West Seneca board hears $80M capital project plan and first-draft budget showing an $8M gap

The West Seneca Central School District Board of Education on March 3 received an expanded preview of an approximately $80 million capital improvement proposal and a first-draft district budget that shows a multi-million‑dollar gap.

Architects and construction managers from Young and Wright and Campus Construction presented project priorities they said were shaped by recent student and community focus groups. The package would target long‑deferred systems and facility priorities, including replacement of aging boilers, upgraded fire‑alarm systems, restroom reconfigurations with full‑height individual stalls and a communal sink area, athletic‑field updates and targeted site work at elementary schools. The plan would also repurpose aging middle‑school pools at East and West Middle into STEM and shop spaces rather than invest an estimated $3,000,000 per pool to restore them to code, presenters said.

"This is broken out by building to get to that total," the lead presenter said, noting the project total remains about $80,000,000. (Presenter: Tori, Young and Wright/Campus Construction.)

District staff said they have used focus groups and evening community meetings to refine scope and will hold two public presentations on April 29 and May 12 ahead of a vote scheduled for mid‑May. The superintendent recommended presenting the plan as one proposition to voters to avoid confusion that officials said emerged from the December 2023 multiple‑proposition vote.

On financing, the district reported it could apply capital reserves to reduce the local share. "We have capital reserves that would allow the project to be, with no tax impact up to about $52,000,000," the superintendent said, and that the remaining local share would create a tax impact. District staff estimated the local share would translate to roughly $20 a year for a typical West Seneca home, though staff said they would provide a more detailed breakdown for board review before the next meeting.

Separately, the district presented a first‑draft 2026–27 general fund budget that showed appropriations of about $171.5 million against projected revenues of roughly $163.5 million, leaving an $8 million shortfall before using reserves. Finance staff described potential strategies to close the gap, including department cost reviews, negotiated salary outcomes, and the use of reserves. The presentation noted $35.5 million in reserves at year end 2025 and proposed deploying about $4 million of reserves and $1 million of surplus to offset part of the capital local share.

Budget staff also highlighted two retirement‑system items that will affect costs: employers' ERS contributions are forecast to rise about 16% next year, and TRS (teachers' retirement) was shown at about 9.4% in current planning materials. The district also previewed a draft bus purchase of five 64‑passenger buses at roughly $173,000 each (about $864,000 total) to replace aging vehicles in the fleet.

Board members asked for and were promised more granular line‑item estimates for the capital package before a formal vote. "I'd like to see the breakdown prior to whenever we're gonna vote to move forward," one board member said, asking for per‑school cost detail and confirmation that door replacements and other visible items will be completed as shown.

Next steps: district staff said they will share detailed cost breakdowns and tax‑impact estimates ahead of the board's next meeting (March 17) and additional public meetings leading to a May vote.