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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