Mandatory Drug & Alcohol Education Program for 9th Grade Parents is August 9
A presentation of the required drug and alcohol education program for parents of incoming 9th graders is scheduled for Monday, August 9 from 7-8:30pm in the Norman C. Vergils Center of Sweet Home High School. Presenters include representatives from Amherst Town Court, Amherst Police, Erie County Council for the Prevention of Alcohol and Substance Abuse and the school district. There will also be a viewing of the award winning “Now It’s Your Turn” DVD, a locally produced video about the efforts of the Town of Amherst in reducing drug and alcohol use among its youth. Attendance to the program is necessary if the new 9th grade students are to attend any dances at the High School. The first dance is the Homecoming Dance which will be held on October 2nd.
Fall Open House Dates Set
Open House Dates for the district schools have been set for the fall. Open Houses provide the opportunity for parents to become familiar with their children's school, administrators and teachers. Dates and times for the fall open houses are as follows:
Sweet Home High School - Wednesday, September 22, 7pm
Sweet Home Middle School - Thursday, September 30, 7pm
Glendale Elementary School - Friday, October 1, 6:30pm
Heritage Heights Elementary - Tuesday, September 21, 5:30pm
Maplemere Elementary - Thursday, September 16, 6pm
Willow Ridge Elementary - Tuesday, September 21, 6:30pm
 Board of Education Adopts 2010-11 District Budget
At its April 13 voting meeting, the Sweet Home Board of Education voted to adopt the 2010-11 budget. The $65,452,876 budget represents an increase of 2.52% over the previous year. In addition to the budget vote, residents will be voting on one additional proposition. District residents will vote to authorize the spending of $442,000 for four (4) buses and one (1) minivan. The budget increase represents a tax levy increase of 9.9 percent over the current year. With a $2.3 million reduction in State Aid, the Board of Education decided to appropriate over $2 million in reserves to help reduce the overall tax levy.
Under this scenario, the average tax bill for an Amherst home assessed at $100,000 with the STAR exemption would increase $68 from the current year. The increase would translate to a total annual tax bill of approximately $878. A similar home in the Town of Tonawanda with the new town Equalization Rate of 48.50 would see a tax bill increase of $20. The increase would translate to a total annual tax bill of $875.
Voters will also elect two (2) Board of Education members to a five (5) year term. The terms of Karen A. Barton and Carol A. Nowak expire June 30, 2010. Debbie Adams, Michael Morrow and Carol Nowak are the candidates seeking election to the Sweet Home Board of Education.
District residents will be able to vote on Tuesday, May 18 from noon to 9:00pm in the Norman C. Vergils Community Center of Sweet Home High School, 1901 Sweet Home Road in Amherst.
Board of Education Voting Meeting on Time Warner 22
The Sweet Home Board of Education is pleased to announce that its regular monthly voting meeting will air on Time Warner Public Access channel 22 beginning Monday, June 1. The meetings will air every Monday from 8-10pm and Wednesday from 2:30-4:30pm.
The Board of Education meets the second and third Tuesday of every month in the Norman C. Vergils Community Center of Sweet Home High School at 7pm. The public is welcome to attend any Sweet Home Board of Education meeting.
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