Preferred plan advantages

What are the advantages of the plan supported by the 20/20 Vision Committee?

Meets our educational needs in the most cost effective way; minimizes transportation costs and provides long-term stability for the District.

New high school v. renovating

I don’t think the community will support a new high school. We need to
look into renovating parts of it.

The District is not recommending a new high school. The current plan keeps the 2005 addition as part of the overall renovation plan.

What you get for the money

Regarding $20 million for new middle school and $47 million for high school:
what does this get us? Is this the Chevy or the Cadillac? As a community we said
we wanted the best for our kids. Does this get us what we want or just the bare
minimum?

The cost estimates are based on middle of the road facilities that ensure they are educationally appropriate, provide strong learning environments for our children, and are efficient and cost-effective to operate.

Phasing

When we discuss two phases, does that mean two separate ballot issues to be
approved or not?

Yes, phasing the project will require two separate bond issues on the ballot. The timing will depend on whether or not voters approve the initial phase and when the operating issue is placed on the ballot.

Going green

Will the new buildings be environmentally responsible?

The District will pursue the most cost-effective, environmentally friendly building options available. Turner Construction has certified LEED specialists on staff and will recommend appropriate approaches in planning the renovations and new construction.

Configurations impact test scores

Grade-level configuration can be supported with data showing a tremendous jump
in test scores.

The District has reviewed much available data about grade-level configuration. There is not overwhelming data that shows a “tremendous jump” in test scores. The data shows that both grade-level and neighborhood, or geographic, schools can be successful.

Alternative option

Is it too late to suggest another option?

The District is committed to looking at all options available. In fact, we have analyzed several variations of facilities plans to arrive at the final two that the 20/20 Vision Committee reviewed in depth. That being said, we will continue reviewing and refining as needed until the Board makes a final decision. During the last meeting the 20/20 Vision Committee reached consensus but alternatives can be discussed at the next meeting.

Decision

It appears that this “decision” was made long before this meeting. As a voter I
may ask why do we need to spend $120 million to achieve what we are already
doing – “Educating for Excellence.”

Nothing has been decided at this time. The District was diligent in gathering facts, analyzing options and presenting those options to community representatives to gain their input. The Westlake facilities have been studied for over a decade by at least 8 professional groups, which all agreed that something must be done to address the conditions of the facilities. It is up to the community and the Board of Education to determine what solution is put on the ballot and ultimately up to the voters to determine the direction. However, it is important to note that the facilities do create challenges to “Educating for Excellence” because of overcrowding, environment and the drain on the operating fund just to maintain the aging buildings. Proactively addressing the facilities will ensure that we have the ability to maintain our excellence in education in Westlake.

Verifying costs

Please provide quantified operational, transportation and other costs for either
plan or resulting advantage/disadvantage in either plan.

At first glance it appeared that the grade-level plan would be more financially beneficial because it contained five buildings as opposed to six. However, after thoroughly reviewing, the square footage is the same so there was little buildings savings there. It also first appeared that there would be a savings in personnel. However, when we estimated our transportation needs for the new plan, this personnel savings was almost completely negated.

In addition to an increased annual cost in transportation personnel, there is a major upfront cost to add busses. Our Director of Transportation reviewed route scenarios and estimated nine new busses and drivers would be needed. The extra busses, routes and drivers for the grade-level configuration would conservatively result in an estimated $300,000 to $400,000 increase in transportation costs annually than the other plan. The increase considers nine additional drivers at an average of $30,000 (total for wages and benefits) and also considers training, fuel, maintenance of vehicles and an additional mechanic (about $51,000 for wages & benefits). There would also be an upfront cost of approximately $900,000. This comes from adding 9 additional busses at approximately $100,000 each.

Avon school district was contacted about their conversion to grade-level schools and verified they experienced a similar expense.

Board input/timeline

Would like to see only one more meeting before the holidays. Would the school
board be willing or allowed to speak to the Committee about what their
intentions are? Timeline?

The 20/20 Vision Committee will discuss recommendations for the Board of Education at the next meeting. If there is adequate consensus and the group does not believe it needs another meeting then that will be the last meeting. If the group would like to meet and discuss further then an additional meeting is tentatively scheduled for December 9. The Board of Education is scheduled to meet to discuss the recommendations from the 20/20 Committee on December 10th.

State share

There should be more discussion on the value of the state 5% share. That is not
much money for being forced to work with them and live with their rules &
put up with their delays and interference.

This is one of the topics of the next 20/20 meeting and we certainly value the perspective. The District must weigh a possible 5% contribution with the costs of the additional requirements and restrictions of that state funding.

