Public Hearing — 1901 Sweet Home Road, Amherst, New York

ERIE COUNTY

PUBLIC NOTICE





NOTICE OF A PUBLIC HEARING AND DISTRICT VOTE OF THE SWEET HOME CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT OF AMHERST AND TONAWANDA, NEW YORK




NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the annual meeting and election of the Sweet Home Central School District, Erie County, New York, will be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2026 from 7:00 am (EDST) to 9:00 pm (EDST) at the Norman Vergils Community Center, located at the north end of the high school behind the District Office for the purpose of electing one member of the Board of Education, voting on the budget of the District for the 2026-27 fiscal year, and voting on any other proposition(s) authorized by law and the rules of the Board to be voted on at such time.




TAKE FURTHER NOTICE, that the election of members of the Board shall be held to fill one (1) at-large position on the Board. The candidates receiving the highest vote totals shall be elected to a five-year term (commencing July 1, 2026 and ending on June 30, 2031.)




TAKE FURTHER NOTICE, that voting at the Annual Vote shall consist of the Board election, voting on the following propositions, and voting on any other propositions authorized by law and the rules of the Board to be voted on at such time:




PROPOSITION NO. 1 (2026-27 BUDGET)

Shall the following resolution be adopted?




RESOLVED, that the basic budget for the Sweet Home Central School District of Amherst and Tonawanda (“the District”) for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027, as presented by the Board of Education, is hereby approved and adopted, and the required funds therefor are hereby appropriated and the necessary real property taxes required shall be raised by a tax on the taxable property in the District to be levied and collected as required by law.




PROPOSITION NO. 2 (EXTENSION OF MAPLEMERE MODULAR CLASSROOM LEASE)

Shall the following resolution be adopted?




RESOLVED, that the Board of Education of the Sweet Home Central School District is hereby authorized to extend the existing lease agreement for modular temporary classrooms between the District and Mobile Modular Management Corporation, by Addendum as presented, for an additional two-year period from November 1, 2026 through and including October 31, 2028, at a cost of $2,205 per month, for a total cost of $52,920; and




BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the District’s Superintendent of Schools and District Clerk are hereby authorized to undertake all actions necessary to implement the intent and operation of this Resolution.




TAKE FURTHER NOTICE, that a Public Hearing of the inhabitants of the Sweet Home Central School District of Amherst and Tonawanda, qualified to vote at School Meetings of said District will be held at the Sweet Home District Office, 1901 Sweet Home Road, door #6, in said school district on Tuesday, May 5, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. (EDST), for the purpose of discussion on the expenditure of funds and the budgeting thereof for the year 2026–2027.




TAKE FURTHER NOTICE, that applications for absentee and early voting ballots may be obtained from the Office of the School District Clerk, 1901 Sweet Home Road, Amherst, New York or on the District website at www.sweethomeschools.org . A list of persons to whom absentee ballots have been issued will be available in the Office of the School District Clerk on each of the five days prior to the election during regular office hours Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Completed applications for absentee and early voting ballots must be received by the School District Clerk’s Office on or before May 12, 2026 if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter for completion. Applications may be filed on or before May 18, 2026 if the ballot is to be picked up by the voter at the District Clerk’s Office. Completed absentee and early voting ballots must be received by the District Clerk’s Office by 5:00 p.m. on the day of the vote.




TAKE FURTHER NOTICE, that military voters who are qualified voters of the School District may apply for a military ballot by requesting an application from the District Clerk or via the District website, www.sweethomeschools.org . For a military voter to be issued a military ballot, the District Clerk must have received a valid ballot application no later than 4:00 pm on April 23, 2026. In a request for a military ballot application or ballot, the military voter may indicate their preference for receiving the application or ballot by mail, facsimile transmission or electronic mail.




TAKE FURTHER NOTICE, that the petitions nominating candidates for the office of member of the Board of Education must be filed with the Clerk of the District between the hours of 8:00 a.m. (EDST) and 4:00 p.m. (EDST) no later than Monday, April 20, 2026. Each petition shall be signed by at least twenty-five (25) qualified voters of the District, or 2% of the number of qualified voters voting in the 2025 annual vote - whichever is greater, and shall state the name and residence of the candidate, and shall state the residence of each signer.




TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that optical scan voting machines will be used to record the votes on the Board election, the budget, and the other proposition(s) presented, pursuant to the District’s Rules for the Use of Voting Machines and the Submission of Questions of Propositions to be Placed Thereon. Printed copies of the Rules are available at the Office of the District Clerk located at 1901 Sweet Home Road, Amherst, New York.




TAKE FURTHER NOTICE, that copies of the Budget for the school year 2026 – 2027 will be available to any taxpayer of the District from May 5, 2026 until and including the date of the election, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, at any school of the district between the hours of 8:00 a.m. (EDST) and 3:30 p.m. (EDST).




TAKE FURTHER NOTICE, that the Board of Education meetings in May will be held on May 5, 2026 and May 12, 2026.