I agree Tom.....if it ain't broke don't fix it.........

Let's think a little bit about this. Pepera is relying on the district passing a levy in the near future. There is no other major source of funding for Westlake schools. The state pie has been cut. We aren't getting any more. The only real source of funding is the Westlake homeowner. And they were tapped just last year for the bond issue.

So what happens if Westlake goes the way of Brecksville and Strongsville, two similar districts that have repreatedly voted down recent levies? Both these districts have shown similar fiscal irresponsibility in the recent past, and the voters are punishing them.

If that happens in Westlake, expect a huge cut in services and large numbers of layoffs. The recent layoff of 17 teachers and cuts in high-school busing is nothing compared to what is coming down the road.

Not broke, Gail? Well, just wait a little time. Personally, I prefer to prevent things from breaking, rather they paying the much higher price to fix it when it's broken. But if we keep down this current path, broke is what the district will be. And very soon.

Pepera has been with the Westlake Schools since 1999 and has earned recognition numerous times for his fiscal agility, including the Ohio Association of School Business Officials (OASBO) Distinguished Service Award, 15 straight Government Finance Officers Association Financial Report Awards for the district’s comprehensive annual financial report, and a State of Ohio Award for Early Implementation of new accounting procedures.
An independent government agency has recognized Westlake City Schools for excellence in accounting and financial reporting for the 18th consecutive year.

Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Mark Pepera and his staff earned a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada.
The award is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting.
(The above was copied and pasted from several sources)
Did you look at the five year forecast? It does exactly that, projecting expenses and revenues as accurately as possible. They are by nature accurate in year one and in flux by year five, hence the requirement to do the forecast twice a year. Your statement that Mr. Pepera should be separated from service is ridiculous. Don't drag him into the political arena. If you support Cross, fine. I question your sanity, but that is certainly your right. Not voting to accept the forecast as accurate is childish at best.

Hi Jeff,
The discussions at this meeting focused on passing the forecast. Those types of talks usually happen when the budget is being created, but all members stressed that it will be important to be fiscally prudent moving forward.

Just remember: Pepera is an employee of the Board. It is up to the Board to make the tough fiscal decisions. Neither Pepera, nor Keenan, can do so on their own. Thus, the Board is to blame for this mess, and only a new board can fix it.

Nate Cross ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility and reform. He openly expresses his reasons and rational. He adheres to his committment to that expensive projects may not be in the public interest. The citizens of Westlake who voted him in are continuing to hold him, an elected official, to that POV.
I didn't vote for Nate then. At the time, I still had respect for Mrs. Rocco, but I've been awakened to his message and her, emm, not so much.

What about Sullivan & Cross? Weren't they part of that team?

Jeff,
From what I have seen, heard, and read from Sullivan and Cross they are by no means a part of this team of positive progress and excellence. Simply put, Sullivan and Cross have chosen to set themselves apart to push their own personal and political agendas. They are one dark cloud hovering over Westlake.

Jeff, right on about being proactive rather than reactive. But again, blame the Board, not Pepera. It is the Board that tells Pepera what to do, as he works for them. The lack of transparency is the fault of the Board. It is the Board that should be clear and precise with the public, but this Board prefers to obfuscate the facts, rather than disclose them. My website is the best source of financial analysis around at this time: votebodi.com

You can fix this problem on November 8 by replacing the Board with new membersw. Vote Bodi for school board, and I promise that transparency will return to Westlake schools.

I understand and respect your position Robert but I don't think you fully understand mine. I think Perpera is highly qualified and capable. However I think he has failed miserably in the area of transparency. My wife asked for last year's financial statements and he stated he didn't have to. All school district finances are opaque and buried on other websites with no reference to them on the board website. There are many qualified bean counters but to find one that makes the effort to fully disclose is a little harder to find- and one that merits my backing. Full transparency implies honesty. Opacity implies dishonesty.

The logical place to start for me is Perpera- then we can go from there. I assume you believe this is the school boards' responsibility but I am not sure Perpera actually cares about transparency since I have seen no effort from the board or treasurer.

Your campaign sign is in my front yard so if you don't believe in transparency, which I consider priority number 1, then let me know so I can take the sign down.

Cynthea, Winters is not the president of the school board. Mays is. You might have some very valid points but they will get lost if you don't get the simple facts correct.

Jeff, we started going to BOE mtgs. back in Sept of 2009, when Mrs. Winters was the President, the $85 million 'knock down all the buildings' Stage 1 plan was not yet voted on, and Nate Cross was not a member of the board. My facts and recollection are correct.
When we began attending these meetings, we did so because we realized we were failing to do our civic duty by paying attention to our local politics. Since there is nothing more fundamental than our school boards, we decided to just show up and sit in the audience and listen. We had no agenda - except maybe asking why we don't have a vibrant Constitutional program as mandated by the Ohio Constitution. We did not know any of the BOE members personally or professionally. And we were and are impressed with the students and the curriculum.
Questions we asked where about trying to get a grasp of why on earth did they allow the situation to deteriorate, and why were they reacting instead of planning and replacing. Much ado was made over the fact that no BOE had requested a working Capital Improvement program, so instead of fixing the leaky roof, they could only fix the immediate leaks and the wet carpet.

