Frequently Asked Questions

The schools look fine. Why are we talking about doing something with the facilities?

The fact is, while the exterior of our facilities may look adequate, the buildings themselves are harming education, costing taxpayers far too much to maintain, and will only cost us more and more in the future. The buildings are overcrowded and need significant work just to be adequate, much more than our budget can absorb without significantly hurting our excellent education. Waiting allows for these serious problems to cause greater damage and they will compound as will the costs.

What’s wrong with the buildings?

In short, a lot. Because our buildings are getting older, there have been structural shifts, which have created walls to pull away from foundations in some circumstances. Outdated plumbing and heating systems cause leaks, electrical shorts and an uncomfortable learning environment. Out-of-date electrical systems and roofs with numerous leaks make it impossible to integrate technology into classrooms.

These are all recurring problems, and they make maintenance particularly difficult and expensive. Since our buildings are older, much of the equipment needed for repairs has to be salvaged because it’s not even made anymore.

Because we provide an excellent education, and because this community is one of the most attractive in the region, we have had to deal with an influx of new students in recent years. Overcrowding has gotten to the point that it sometimes forces classes into hallways as areas that were never meant to be learning spaces, like storage closets. Four classes are held in trailers and state requirements for all-day kindergarten will result in up to fourteen classes being held in trailers within the next two years.

Our schools are rated Excellent with the buildings we have now. Why do we need to improve them if students and teachers are doing well?

Our schools are excellent, and we think that’s exactly what our community expects and deserves. But that excellence is at significant risk if we don’t address our serious facilities challenges. Crowded classrooms and classrooms in trailers not only take away from concentration but also make it hard to do hands-on activities that help our students learn. Our teachers do the best they can in the environment they have, but those efforts can only go so far.

Improvement needs range from critical safety improvements, handicap and special needs access, major building systems and envelope issues to address 21st century learning needs. Using our entire general fund to address our needs would not be enough. Even focusing on what has been classified as “critical needs” would be unmanageable without cutting 15-20% of our budget each year for five years. Ultimately if an issue does not pass, the district will have to resort to cutting in areas outside of capital and maintenance. It’s important to point out, any such cuts will not adequately approach what is needed, but will greatly impact our programs.

How much will the district ask for and when?

The board voted to place a 3.4 mill bond issue on the May, 2010 ballot. This will mean $8.68 per $100,000 home value for the taxpayer. Passage of this issue will still allow Westlake to remain in the bottom 25% in the county in regard to tax rate and allow the schools to remain considered one of the very best in the state.

 

What is the annual budget for the District and how much of that is spent on maintaining these facilities?

The Westlake City Schools overall budget is approximately $50 million dollars annually. The current budget for capital needs is approximately 1 million dollars a year to maintain our school facilities which is not nearly enough to address the growing building needs.

Why did the district let these problems get to the point that they are?

The maintenance and custodial staffs have worked hard to fix and patch any problems that occur but these problems are caused by age and serious structural problems. Structural shifting that creates cracks and leaks may be patched but the problems reoccur in other areas. Outdated major machinery like fans, heaters and boilers are hard to fix because parts are no longer available. Our maintenance staff works hard to keep our buildings clean and safe for children but there is only so much they can do with aging, overcrowded facilities.

The buildings are starting to cost more and more each year because the systems continue to deteriorate and utility costs continue to rise. The OSFC estimated we may be losing up to 20% savings [approximately $264,000 annually], because of our outdated, inefficient systems.

 

Why can’t we just make due with our current facilities? This is a difficult time to ask for additional funding from residents.

We understand the economic times our residents are facing; we are facing those same challenges ourselves. The plan demonstrates an understanding for this by reducing the total number of buildings in the district, phasing to address three of our seven buildings initially and by incorporating more renovation as part of the plan. This way the district can demonstrate fiscal responsibility, begin addressing the problems appropriately and keep the costs down as much as possible. We believe not acting is economically irresponsible because money is being wasted with little to no return. We are making cuts and saving money any way we believe we can while still providing an excellent value. But our facilities problems are hurting education and will only get worse as our buildings continue to age. Addressing our facilities needs now will cost far less than it will in the near future, since construction costs and interest rates are low. If we wait, and just continue to patch over significant problems, while the future costs to residents grows far greater. Our community places importance on excellence, our facilities are not nearly set up to support continuing to see this standard is met for our kids, particularly as we look to compete globally.

 

Why did the District wait until now to ask for support for a facilities issue?

The District took a lot of time to do research and engage our community so a plan that makes the most sense for the schools and community could be developed. The District spent 26 months working with the community and with experts to develop a well-reasoned, well thought through, educationally sound plan.

Can’t we just make cuts in other areas or partner with organizations to pay for facilities needs?

We are looking at different funding solutions but this is not a problem that can be solved with just cuts or scaling back. Our buildings are in need of very serious repair and replacement that will cost millions of dollars. Any cuts made to address will not adequately approach what is needed, but will greatly impact our programming.

 

We have partnered with Cleveland State University to seek energy efficient grants and applied for stimulus, abatement, and green energy grants. We have pursued partnerships with area hospitals and business as well (Cleveland Clinic, Energizer). We will continue to seek alternate funding sources but the cost of addressing our facilities is far more than partnering or cutting will provide.

I have heard the Performing Arts Center (PAC) will be torn down in the plans. Why would the district tear down a new building?

We will not tear down the PAC and will incorporate the 2005 additions as part of the high school plan.

 

Where does Westlake rank in terms of existing taxes paid for the schools?

Westlake is in the bottom twenty percent for taxes paid for schools. Of the 31 school districts in Cuyahoga County, 24 have higher taxes than Westlake City Schools. Even with passage of the bond issue Westlake will be in the bottom quarter for tax rates. 

 

Have we refinanced existing millage to take advantage of the low interest rates?

Westlake Schools has been diligent about managing its finances and has refinanced debt to reduce the cost. Currently, the district only pays an average of 3.87% interest on school district debt.