Marketing strategy

How will the marketing campaign be executed? Who will be involved? How will it
be planned? When will it start?

Once the 20/20 Vision Committee has made a recommendation and the Board of Education has acted, there will be a comprehensive marketing strategy to continue informing the community about the issue. This marketing effort will reach as many residents, students, faculty and stakeholders as practical and we will need the help of everyone who supports Westlake Schools. The District has worked diligently to inform the community about facility conditions and overcrowding for years, including over 20 newspaper articles in the last 2 years, and will continue to provide information to our community.

Geothermal utilities

Have grants been explored to finance geothermal and other environmentally
friendly utilities? If not, will you?

The District will explore any options to maximize tax dollars and minimize costs. The district is working with Cleveland State University to explore green energy grants and has applied for stimulus dollars and other grants (asbestos removal) to support a master facilities plan. Energy efficient options such as geothermal utilities are being discussed with architects as well.

Grant possibilities

Why can’t the District raise private funds for these school buildings?

The district always looks for private funding opportunities for school needs. However, the amount of possible private funding available is not close to the cost of our capital needs and is not a realistic option at this time. The District has explored opportunities with local companies and applied for stimulus grants when possible.

Transportation savings

How does transportation affect District costs?

Most busses operated near capacity and our bussing routes are designed to minimize costs and commute times. The District is looking at transportation options to minimize costs including staggering school start times further, scaling back on high school transportation and school siting to maximize our existing transportation capacity. Grade level configuration will add significant costs to existing transportation costs.

High school reconfiguration

Is it possible to change the existing high school into the grades 2-6 building
and rebuild a new high school elsewhere?

The current high school has been added on to or remodeled nine times during its lifespan. It is cost prohibitive to undo those changes and modify the building to accommodate much younger children.

Dover/LBMS campus

Have you considered locating all non-High School buildings at the Dover/LBMS
location?

The District has considered a school campus structure. There are advantages of a campus, but there also additional challenges such as traffic, utilities, safety and transportation. Those considerations make a large campus highly unlikely.

Bradley Road

How does the Bradley Road site figure into the specifics of all three options?
How should we consider it?

Bradley Road provides some flexibility for the District but is not currently designated as a primary location for a school building.

Planning ahead for expansion

What consideration, if any, has been given to the number of students currently
attending private schools? Does that number enter into the calculation at
all?

The District hires an outside firm to complete enrollment projections annually for the district. Those projects take into consideration the Westlake families that decide to send their children to private schools. Therefore, the District has considered those private school children in projecting attendance in the District.

Board decision

If the 20/20 Vision group agrees on and recommends a master plan to the Board,
what are the next steps?

Any recommendation from the 20/20 Vision Committee will be presented to the Board, discussed and taken under advisement in their ultimate decision about the District capital plan. The Board asked this committee to create recommendations that reflect the community’s values and beliefs about the schools and recognizes the critical role of community input in their decisions. In addition to the 20/20 Vision Committee recommendation the Board will survey the community and gather data in diligent pursuit of the best interest of the community.

OSFC funding restrictions

If we accept OSFC funding are there restrictions on what the District can
and cannot build?

There are significant and somewhat restrictive OSFC requirements for
qualification for their 5% funding. Examples of OSFC requirements are: rooms must be a specific square footage; buildings must house a minimum of 300 students; all buildings must have sprinkler systems; all must be air conditioned; and that certain amenities (auditoriums, etc.) are not eligible for funding. There are other requirements not listed here.

OSFC funding

Are the costs estimates based on state funding?

The cost estimate numbers we have provided assume no alternate sources of funding. The District is not eligible for OSFC funding until 2017 and even at that time the state share is only proposed to be 5%. The District is analyzing the cost effect of adhering to the OSFC building guidelines and the flexibility of designing buildings that our community desires.

Lakewood Comparison

Have we contacted Lakewood City Schools to get input about their facilities
project process, successes and challenges?

Representatives from our District initially contacted Lakewood two years ago and continue to communicate with them and several other districts with capital projects. Lakewood had a “100 years committee” that developed their long range plan. It is important to note that while there are some similarities between the projects, Lakewood was eligible for significant OSFC support and do not have bussing considerations, two things that significantly differentiate the two projects. Lakewood was effective in engaging their community and we are mindful of their successes in that area.

Utility savings

Utility savings appear low. Book offset with AC? (Compare new buildings v.
existing buildings)

A 20% savings is significant and that number is based on past studies of renovations and energy efficiency upgrades in school capital projects. It is important to note that OSFC requires air conditioning in state-funded projects, something that we do not currently have in our buildings. If the District adds air conditioning to the project, something not required if we are a non-OSFC project, then the utility cost savings may be reduced or offset.

