West Seneca presents roughly $162 million 2025–26 budget; three propositions, trustee election set for May 20 vote

Superintendent Dr. Krueger told the West Seneca Central School District public hearing on May 6 that the districtwill present three propositions to voters on May 20: the 2025—6 budget, a bus replacement proposition and an auditorium infrastructure project, plus the election of two board trustees.

Dr. Krueger said the proposed 2025—6 budget totals approximately $162 million and represents about a 4.15% increase over the current year; she described the presentation as the statutorily required public hearing rather than new policy announcements. "There is really no new information that will be presented tonight," she said as she walked the audience through the development process and revenue and expenditure drivers.

The nut graf: the vote on May 20 will decide the districtbudget and two capital proposals that the district says are structured to limit local tax impact, while a failed budget would trigger almost $1.92 million in required reductions that the district says would fall largely on personnel and postponement of equipment purchases.

Dr. Krueger said personnel costs make up the largest share of the budget, followed by capital and operating expenses such as utilities and building maintenance. The presentation highlighted revenue from local property taxes, state aid and other sources, and said the proposed levy is below the districtallowable tax cap. She described how some state aid categories (for example, increased special-education costs or BOCES expenditures) are "expense-driven" and can offset some district costs.

On capital items, Dr. Krueger described a $100,000 capital outlay project (eligible for state aid) earmarked for exterior door replacement at Northwood Elementary and explained that New York State Department of Education rules make certain capital projects eligible for a high aid rate. For Proposition 2, the district proposes using bus-reserve funds to buy replacement buses: the presentation listed $1,116,439 as the total proposed cost for replacement buses. For Proposition 3, the superintendent described an $8.5 million auditorium infrastructure project covering the district's four secondary-school auditoriums (East and West middle and high schools) to repair sound, lighting and rigging; she said the district would fund the local share with $2.1 million from an existing capital reserve and expects about 76% state aid on the project, so the districtstates there would be no additional tax impact for Proposition 3.

Dr. Krueger also explained contingency planning should the budget fail: if voters do not approve the budget, the district would revert to a contingent budget that would require reductions of $1,922,000. She said the anticipated cuts would include roughly $1.2 million in staff reductions in administration and instruction and about $742,000 in suspended equipment purchases. "If our budget is not passed by the community and if we are forced to go to a contingent budget... it would reflect a reduction of nearly 2,000,000 in appropriations," she said.

The superintendent outlined election logistics for two board seats: incumbent Edmund Bedian met the filing requirements and will appear on the ballot; other candidates must win by write-in votes. She said machine vote totals and proposition results will be posted the night of May 20 but the district will not begin reviewing handwritten write-in ballots until 9 a.m. on May 21 and will complete the review in public in the East Senior library as necessary.

There were no public comments specific to the budget during the hearing; the board closed the budget hearing before the regular meeting and a motion to adjourn the hearing carried on the record. The board later returned to open session and continued with its regular agenda.

Ending: The district's budget vote and the three propositions are scheduled May 20, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the East Senior High School gymnasium; write-in results for the board election will be reviewed publicly on May 21 in the East Senior library and the district has posted additional budget resources and an auditorium project video on its website.