District Update
March 3, 2025
A Message From Dr. Brown-Hall
Welcome to the District Update!
As I begin, I want to recognize Williamsville East’s Jean Weitz, Mill’s Debra Kaiser, and Dodge’s Melanie Myers who have been selected as 2025 inductees into the New York State Master Teachers program. This is an incredible honor highlights their dedication to professional growth and development.
Next, I want to congratulate Williamsville East’s Sophie Wang and Williamsville North’s Emma Faulhaber, Lincoln Peacock, and Jolynda Wang who are finalists in the National Merit Scholarship competition. These four students are competing with thousands across the country for more than $33 million in scholarships! Winners are announced from March through May.
Speaking of competition… I want to thank UB and the men’s and women’s basketball teams for an exceptional experience for our students and families during their Williamsville School Spirit day on Saturday. We hope to continue to partner and provide these experiences in the future with the Bulls!
I want to remind our school community that the comment period for the 2025-2026 Draft Calendar closes on Friday. The draft calendar, which is built in collaboration and follows the BOCES calendar, includes 181 student days, a two week break for the Winter Recess, and five emergency closing days. The Board of Education will consider the calendar for adoption at the next Board meeting on Tuesday, March 11th. There is also a Budget Work Session and Community Forum on March 25th.
Speaking of the Board, as we enter budget and election season, Board Candidate Information Packets are available to pick up at the District Office. Please coordinate with the District Clerk, Lynn Carey, if interested in running. Each of our high school buildings are also accepting Board Candidate Packets for students interested in representing the student body and serving as non-voting members of the Board. Applications and petitions are due March 14th to building administrators.
As a District, we are working on several big initiatives, one of which is establishing a District-wide policy regarding internet enabled devices, as outlined in the Governor’s proposal. The Distraction-Free School Zone Committee began its work last week and has elementary, middle, and high school groups working to outline what the new District policy will look like at each level. They will continue to meet regularly leading up to their proposal presentation in June.
Also, as we shared last week, we have partnered with Via Evaluation to conduct surveys with our school community about our Strategic Plan, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan, and Communications. Via Evaluation will administer surveys through random sampling among stakeholders. Please be on the lookout for emails - as the survey will come directly from Via Evaluation. We will also be conducting the Transportation Efficiency Survey in April.
March is here, and while there are no vacations or designated days off, there is still much to look forward to and be excited about — including SIHAC’s annual spirit week competition! Stay tuned for more details!
Please, continue to work hard and have a great week!
