WEST SENECA, N.Y. — West Seneca Central School District may be cutting 47 different positions before next school year, as it tries to make up a several million-dollar deficit.
This is a story 7 News has been following since last month when teachers demonstrated at all schools district-wide to draw attention to their concerns.
WATCH: ‘We have their back’: West Seneca teachers demand answers on potential layoffs
West Seneca Central interim superintendent Jeffrey Rabey announced Tuesday that 47.5 full-time employment opportunities are listed as cuts on the second draft of the 2024-25 school district budget.
“Looking at various salary & benefit reductions and retirement breakages across all areas within the district, it is about 47.5 FTEs to cut almost $4.5 million,” Rabey said.
A school spokesperson clarified that of that 47.5 number, around 29 of the positions are listed as layoffs, and 18.5 are listed as “attrition/unfilled empty positions.”
This comes as pandemic grants to schools across the country expire at the end of the year, forcing West Seneca to dip into its surplus and still have a financial shortfall.
“Initial budget gap, as I mentioned is a little over 5 million dollars,” Rabey said.
Leaders of both the teacher’s association and the Civil Service Employees Association tell 7 News they are just now finding out how many layoffs could be coming.
“This type of rash decision-making coupled with the lack of transparency makes it difficult for us to trust these decisions,” said Craig Ersing, secretary of the West Seneca Teacher’s Association.
7 News Senior Reporter Eileen Buckley sat down and spoke with Ersing earlier Tuesday.
“When we come to the table, we are told what they’re going to do,” CSEA Union President Darryl Hertel said. “There is no input whatsoever from any bargaining unit, including CSEA.”
Interim superintendent Rabey’s presentation lists the cuts from two different funds.
30.5 of those jobs come from the school’s Certified General Fund, which Ersing tells 7 News applies to the teachers. But which teachers? He doesn’t know.
“We aren’t at the table, so we aren’t really sure where those cuts are going to come from,” Ersing said.
The other 17 positions come out of the school’s Classified General Fund, which Hertel explains applies to school support staff like custodians, secretaries and more.
“We are expected to sit and listen, they dictate to us and have not taken into account one of our ideas.”
The interim superintendent was not made available for questions following the meeting.
On top of layoffs, this current draft proposes a 1.95% school tax increase, but Rabey warns that a failing vote would only lead to more job loss.
“Then, we cannot raise the tax levy at all, therefore we have to reduce an additional $1,335,437. [The money] would come from additional staff reductions, including administration of programming.”
This budget has not yet been adopted, there will be another hearing on April 16, where the board will finalize and adopt the plan.
West Seneca residents will vote on that adopted budget on May 21.
