Westlake district outlines $1M-per-year permanent-improvement budget, flags multimillion-dollar backlog

District staff presented an analysis of the permanent improvement (PI) fund Monday, telling the Westlake City Schools Board that current PI revenue of about $1.1 million per year leaves the district short of a multi-year list of facility needs and recommended prioritization of safety and predictive maintenance.

The nut graf: Staff said PI receipts average roughly $1.1 million annually but are effectively closer to $1.0 million after allocations; projected PI needs for the current year total nearly $2.5 million, and multi-year projects push needs higher, prompting options such as reprioritizing, using general-fund dollars for some items, or pursuing additional PI or bond funding.

Treasury/operations staff identified four PI categories: safety and security (cameras, panic systems), facility maintenance and upgrades (roofing, HVAC units), transportation and parking (bus replacement and parking-lot maintenance), and athletic/curricular capital (fields, lighting). Specific items discussed included mobile panic-button procurement (~$57,000), replacement of rooftop HVAC units and a hot-water storage tank (estimate reported in the $10,000–$15,000 range for the tank), and addressing the asphalt playground at Dover Intermediate School. The presenter reported a bus fleet of about 40 buses and described a target replacement pace of two to three buses per year to achieve a roughly 12–15 year life cycle for vehicles.

Staff produced a short-term PI list of projects targeted for three to six months and said many of the items are needs, not wants. "Ultimately, when you combine our anticipated or recurring expenditures with those one-offs that we have to decide what we're gonna do every year, we see that our projected PI expenditures are well above our budget for each year," the presenter said. He reported that this year’s PI projects were "just under $2,500,000" on the list.

Board members pressed on prioritization and schedule risk for the DIS office vestibule security upgrade, which the district hopes to complete this summer. Staff said full demolition and rebuild of the existing vestibule may be difficult to complete in available time and described alternative options such as adding a smaller, secure vestibule to the office or installing gates/doors at the courtyard entry. The board emphasized that adding a secondary layer of secure entry at DIS is a top priority whether through a full rebuild or interim measure.

Ending: Staff recommended continued finance-committee analysis and board direction on priorities; members indicated willingness to consider additional PI or bond measures if needed, and no new levy or bond was placed on the agenda at this meeting.