Williamsville, NY (WBEN) As the Williamsville School District faces its dilemma over remote learning, could there be an impact on the village?
"I absolutely have concerns," says village Mayor Deb Rogers. "The only hope I can say I'm trying to hold onto is hopefully in the next couple of weeks they'll have a better plan that can be amenable to all involved." Rogers says she's been happy with the district up until now and considers the saga disappointing.
Rogers hopes the district in the next week can provide something better for residents and the families who have moved here.
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Amherst Supervisor Brian Kulpa, himself a former Williamsville mayor, says his first concern is kids have access to quality education. "Despite the turmoil in the school board and superintendent, Williamsville schools have the best set of school principals I have ever seen," says Kulpa. He says the principals and the quality of the teachers will continue to produce good test scores and academic achievement in spite of the turmoil.
Kulpa says the village will overcome this, even if there are concerns from those moving into Williamsville for the schools. "It will put a strain on individuals who are choosing their districts as they move into the area, but they'll still look at Williamsville as a top candidate," predicts Kulpa.
Kulpa says while there will be fallout the community will have to accept, housing demand is not dropping. "We're still seeing demand for housing. There's still recognition the administration can only control so much over a student's life," says Kulpa. "The bottom line is if people are looking for hybrid options or looking for in class education from middle school to high school, they may be inclined to look somewhere else for the short term. We haven't seen that expressed yet."