Webster school board approves the district's 2025-26 audit report

The Webster Central School District Board of Education approved the independent auditor's report on the district's 2025-26 finances on Oct. 13. Brian Freeman, the district's assistant superintendent for business, told the board the audit would be complete with that approval.

The voice vote is on the district's video of the meeting.

What the board decided

• 2025-26 audit report: Approved.
• Management letter and corrective action plan: Approved.
• Artificial intelligence and instructional technology report: Approved.
• Public comment: Six people spoke about the afternoon route of bus 256.
• School boards association resolutions: Approved.
• Policies 7134 and 5676: First read approved.
• Consent agenda: Carried.
• Next regular meeting: Nov. 3, 5 p.m., District Office.

The district had not posted minutes of the meeting as of Oct. 20. Its online agenda records the votes on the management letter, the resolutions, the policies and the consent agenda.

The audit

Freeman presented the district's executive summary of the audit, which Freeman described to the board as a way to "take the 73-page basic financial statements and summarize it in seven pages for you." Freeman said the audit committee met with the auditor two weeks before the meeting. The auditor is Mengel, Metzger, Barr & Co. LLP of Fairport.

"We have an unqualified opinion, which that just means we did okay from our auditors," Freeman said.

The auditor's report puts the district's unassigned General Fund balance at $8,927,773 on June 30, 2026, equal to 3.93% of the district's $227,089,425 budget for 2026-27. More of the audit's figures are in the Ledger's Oct. 13 preview of the meeting.

Freeman said about four more audits are coming, including a federal audit, an extraclass audit and internal audit work.

The management letter and corrective action plan

The board approved the auditor's management letter and the district's corrective action plan in one motion. The auditor did not identify any deficiencies in internal control that it considers material weaknesses.

Freeman told the board the auditor's sampling found an employee's payroll file without the right documents, and that the district now has an electronic system so that kind of paperwork won't get missed.

On new federal overtime reporting, Freeman said the district is working with BOCES on "making sure we have a process in place to be able to accurately account for that when we file everybody's W-2 forms."

Artificial intelligence report

District staff presented a report on artificial intelligence and instructional technology, and the board approved the report in a voice vote. The presentation slides are posted with the agenda.

The staff member who gave the presentation described a board artificial intelligence subcommittee, an AI toolkit the district has given staff and professional responsibility guidelines released before school started. Staff in all 11 buildings were offered a one-hour AI literacy training on Superintendent's Conference Day, to take on their own schedule, the presenter said.

The presenter said the district is working on draft regulations and that "New York State really hasn't settled on any legislation or any policy to really anchor schools to yet."

The presenter also said, "Technology should be the tool that helps you in instruction. It shouldn't be the instruction."

Asked during questions whether student writing and AI writing can be told apart, the presenter answered, "And right now the research says that AI detection tools are not very effective."

Public comment

Six people spoke during visitor speaking time, all about the afternoon route of bus 256. The speakers said the route, which serves families in the DeWitt Road area, had been combined with another route. They described longer rides for children on the route and asked the district to restore the route's original order or give the route its own bus.

The board member running the meeting read the speaking rules before the first speaker, including that public comment is not a dialogue.

Other business

School boards association. The board approved resolutions proposed to the New York State School Boards Association.

Policies. The board approved first reads of two policies. One is new Policy 7134, "Safeguarding the Rights of Immigrant Students," under state Education Law §3201-b. The other is revised Policy 5676, on privacy and security for student data and teacher and principal data. A first read is not adoption.

Consent agenda. The consent agenda carried in a single motion. Earlier in the meeting, the board amended the agenda to add another resignation. The consent agenda approved:

• Minutes of the Sept. 8 regular business meeting and the Sept. 22 workshop.
• Personnel actions and three health insurance group member requests.
• Recommendations of the Committee on Special Education and the Committee on Preschool Special Education, and an appointment to the preschool committee.
• An appointment for impartial hearings.
• The 2026-27 Klem Road North Elementary School comprehensive education plan and its Title I school improvement grant.
• Bids for pool supplies, fine paper and fresh apples, and buying catering under the district's purchasing policies.
• A field trip.

Next regular meeting

The board's next regular business meeting is Nov. 3 at 5 p.m. at the District Office, 119 South Ave., in the second-floor Professional Development Center.

AI tools were used in drafting and research.