Strategic Planning Committee
Meeting #3
January 12, 2016
Agenda
Financial management of our schools
What WCSD has done to reduce costs?
What is our current fiscal situation?
Q&A
Mission
…We Educate for Excellence
Belief Statements
1. Leadership in Education is not about our District being number one, it is about striving to make our students
number one. We must develop their skills, we must harness our resources, from the outside as well as inside. We
must employ the best and brightest and focus on taking care of students. The rest flows from that point forward.
(Leadership in Education)
2. We believe that the Westlake City School District is a superior performing student-focused district. (Academic)
3. Our primary responsibility is to insure that every student is challenged to excel and to achieve at his or her
maximum potential. (Academic)
4. The support of the community is
critical to our District’s success and will be earned
through effective, open, and honest communication and demonstrated results.
(Communication)
5. We have an obligation to preserve the community’s assets and to provide a safe, well-maintained environment
for learning. (Facilities)
6. The administration, staff, and Board are partners in the entire educational process for our students and are
responsible for removing those barriers, which could impact upon the achievement of our students. (Road Blocks)
(Administration/Staff)
7. The administration, staff and Board have a responsibility to work collaboratively in a climate of mutual respect,
focusing on student achievement. (Climate)
8. Extracurricular and co-curricular programs and activities are an integral part of the educational process and can
significantly contribute positively to the character of our students while bringing significant recognition, pride and
support from the community. (Extracurricular/Co-curricular)
Guiding Fiscal Principle
The Board of Education and administration
scrutinize all budgetary expenditures for their
alignment to the educational program (CIP) and
strategically assess how they will impact the
long-term financial position of the district.
Evidence of Sound Fiscal Management
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has
assigned its 'AA+' long-term rating to
Westlake City School District, Ohio's
series 2014 general obligation (GO)
school improvement refunding bonds. At
the same time, we affirmed our 'AA+'
long-term rating on the district's
previously issued GO debt. The outlook
is stable.
Budgeting-Forecasting
• Process
• Annual adoption-quarterly monitoring
• Must file 5-year projection with State
• Based on set of key assumptions
• Key assumption areas
Inflation (general OR product-oriented)
Staffing need
Local tax data
Federal funds
Labor contracts
Student enrollment
Economic conditions
State funds
Instructional programming
Outside contracts
Types of Budget Variances
• Controllable
•
•
•
•
Staffing levels*
Salaries
Instructional program*
Transportation*
• Non-controllable
•
•
•
•
•
Inflation
Unexpected capital outlay
Student enrollment (total number/makeup of population)
Judicial-legislative actions (TPP, Funding formula, mandates, CCP,abatements)
Utilities
What Have We Done to Reduce Costs?
Cost Saving Measure
Notes
Reduced staffing
Cut 15 teaching positions
Labor agreements
Est. Savings $2.3 million over next four years
Spousal Insurance Mandate
Saved $1.2 million to date
Energy conservation
Energy Savings est. $33,000 per year
Refinance debt
2011 $570k; 2014 $2.1 million
Grants
STEM; IB; School Security; Transportation
Administration pay scale
Reduced by 5% (equates to $60,000 savings this year alone)
Purchasing Consortiums
Lower Cost-Greater Buying Power
Property-Liability Insurance
Consortium arrangement saves 18-20% per year
Shared Services
Cost-Avoidance
What is our Current Fiscal
Situation?
Estimated Revenue vs. Expenses
60
58
56
54
52
50
48
46
44
42
40
Fiscal 2013
Fiscal 2014
Fiscal 2015
Fiscal 2016
Revenue
Fiscal 2017
Fiscal 2018
Expenses
Fiscal 2019
Fiscal 2020
Student Enrollment and Employee Staffing History
4500
4000
4121
4041
4016
4043
4065
3988
3934
3992
772
775
784
790
788
781
758
749
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
07/08
08/09
09/10
10/11
Student Enrollment
11/12
Total Staffing
12/13
13/14
14/15
Property TaxState
12%
Other
2%
FY15 REVENUE
State Aid
7%
Personal
Property
0%
Property Tax
79%
TransfersSupplies- Capital Outlay Other Advances
2%
1%
Materials
0%
3%
FY15 EXPENSES
Purchased
Services
11%
Personnel
83%
15- year levy history
2015 S.D. Res/Ag Rate*
SHAKER HTS.
94.56
CLEVELAND HTS.
81.31
GARFIELD HTS.
77.63
EUCLID
77.34
MAPLE HTS.
75.86
SOUTH EUCLID
68.05
WARRENSVILLE HTS.
67.27
LAKEWOOD
62.87
NORTH OLMSTED
59.73
EAST CLEVELAND
57.55
OLMSTED FALLS
55.82
PARMA
55.25
FAIRVIEW PARK
54.50
CHAGRIN FALLS VILLAGE
53.31
CLEVELAND
52.48
RICHMOND HTS.
