The superintendent told the Westerville City Schools Board of Education on Sept. 8 that the district will present options for program and staffing reductions at the board's Sept. 22 meeting if the November ballot issue to raise local revenue fails. "Our plan is at the next board meeting on September 22 to include a conversation with the board around potential reductions if the ballot issue fails," the superintendent said.

The board was given a status update on budget work the administration has been doing since last fall. The superintendent said the district previously eliminated $4.8 million from its budgets and that staff have identified another roughly $3.3 million in potential reductions that include about 33 positions. "We're continuing to look for opportunities everywhere we can to tighten up," the superintendent said, adding the team is preparing information that shows "what is required by law" and what programs or positions could be reduced if additional revenue is not approved.

The superintendent emphasized that the upcoming packet will distinguish between legally required services and optional programs, and that the board's next discussion will seek direction before the district communicates any specific reductions to the public. "Our team's been putting together information for all of you that includes what is required by law," the superintendent said. "Once the board has an opportunity to discuss that and give us some direction, we will plan to communicate the possible reductions to the community as soon as we're able to do so."

This was an informational briefing and planning step; no formal action or vote on program eliminations or layoffs was taken at the Sept. 8 meeting. The superintendent invited community engagement in the process and reminded the board the district has been planning since the prior levy failure.

Board members and staff reiterated the timeline: the district will present the reduction scenarios at the Sept. 22 regular meeting and then await board direction.

Why this matters: the district signaled that, absent new local revenue, programs and positions now considered discretionary may be reduced or eliminated. The administration framed the work as required planning under state rules and local fiscal stewardship; decisions about any eliminations will follow board review and direction.