Westlake official outlines finances, staffing, safety and new programs amid federal and state uncertainty

Dr. Gaggett, who led the district’s State of the Schools presentation, told parents and community members that Westlake City Schools will continue day-to-day operations despite uncertainty at the federal and state levels.

He said federal funding for the district totals roughly $2 million to $2.5 million annually — including $420,000 in Title I, $914,000 in IDEA special-education funds and about $557,000 tied to free- and reduced-price lunch reimbursements — but that those amounts represent a small share of the district’s roughly $60 million budget.

The superintendent said the district has not been notified of any elimination of those federal funds and that operationally the district manages federal grants through the Ohio Department of Educational Workforce (ODEW). He told families the district expects to continue providing services to students with disabilities even if federal administrative responsibility shifts, noting the special-education budget is much larger than the federal contribution.

Gaggett emphasized state-level decisions present a greater risk to district funding. He described the governor’s then-current budget proposal as a draft that would increase Westlake’s state aid by about $560,000 in fiscal 2025–26 and $510,000 in 2026–27 but cautioned the proposal could change before the June 30 budget deadline.

He urged parents to contact legislators and support full implementation of the Fair School Funding formula and protections for special education, struggling learners and school-meal programs.

On local finance, Gaggett praised Treasurer Todd Hopkins and district finance staff for “robust” fiscal management, noting Westlake has not sought an operating levy since February 2006 and still maintains reserves. He said Westlake’s property-tax millage used for education is among the lowest in neighboring communities and in Cuyahoga, Lorain and Medina counties.

Gaggett outlined staffing and enrollment planning: the district has 21 teachers eligible for retirement this year and at least eight more eligible next year. He said leaders plan to meet staffing needs primarily through attrition over the next three years and to reassign certificated staff where licensure allows, but that certification requirements could complicate those moves.

The presentation highlighted program changes intended to expand student choice while managing staffing. On the Dover campus, schedule adjustments and new technology courses will let students choose courses such as design-and-modeling or automation and robotics; music students may have access to a five-day music schedule if they commit to a single program. Career-technical offerings at Westshore will add MEMS (micro‑soldering) and welding; Westlake High School will open a forensic course that already has about 120 students enrolled, Gaggett said.

School safety measures were described as ongoing and expanding. The district maintains school resource officers in each building, stop-arm cameras on buses, threat-assessment teams and campus cameras. This year the district will add the Centegic alert system — a staff wearable “clicker” to notify colleagues of room-level or building‑level incidents — and said it received a $40,000 grant from Attorney General Yost to help fund that purchase.

Gaggett closed by describing the district’s strategic-planning work with the Impact Group; the district has conducted focus groups and launched a stakeholder survey to inform a new plan centered on “educating for excellence today and in our future.” He acknowledged public concern about wider political debate over public schools, encouraged local advocacy, and pledged the district will continue serving students.

The presentation included repeated cautions that external indicators such as report-card measures and budget proposals can change; Gaggett said the district will focus on controllable inputs — staffing, curriculum implementation and safety — while monitoring state and federal developments.