existing but unused space (Winchester Elementary is leased to BOCES) before building additions that Dr. Krueger said would likely be 100% locally funded and therefore costly. Some parents urged the board to prioritize a long-term configuration change ("one West Seneca") so students could grow together rather than be moved between systems.
Superintendent Dr. Krueger acknowledged the depth of the public concern and outlined the redistricting committee's timeline and outreach: the work began in the fall of 2022, resumed in fall 2024, included community forums, a thought-exchange survey, FAQs on the district website and recorded meetings. She said the committee will meet May 22 and the district plans a June 3 presentation to the board with final options and a possible June 17 adoption, though she cautioned the board may need extra time to consider recommendations. "This process is not yet done," she said.
Board members acknowledged the public emotion and emphasized that the committee's work and the board's eventual decision aim to produce a long-term solution rather than a short-term fix. Several board members said they support exploring a unified configuration but that a one-high-school or full reconfiguration would require significantly more study, community input and logistical preparation. Board members also urged the public to continue sending emails and feedback; the board said individual board members may acknowledge receipt but that formal responses will be coordinated.
Ending: The redistricting committee will meet again May 22; the district plans a board presentation on June 3 and possible adoption on June 17. The district asked the public to consult the redistricting page on the district website for meeting notes, FAQs and recordings of community forums.
