Wellsville School Board and Budget vote is May 19 from 12noon to 9pm
By Andrew Harris
Next Tuesday Wellsville Central School Voters will vote for two new school board members to fill two open seats. Appointed member Michael Chaffee and former member Heather Gill are both on the ballot.
We posed four questions to each candidate ahead of the vote. Chaffee, a Marine Corp Veteran and teacher at Andover Central School provided four thoughtful answers:
School districts across NYS are raising red flags over district finances. NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has widely warned local governments that NYS faces a “fiscal cliff” in the 2028-29 budget year. Wellsville School Board member Dr. Robert Gilfert has been publicly raising specific concerns since last year. What is your take on the WSCD financial position?
Chaffee: The current Wellsville School Board, along with previous boards, have been operating with this specific concern in mind. For a number of years, the school board has practiced conservative fiscal policies. The board has had several discussions about the future of Foundation Aid rates, rising expenditures and increasing costs due to unfunded state mandates. Because the board has been proactive, I feel that the district is in a good position to make any adjustments needed in the immediate future.
A recent snapshot in the “Overview” detailed the massive increase in state/federal aid to WCSD over the last decade. Federal aid is influx and state financial leaders are warning of shrinking funding and increasing tax rates. Is the district ready prepared for a sudden and/or substantial decrease in that funding?
Chaffee: As someone who has been through this scenario before, it is something I think about often. The short answer: It really depends on the extent of the aid cut. The last time New York State made large cuts to the foundation aid formula was 2008. This aid reduction forced many schools to eliminate teacher positions. The loss of these teachers resulted in the loss of programs such as business. Other programs like art and music were drastically reduced. Some of these programs never returned and others have just recently recovered. This is why a long-term view of budgeting over a period of years has been so important. We need to continue budgeting under the assumption that a rate cut will occur in the near future. Its not a matter of if it will happen but when it will happen.
Enrollment continues to be declining across Allegany County. Increasing is students participation CA BOCES programs, traveling to the common Belmont Campus. Finances are tightening, property taxes have jumped, and staff shortages haven’t abated since the pandemic. The writing is on the wall for a consolidated Allegany County Schools. Agree or Disagree ? Please explain
Chaffee: I do agree that student enrollment is declining and the teacher shortage is hitting all the schools in the County. As a result, we are seeing a type of consolidation already in the form of a process called Regionalization. Put simply, it is the sharing of specific services between two or more schools. We have seen it for years in the combination of sports teams. Now we see schools sharing transportation staff, Technical/Computer staff and bus mechanics. I do not think this necessarily means that there will be a merger or consolidation for Wellsville in the near future. Referring back to the previous question for a moment, it is important to remember that foundation aid is tied to student enrollments. Wellsville has been and continues to be a place that attracts students from other Districts. Going forward we need to continue working on retaining the teachers we have as well as making Wellsville a good option for students and future teachers.
Fast forward to the end of this term of service. What specifically do you plan to have delivered to the district and the taxpayer ?
Chaffee: In 2029 New York State schools will switch from the current graduation requirements to a new Program called the “Portrait of a Graduate”. This program is a fundamental change in how Wellsville students will achieve a high school diploma. I want support the Teachers and Administration in the successful deployment of this program before the end of my term.
Read our look at Chaffee when he was appointed to the board in 2025:
