Joseph Kraft elected president, Liz Pernod elected vice president of Westlake City Schools board

Joseph Kraft was elected president of the Westlake City Schools Board of Education and sworn into office during the board's organizational meeting on Jan. 13, 2025. Liz Pernod was then elected vice president and also took the oath of office.

The board convened the organizational meeting within the first 15 days of the calendar year, as required under Ohio law. After nominations, the board called a roll and voted to elect Kraft as president. Kraft repeated the oath of office, swearing to support the constitutions of the United States and the State of Ohio and to faithfully discharge his duties on behalf of the Westlake City School District.

The board then nominated and voted to elect Pernod as vice president. Pernod repeated the oath and affirmed she would faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of vice president for the Westlake City School District.

The election and oaths followed routine organizational practice; board members thanked outgoing leaders for their service and then moved on to the meeting's business agenda.

Immediate context: the meeting opened with a roll call, the Pledge of Allegiance and the district mission and vision statements. The board chair noted the Ohio requirement that an organizational meeting be held within the first 15 days of the new calendar year before asking for nominations for officer roles.

Looking ahead: the board proceeded from officer elections to adopt organizational resolutions, appointments and standing authorizations during the remainder of the meeting.