After much heated debate and a close vote, major changes are on the way in the West Seneca Central School District.

By a narrow vote of 4-3, and with no parent input, the West Seneca School Board passed a resolution stating that, for the 2021-2022 school year, Winchester students, faculty, and staff will be moved to Potters Road Elementary School. At the same time, fifth grade students at East Middle School will be moved to Clinton Street or Northwood Elementary Schools.

West Seneca School Board President Diane Beres explains Winchester does not have enough rooms for students or space for special education needs. The resolution says the Potters Road Elementary School can better meet the educational needs of students.

"We only have 22 classrooms at Winchester as opposed to the new building, where they will have 32 classrooms to be utilized, so there will be more space for these extra mandated services," Beres explained.

After almost a year of constant change with COVID-19, Carol Zajac, who currently has a son in first grade at Winchester, said it's just one more thing for these kids.

"Here is this major decision that we have no part of," commented Zajac. "It's another hard pill to swallow when all of a sudden, even when not all of the kids have gone back to school, we are slapped in the face with this ‘oh and by the way, your kids are getting uprooted again.’"

Some board members were staunchly opposed to the move because the public wasn't involved.

"I strongly believe the parents should have a right to be able to ask questions to understand, be part of it, even to vent,” BOE member Mary Busse.

Sara Bedient, president of the Winchester PTA, feels relocating the kids is just a bandage on a bigger problem within the district.

"Our building sizes and facilities are unequal. We should be looking at fully redistricting instead of moving kids from one building to another," said Bedient.

As for why the district didn't ask for community input, Beres says it’s because the changes were only physical.

"Same teachers, same support staff, same principal, so we weren't changing that much, so that's why we felt we didn't need community input on this," she added.

Beres did say community input will be asked, when it comes time to determine overcrowding issues with West Senior and East Senior. However, she believes that's further down the road.

The board will form a committee to look at future educational opportunities and facilities.

It's now up to the superintendent to find a tenant to lease some or all of Winchester.