In 1984, New York State United Teachers successfully lobbied the New York State Legislature to pass Section 316 of the Education Law. For the first time, a NYS law established a governing structure that gave teachers control over an important aspect of their professional lives, their professional development. In 1987, the West Seneca Teachers' Center was established, primarily under the auspices of the West Seneca Teachers' Association. Today, over 133 teachers' centers provide ongoing, consistently high-quality, cost-effective professional development for thousands of educators in our state.

The West Seneca Teachers' Center, a unified group of educators, provides opportunities for ongoing professional growth and development for the West Seneca Educational Community. These opportunities enhance instructional behavior, benefiting and improving performance by students and staff. Our Center also collaborates with other educational stakeholders in joint efforts to promote a community of lifelong learners.

For the upcoming 2023 - 2024 school year, our center will be focusing on two key areas:

1. Professional learning and/or support for teachers to prepare for implementation of the NYS K-12 Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standards
2. Professional learning and/or support for new teachers through mentoring and induction.

The 2022 - 2023 school year  our center focused on two key areas:

1. Professional learning and/or support for enhancing educators’ strategies and skills in meeting the needs of diverse learners: those who learn differently from the majority and/or are racially, ethnically, culturally, economically, or linguistically diverse.
2. Professional learning and/or support for the creation and maintenance of safe, secure, supportive and inclusive learning environments for all students