Transportation

What % of WCSD students utilize our transportation services?

Approximately 52% of Westlake students utilize district transportation for daily morning pick up and afternoon drop off. This number does not include field trips, extra curricular activities, and career technical education at the West Shore Career Center, which all utilize transportation at various times during the academic year.

Effective Millage

Can you compare what the Westlake community is paying for its schools to other
districts?

In the links on the right you'll see an Effective Millage Comparison spreadsheet for residential and commercial millage. This is the effective millage rate residents pay in each community for their schools, including bond, PI and operating levies. You can also click on this link -- http://www.westlake.k12.oh.us/facilities/EffectiveMillageComparison(2).pdf -- to see teh Effective Millage Comparison Chart.

Reaching out

How will you reach out to those citizens who don’t have kids in the schools
or don’t have children?

We have a communication plan that we continue to evaluate and add to in order to help in this area. We have seen a significant change in awareness over the last five months, but this will continue to be a challenge we need to work to address.

Teacher's pet

Do teachers favor one model over the other?

The teachers most affected by the different plans are those in grades K-4. While the plan that results in the least change from the current setup (moving to 3 neighborhood buildings) seems to be the one most embraced, both plans have advocates. If we were to move to a grade-level configured district we would have to spend a lot of time during our planning phase on professional development over how to best take advantage of this new arrangement.

Model equality

Are both models equal (grade-level and neighborhood or is there one that is
operationally better?

Both models are not equal, but rather each plan has a specific set of advantages that have to be considered with the plans’ challenges. It really comes down to a cost-benefit type of analysis that needs to take place. The original 20/20 group listed the give and takes of each plan. Determining which values are a priority is necessary to see which is the best fit for Westlake. It is fair to say that moving to a grade-level configured district would be a much bigger change and it may take a little longer to work through challenges to get to the advantages because it is the most different from our current arrangement.

Grade-level benefits

What are the benefits of grade-level configuration?

The “Pros” listed by the original committee cover most of the benefits of this arrangement. They include:

i. Synergy of instruction, alignging with certification, consistent/equitable instruction
ii. Economies with 5 buildings (including construction and resulting operational efficiencies)
iii. Age-appropriate equipment (playgrounds)
iv. Resultant vacant properties to sell
v. New buildings would increase desirability of Westlake
vi. Brings us in line with surrounding districts vii. Might attract better teachers because of teaching in grade-level configurations
viii. Best value, innovative, strategic
ix. Focused on program and teaching, collaboration among best teachers
x. Reduces duplication by investing more in grade-level buildings
xi. Students attend K-12 with their grade-level peers throughout their school years.

Cost savings

What are the cost savings going grade specific? Building and operating?

Building or staffing savings for this would be about $400,000 annually. The building/staffing savings on the option provided with three neighborhood schools, as opposed to four, would be about $325,000 annually. The operating savings is building specific, but the OSFC has provided us information that they have seen a net annual savings of about $20,000 with a new facility v. a renovated facility. Please see the links menu to the right for a link to the attachment from Bob McAuliffe of the OSFC.

Building efficiencies

What’s the maximum building size before you become inefficient?

Larger buildings can be considered more efficient because they help save on staff (mainly administrative and office staff, as well as saving costs by reducing travel time for teachers). These efficiencies are lost as the building gets so big that additional administrative and office staff is needed. For example, going from two buildings to one means one principal instead of two. However, if two assistant principals are needed to manage the building the efficiency is lost. More likely, the case would be to add an assistant principal and an additional counselor. These decisions depend on the grade level served, because of this there is no cutoff size necessarily. A staffing discussion for each arrangement should take place before determining the efficiency of the building We’re working on staffing for the three plans. The estimated savings are noted below in the next question. All three options are more efficient than the existing configuration.

Millage drop

Is there a millage drop opportunity in the future that can ultimately lower the cost of any proposed bond issue?

Yes, the district’s millage for debt services in 2018 should drop to reflect a significant amount of debt falling off around that time (roughly $2.1 million in annual principal and interest payments).

Spend-down requirements

Are there any statutory requirements about spend-down on millage approved in a bond issue? If a bond issue was approved for 5 mills but the project was phased, and phase 1 only required the levying of 2.5 mills, is there any timeframe the district would need to levy the balance of the mills?

Not really. Minimum to levy is 10% of the millage needs to be assessed within six Januarys after the election. That’s it.

