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Public comment and committee work highlight divided views on board compensation

Williamsville Central School District Board of Education · January 14, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Public commenters opposed a board‑compensation inquiry while the district’s compensation committee met to research options; the committee will gather comparative research and reconvene in February before making recommendations.

Public comment at the Jan. 13 Williamsville board meeting included vocal opposition to investigating board compensation, while the board’s compensation committee reported the first meeting of its work and outlined next steps.

Parent Lauren Schellinger told the board she opposed compensating board members, saying the district has not struggled to fill seats and that pursuing compensation could 'sow division' and divert resources from fiscal priorities.

Separately, a compensation committee representative reported the committee’s initial meeting (the night before the board meeting) included charter review, introductions and development of research questions. The committee plans to gather existing research, consult comparative practices through NISBA and other sources, and meet monthly with the next meeting slated for February. Committee members were asked to research models (dollar amounts, tax breaks, insurance benefits or other approaches) so the group can weigh options before making a recommendation.

Committee leaders emphasised there is no rush to a recommendation and that the committee wants thoughtful deliberation and diversity of viewpoints; no board action on compensation was taken at the meeting.