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Williamsville board hears district plan to expand generative AI use, emphasizes training and guardrails
Summary
Assistant superintendent Dr. Marie Balan and district technology leaders outlined a multi-year rollout of generative AI tools (Gemini, Notebook LM), professional learning for staff, and planned student instruction on ethics and equity; the board endorsed a phased approach with mandatory staff training and a central AI resource page.
Dr. Marie Balan, the district's assistant superintendent for curriculum, assessment and instruction, presented the Williamsville Central School District's plan to expand the use of generative artificial intelligence in classrooms and operations at the April 21 board meeting.
"Generative AI creates new content based on data that is entered into the system," Balan said, stressing that "humans are essential in reviewing anything that is produced by AI." She described a three-part focus: instructional efficiency for staff, personalized learning for students, and preparing students for future uses of AI while teaching ethics and digital literacy.
District technology staff said the rollout has relied on district-grade tools that keep data inside the district's protected systems, and on professional learning that began at an administrative retreat in 2024 and accelerated through 2025 and 2026. Mr. Lee Ferrand, an instructional-technology leader, said the district initially enabled AI features embedded in subscriptions teachers already use and then expanded training so teachers could adopt tools without new logins. "We started with district tools that had AI embedded into it," he said.
Presenters showed classroom examples across grade levels: elementary teachers using AI to create storybooks and decodable text, middle-school coaches sharing prompt "gems" teachers can reuse, and high-school staff using Notebook LM to synthesize complex materials into study guides and multimedia. "The goal is not to replace the teacher," Dr. William Bowen said; "it is to give teachers tools to save time and devote more time to their students."
Board members and students asked detailed questions about equity, privacy, environmental cost and academic integrity. A student speaker asked how the district will teach ethics to students; Balan replied that student-facing instruction and ethics discussions are part of planned next steps. "Part of what we're hoping to accomplish with some of our next steps is ensuring that both those aspects get attended to both for staff and for students," she said.
Presenters repeatedly cited district safeguards and compliance steps. The district said tools are being used inside enterprise-grade Google services and other licensed systems so data do not leave the district environment, and asked staff to adhere to Education Law 2-D and existing board policy (Board Policy 5840) on AI usage.
Next steps provided to the board included updating a central AI landing page with required professional learning resources, adding AI topics to induction and September 2026 professional development sessions, expanding building-level supports through instructional coaches, and continuing an internal review process for tool onboarding. No formal board vote was required on the implementation plan; presenters said staff will return with operational details as rollout progresses.
The board recessed the presentation for a student and community Q&A that covered environmental impacts of data centers, timelines for adding AI-focused computer-science courses and how to make classroom expectations consistent across teachers. Presenters said advanced, student-facing AI platforms are being evaluated and that computer-science curricula will emphasize foundational coding skills before introducing AI-assisted coding tools.
The district said it will publish additional resources and talking points for staff and students and will report back to the board as professional-learning milestones are reached.