Bond v. Operating

What is the difference between a bond/operating levy? How come 2+ mills can generate roughly $50 million for a bond issue but it takes 20+ mills to generate $50 million for our annual operating budget?

In raising millage to fund a bond issue, keep in mind you are only levying enough millage to finance the principal and interest payments on the total amount that is being financed. Conversely, in an operating scenario, millage is being assessed to raise the full amount of the request. In short, you are borrowing money in a bond issue and need to pay It back in small increments over the time, hence the lower millage. In the operating scenario, you are raising (not borrowing) a significant amount of money and it needs to be paid for all in the same year.

Housing valuations

How much weight does the district have to give to potential changes in the valuation of housing stock in Westlake? What happens if the overall valuation drops in Westlake over time?

The district conservatively estimates future tax valuations within the district using historical and prospective data that is available. Statute requires any amount of millage to be certified to the county auditor. The auditor will actually certify what the district is projecting the millage and valuation to be when any levy is imposed. In essence, a check and balance if you will. If the overall valuation drops in Westlake over time, millage on any bond issue would be adjusted to make sure the district can service the principal and interest on the debt outstanding. This is a big sell for investors who actually buy school construction bonds.

Enrollment dip

Is there a plan for what will happen if enrollment dramatically decreases?

This is unlikely if you consider we also have about 1,500+ students going to parochial schools as well. But should that happen, an exit strategy at that point in time might be in order.

Enrollment projections

What are the most recent enrollment projections and how would they apply to each
plan?

We have attached one portion of the enrollment projection (EnrollmentHistoryProjections) provided by DeJong & Healy so you can see the actual projection. The entire report will be posted on the web site so the methodology and supporting information can be provided. The projection is based on grade level, so it is easiest to see how it fits the grade-level configured arrangement. However, it is important to note that the specific grade-level configuration is one we would have to determine through this process. Using the maximum number projected, the following gives a glimpse of how the projection fits each plan:

5 building Grade level configuration example - 4125 students PK-K - 277
1-3 - 846
4-6 - 910
7-8 - 691
9-12 -1401

6 building neighborhood example - 4125 students
PK-3 411
K-3 356
K-3 356
4-6 910
7-8 691
9-12 - 1401

6 building MKC third option - 4125 students
PK-4 510
K-4 456
K-4 456
5-6 - 611
7-8 - 691
9-12 -1401

Operating Levy

When is the next operating levy?

The Board of Education makes the decision on when to go for a levy or bond issue. Our five-year forecast indicates the most likely time for an operating levy from the information available today would be the spring 2012. However, the Board has discussed the possibility of fall 2012. This is two years beyond what was estimated at the time of our last levy. The district is continually working to find ways to stretch the request for a levy while also fulfilling the district mission. The five-year forecast is attached (5YrForecast) and we will post this on the facilities web site under data requested from the Oct. 7 meeting.

Stimulus funds

Can you explain the decision not to accept federal stimulus money?

The district sought federal stimulus dollars to aid our efforts this fall in the hopes of saving $10 million to $17 million. We were awarded $3.4 million in interest-free loans. However, through due diligence the district noted that the requirements related to the zero interest bonds and giving consideration to non-present value, the bonds would most likely not generate a savings nearly as much as anticipated. In fact, there was a possibility it would be fairly less than $1 million. The Board decided the savings would not be substantial enough to move forward without completing this process. We also were made aware that a second round of funding through this program will be made available in January. The district fully intends to reapply for these funds for the spring after our process is complete, understanding that any savings will benefit our taxpayers.

Best option

Do you have any information that may indicate one option is better than the others from an educational curriculum standpoint?

The original 20/20 group asked a similar question. In response, the district analyzed all districts in the state of Ohio that were either “Excellent with Distinction” or “Excellent” as rated by the State Report Card. We found that both were well represented (see attached DistrictComparisonChart09). The circled schools are grade-level configured at the elementary level and those not circled have neighborhood elementary schools. We did find that as districts get larger it is more difficult to have grade-level configured schools. We also will post this on the facilities web site under data requested from the Oct. 7 meeting.

Building phases.

Do areas have enough space/site to build a new school?

In your binders are the drawings from a “Land Use Study” performed by Lesko in 2004-05 that show that each location has enough land to build on our present sites. This can be found starting on the 9th page of the binders distributed last night. We also will post this on the facilities web site under data requested from the Oct. 7 meeting.

How this blog works

Welcome!  We hope that you choose to participate in this blog!  Voicing your ideas in this way allows for 20/20 members to share, collaborate, and to reflect upon the task before us.

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