West Seneca previews budget draft, outlines $8.5M auditorium plan and capital outlay projects
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Summary
District officials reviewed community feedback, timeline and key budget drivers including a proposed $8.5 million auditorium project, a Northwood doors capital outlay and an anticipated bus purchase funded from reserves.
Lisa, staff member, opened the work session by saying the board would receive an update on the budget development process and previewed results of a community “thought exchange” that drew 113 responses.
The exchange flagged facility upkeep, air conditioning, visual and performing arts, elementary class sizes and social-emotional supports as top community priorities, Lisa said. To broaden outreach beyond K–12 families, she said the district will launch a community email group; residents can sign up by emailing communications@westsenecacentralschools.org or via a QR code the district will publish.
Will Theo, the district’s business official, summarized the fiscal timeline and key figures. He said the 2026 tax-levy limit is $71,889,614, a 2.75% increase over last year that reflects a change in the capital-exclusion calculation. The district’s budget calendar calls for a first-draft presentation March 4, a second draft March 25, final board action April 8 and a public vote May 20, Theo said. He also said last year’s $6,300,000 gap had been covered with fund balance and that the March 4 meeting will include a preliminary calculation of this year’s deficit and possible gap-closing strategies.
The board reviewed planned capital work. The district plans to use the annual capital outlay allocation (projects generally limited to $100,000) to replace doors at Northwood Elementary; the district expects to receive roughly 76% state aid reimbursement on that work in the following year. Theo said the door work is expected to consume most of the outlay funds because doors are in short supply and expensive at present.
Board members and staff also discussed a proposed $8.5 million auditorium infrastructure project to replace rigging, lighting and sound systems in four auditoriums (two middle school, two high school). The district would apply $2.1 million from its capital reserve to reduce any local tax share and place the proposition on the May 20 ballot, Lisa said. A State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process and a negative declaration (no ground disturbance) are planned before the board considers a resolution to put the measure on the ballot.
Theo noted the district currently pays more than $10,000 annually for lighting rentals to supplement failing auditorium systems and argued the upgrade would reduce operating and maintenance costs over time.
Bus purchases for the coming year were discussed as a separate, vote-bound item funded from bus reserves. Theo said final vehicle availability and chassis choices remain under negotiation with vendors, but the district is targeting a roughly $1,100,000 purchase and will finalize details for the March 4 meeting.
The board was reminded that a building condition survey completed this fall will deliver results in April; the facilities committee will then prioritize urgent projects and recommend how to sequence them into future capital-improvement plans.
No formal votes were recorded during the work session; staff presented updates and scheduled future decision points for the board.
