Depew board hears $54.18 million budget proposal, schedules May 21 vote

The Depew Union Free School District on Monday presented a $54,175,352 proposed budget for the coming year, an increase of 5.1% from the prior year, the district’s budget presenter, Douglas Wayles, told the board and residents.

Wayles said the district’s primary revenue sources remain state aid and property taxes, and he described the budget’s major expense categories as instruction, BOCES charges, equipment, benefits and debt service. "We're looking at a $54,175,352 budget. It is a 5.1% increase," Wayles said during the presentation.

The proposal keeps existing programs and summer offerings, maintains critical safety positions and continues the district’s 1:1 Chromebook program, with new devices planned for fifth and ninth grades. Wayles also listed personnel changes included in the plan: an additional building substitute at the high school, increasing some ESOL teachers from 0.8 to 1.0 FTE, and adding three custodial/cleaning positions at Cayuga to address current high cleaning loads.

Capital items include a continuing $100,000 capital outlay allocation and work on the district’s cogen plant to improve efficiency; Wayles said some components must be replaced or upgraded. The presentation also noted an item on the ballot to purchase school buses.

Two propositions will appear on the May 21 ballot: the budget itself and a separate proposition to purchase school buses. Wayles reminded residents that voting will take place in the high school gymnasium on May 21 from noon to 8:00 p.m. and pointed listeners to the printed budget newsletter and the district’s public budget document for line‑item detail.

The presentation closed with an invitation for questions and a request that residents contact district staff if they want additional detail before the vote.