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.