West Seneca superintendent proposes phased long‑range facilities plan, recommends elementary redistricting for 2026

Superintendent Lisa Krueger presented a multi‑phased facilities and redistricting proposal to the West Seneca Central School District Board of Education on Oct. 7, recommending elementary‑level redistricting to take effect in September 2026 and a longer term plan to repurpose and consolidate district facilities.

Krueger told the board the immediate recommendation is an “elementary based redistricting” that would shift attendance boundaries to relieve overcrowding at Clinton Elementary and Allendale Elementary while maintaining the district’s East/West boundary. She said the board could vote on the redistricting recommendation at its Nov. 18 meeting.

Krueger said the district must “right size our school enrollments and the capacity” and avoid repeating short‑term fixes that leave central office functions scattered across multiple sites. She recommended vacating and selling the Ebenezer Building at 900 Mill Road, relocating central offices to the former East Elementary wing on the East Middle School campus, and converting the Winchester Academy to a family support center after BOCES reduces its footprint at that site in 2027.

"By selling the Ebenezer Building, we can invest the proceeds to alleviate future capital needs or invest in our remaining schools," Krueger said. She added that the district’s technology server is currently located in the Ebenezer Building next to areas that regularly leak and that the building requires more than $20 million in repairs over the next five years, according to the district’s building condition survey.

Krueger urged the board to take a phased approach: implement elementary redistricting in 2026 to address urgent class‑size and space issues; in 2027 reclaim Winchester and open a family support center; and in later years study elementary reconfiguration (pre‑K–2 and 3–5), middle‑school renovations and specialized high‑school programs.

The superintendent also recommended reducing the district’s four pools to two, saying use and ongoing operating costs do not justify major repairs to all four facilities. Krueger said filling in two middle‑school pools would free about 4,000 square feet per site for instructional space to relieve pressure at West Middle School.

On transportation, Krueger said the current bus maintenance and parking facility at West Senior is landlocked and needs more than $10 million in repairs in the next five years. She recommended exploring off‑site transportation facilities that could allow the district to grow a West Seneca‑owned fleet and reduce reliance on contracted bus services; any such move would be studied further before decisions are made.

Board members and principals asked questions during the presentation about timeline, student transitions and transportation logistics. West Middle Principal Michael Keane (referred to in the presentation) was cited as having adjusted the school schedule this year to reduce teachers who lack a designated classroom. Resident Kenneth Thompson urged the board to focus on the longer term plan rather than multiple short‑term moves for students.

Krueger said a public comment period and an online “thought exchange” would be open through the end of October; she asked the community to review detailed street maps in the presentation appendix before the board’s anticipated Nov. 18 vote on the elementary redistricting plan.

The board did not vote on redistricting on Oct. 7; Krueger characterized the presentation as step‑one of a multi‑year implementation plan that would include consultation with families, staff and outside agencies.

What’s next: the district will solicit public comment through late October, prepare transition supports for any students moved in September 2026, work toward vacating and selling the Ebenezer Building and continue feasibility work on a new transportation facility and potential pool conversions and middle‑school renovations.