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Veterans tax-exemption petition and campus protest debate draw public comment at Webster BOE meeting
Summary
During public comment speakers urged the board to act on a veterans partial school‑tax exemption petition and raised concerns about student protests on campus; commenters requested a financial report and public hearing on the veterans exemption.
The Webster Central School District Board of Education heard several public comments on March 10 that focused on two community concerns: student on-campus protests and a pending petition asking the district to examine a veterans school-tax exemption.
Kimberly DeRosa criticized student walkouts and protests on high‑school campuses, urging the board to keep politics out of the classroom and calling for clearer enforcement of school rules (including a cell-phone policy). "When students skip class to protest… how exactly are you providing quality education?" DeRosa asked, citing safety incidents reported from other states to argue such events can be dangerous.
A second, recurring theme came from veterans and advocates pressing the board on a petition filed April 22, 2025 requesting a partial school-tax exemption for qualifying veterans under New York State law. Timothy Smith told the board a financial report and a public hearing requested 11 months earlier have not yet been scheduled and asked the district to prepare a financial impact analysis based on current assessments rather than wait for a district reassessment. "Please release the financial report and schedule a public hearing," Smith said.
Jason Richards, a retired sergeant major, voiced support for the veterans initiative and offered to collaborate on implementation details when the board revisits the item. Craig Tower, commander of the local VFW and a veteran, asked the board to consider the sacrifice of veterans and to bring the exemption forward for public consideration. Each of the veteran speakers urged prompt board action so eligible veterans—many of whom are seniors on fixed incomes—can see whether the exemption is feasible.
Board members acknowledged receipt of the comments; no formal board action on the veterans petition was recorded in the meeting transcript beyond hearing the requests. The petitioners requested a financial analysis and a public hearing; the transcript indicates the district has not yet produced that report at the time of the March 10 meeting.