52.40
BAY VILLAGE
52.05
BROOKLYN
51.75
SOLON
47.25
MAYFIELD VILLAGE
47.23
ROCKY RIVER
46.30
ORANGE
45.66
BEDFORD
45.17
BEREA
44.46
NORTH ROYALTON
41.64
STRONGSVILLE
41.06
BEACHWOOD
40.45
BRECKSVILLE
38.96
WESTLAKE
36.05
INDEPENDENCE
34.10
CUYAHOGA HTS.
30.14
0.00
10.00
20.00
30.00
40.00
50.00
60.00
70.00
80.00
90.00
100.00
Where do we Want to be in the Future?
Areas of Need to accomplish mission-vision
• Academics
• Technology
• Safety
• Security
• Dedicated revenue stream to fund capital improvements
What needs to happen to
continue our Mission?
Westlake City School District
Community Research Findings
2015
PURPOSE
To understand the perception of key
audiences (teachers, staff, board members,
parents, leaders and residents) regarding the
direction of the district, including
accomplishments and potential needs
moving forward.
22
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS
Depth interviews with community leaders
Listening sessions with teachers and staff
Listening sessions with parents and residents
Online survey of parents and residents
23
COMMUNITY LEADER PERCEPTIONS
Proud of their city; heading in the right direction
Solid academics and attractive to new families
Part of the community is “disconnected” from the district
Concerns re: perceptions of decline in quality, financial
mismanagement, and a lack of communication
Recognize the relationship between high quality education and
updated facilities
More work needs to be done to restore community “trust” due to
competing messages from opposition group
24
TEACHERS & STAFF PERCEPTIONS
High quality education, a variety of opportunities, and highperforming students
Changing education landscape and decreased budgets
Feel over-extended and not focused partly due to state mandates
and initiatives
Greater reliance on technology and online tools
Aware of the heavy financial scrutiny from residents
Communication is key to (re)establish and (re)build relationships
with residents
25
PARENT & RESIDENT PERCEPTIONS
Provides well-rounded education and prepares students
Questions if the district lives up to its motto
Identifies areas in need of improvement - Resources for middle
achievers; Communication; Responsiveness; Leadership; Community Support
Concerns about financial management - Needs more
transparency/understanding
Participants recommend: build credibility, stay focused,
identify a strong leader, and communicate more
26
SHARED CONCERNS
Financial management
Trust in the schools
Lack of focus
Leadership credibility
Communication and staying on message
27
ONLINE SURVEY - OVERVIEW
Active from November 2 – December 11
355 completed surveys – self-selected sample
84.5% represent parents, grandparents, and
guardians of WCSD students
45% have students enrolled in the WHS
54% are between the ages of 35 and 49
64% have lived in Westlake more than 11 years
28
HOW ARE OUR SCHOOLS DOING …
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
42%
49%
T EAC HI N G & LEA RN I N G
45%
26%
SC HO O L CO MMUN I T Y & C ULT URE
A DMI N I ST RAT I O N LEA DE RSHI P
12%
34%
BOA RD LEA DE RSHI P
10%
38%
0%
20%
26%
25%
40%
7%
19%
38%
19%
CO MMUN I C AT I O N & CO LLA BO RAT I O N
20%
53%
22%
EQ UI PME N T & FAC I LI T I ES
7%
4%
15%
20%
24%
17%
60%
80%
100%
29
PRIORITY OF DISTRICT CHALLENGES
High
Medium
Low
Not a Priority
11%
89%
AC A DE MI C PRO G RA MS
20%
76%
RE TA I N HQ T EAC HE RS/STA F F
UP- TO - DAT E T EC HN O LO GY
58%
MA N AG EA BLE C LA SS SI Z ES
58%
36%
0.0%
45%
20.0%
10%
44%
26%
UPG RA DI N G SC HO O L FAC I LI T I ES
8%
30%
34%
ME E T I N G STAT E MA N DAT ES
5%
33%
56%
SEC URE A DDI T I O N A L F UN DI N G
4%
40.0%
17%
22%
60.0%
80.0%
4%
5%
7%
100.0%
30
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
5%
3%
Very supportive
12%
Very supportive
Somewhat supportive
Not very supportive
Not very supportive
28%
Not supportive at all
I don't know
Somewhat supportive
52%
31
DISTRICT FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Poor, 6%
Excellent
Good
Only Fair, 20%
Excellent, 29%
Only Fair
Poor
Good, 45%
32
STUDENT SKILL SETS
CRITICAL & ANALYTICAL THINKING
2166
WRITTEN & ORAL COMMUNICATION
1919
COMPREHENDING & ASSESSING
INFORMATION
1743
KNOWLEDGE APPLICATION
1605
SELF-RELIANCE & PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
1576
INITIATIVE & ENTREPRENEURIALISM
1137
ADAPTABILITY
1075
TEAM WORK
971
0
500
1000
1500
2000
33