Westlake board approves financial forecast despite delayed tax collections; approves West Shore contract, bus bid authorization and preschool calendar change

The Westlake City School District board on Feb. 23 approved a state-required financial forecast and several superintendent recommendations even as district finance staff warned that property-tax collections for the cycle remain far below expectations.

The district presenter asked the board to reapprove an amended forecast the board had previously adopted, citing delays in property-tax billing and collection. The presenter said he had expected "20 plus million dollars over this second site cycle" but at the end of last week was "sitting at around 3,000,000" in collections. He also described the district's monthly cash needs: "we use about $5,000,000 a month" and noted a monthly insurance payment of about "$900,000." Given the timing uncertainty, he asked the board to approve the forecast with the same assumptions and report back when more information becomes available.

Board members asked whether the district's treasurer group and county had coordinated; the presenter said a representative of the treasurers' group had been taking the lead in outreach but that responses from the county had been slow. The presenter said the district could bring its investment advisor, Redtree Investments, to a future meeting if the board wanted advice on selling investments to cover operating needs.

On formal votes, the board:

- Approved agenda item 5a (the financial forecast) by unanimous roll call vote; the chair announced "motion carries."

- Approved items 5b and 5c, including then-and-now adjustments tied to vocational-education billing and authorization to bid two conventional 78-passenger buses and one 18-passenger bus; the board emphasized bidding did not commit to purchase.

- Approved superintendent-recommended items (8 through n), including the West Shore Career Technical Planning District contract (career-technical services shared among local districts) and a change to the preschool academic calendar that moves the student week from Monday'Thursday to Tuesday'Friday to reduce conflicts with holidays and better schedule play-based assessments.

The presenter framed the vocational-education payments in context: the district typically budgets roughly "$900,000 to 1,000,000" for vocational education through the West Shore Career Technical Planning District, and noted that joining a joint vocational school (JVS/JBS) could carry a different tax structure; "1 mill right now generates $2,100,000," he said, and a minimum two-mill JVS levy would shift several million in tax burden relative to the current arrangement.

Board members and staff also noted routine annual authorizations (OHSA membership listed on the consent agenda) and employment items. The meeting closed after a short public-comment period and board remarks.

The board adjourned at 6:46 p.m.