Flustered? Hardly. You're gonna have to do better than that Poncho!
You're missing the point on Pro forma, but I didn't really think you were going to follow it through anyway.
Cross will be up for re-election shortly. Time will tell how he fares in that election. As far as Rocco goes, with the exception of a response or two to outrageous behavior on the part of Cross she has demonstrated professionalism and more importantly passion for the children of this district.
I just reread your comments here and can pretty safely say that I can agree to virtually nothing you have said. Not a surprise given your rhetoric from other columns. Your doom and gloom story has been repeated over and over. Truth of the matter is that I trust Mays and Winters to address our financial issues overwhelmingly above Bodi, Cross, Sullivan, or any of the other propaganda puppets that have presented themselves. Tony Falcone seems to be a voice of reason and should be a quality addition if elected.
On a personal note, and with a disclaimer that I am not a doctor, I'm not sure $1,000 or any amount would help your education. When you have been indoctrinated into a belief and I suspect only get your info from a few sources, the story won't change.
Interesting how you ignore Cross's behavior and ineptness.
In closing, for every $1.00 you send Columbus, they return $.09 for education in Westlake. That's something you should get emotional about. Keep it coming Jeff, it is amusing to hear your side.

I'm sorry to fluster you Duane. I apologize for running pro forma together (although I am confident that spending $1000 more on my education would not have saved me from that gaffe).

I don't recall Cross up for reelection. If you are going to get emotional about Cross then why not Rocco? They both seem to be lightning rods.

I'm not sure what point you are getting at. "Outrageous statements"? "Just enough truth"? I'm guessing you agree with some points and not others. However you didn't clarify.

That's pretty impressive. We get 9 cents out of every dollar we send to Columbus? Now if we could only figure out how to be Columbus.

There is always a deficit at teh end of a levy cycle no matter what city you live in. Westlake last asked for an operating levy in 2006. Levy cycles are every 4-5 years. By not asking until 2013 they will have stretched funds that were supposed to last 5 years to 6-7 years depending if you are using fiscal or calendar years.

Getting 1-2 additional years out of a set amount of income while keeping taxes in Westlake lower than in Rocky River and Bay sounds pretty sensible if not outstanding

Jeff, I recommend you put away the old history book (or at least check the author) or whatever radical literature you might be reading and pull out a good ole Merriam-Webster dictionary. You will find that team and dissident are quite the opposite.
We need a group of 5 board members working TOGETHER to reach a common goal of EXCELLENCE for a BROAD SPECTRUM of issues. Dissension does not belong on our BOE.

Sam, don't you see a terrible pattern here? The deficits are growing exponentially. A $27M deficit comes to almost $2,000 PER HOUSEHOLD! That is not at all typical. It's no longer about getting a few more years, but about the massive increase in spending. We have about $24M in cash this year, that goes to zero in 2014, and then goes extremely negative in just a couple of years. We are digging a hole so deep, it will take massive cuts to get us out of this. All because the Board majority failed to make the hard decsions that Cross and Sullivan have been demanding for years. But Duane, Joe, and Sam prefer to kill the messengers, rather than fix the problems.

Sorry Sam, whoever told you levy cycles are every 4 years is just lying to you. This "4 year cycle" is a recent phenomenon directly attributable to employee contracts and accelerated benefit costs over the last 30 years. You might have noticed that voters

Westlake just came to the voters for new buildings- some of which may have been needed and a high school that didn't. They didn't even bother to maintain it properly according to the pictures they trotted out in argument of a new building. On top of that they are tearing down the newest of the buildings first. Please enlighten me here.

Bay & RR aren't my concern- nor are we theirs (they have their own problems and don't be surprised if there isn't talk about consolidation within 10 years). The school board should be aware that asking for a building levy is going to greatly influence the ability to float an operating levy a couple years later. This really isn't rocket science Sam. The probability of a levy passing in the next 3 years in slim to none and slim left town. Remember, there is talk of a second building levy also (which includes maintenance- pretty sly and underhanded eh?)

You are right that there is always a deficit before a levy but I ask you to examine the management of these "cycles" and tell me if it makes sense. I obviously don't think so. The board has some 'splanin'" to do.

It is normal business. It is how every school system in Ohio works. 2016, and the projected $27 million deficit, would be a FULL TEN YEARS past the last Westlake operational levy. Just like you cant run your household for 10 years on 5 years worth of money you cant expect Westalke, or any school system, to not have a projected deficit 10 years since they last asked for a levy.

It isnt deomnizing as much as it is pointing out a flawed thinking just for the purpose of scaring the people of Westlake into thinking costs are out of control. Using a projected deficit in 2016 is like saying that the Cleveland Browns wont have a team in 2016 because they only have 2 players whose contracts run through the 2016 season.

Bottom line is you cant cut $27 million worth of fat out of the Westlake Schools. The Board is doing a great job IN SPITE of two Board members

Sam, this is no longer how the taxpayers want the systems to work. Look at how many levies are going down. Look at Strongsville and Brecksville. If you think that the voters of Westlake are stupid enough to vote even more money to a fiscally irresponsible Board, then go ahead and keep your head in the sand. But for those of you who want real responsibility, I suggest voting in some new leadership, those committed to the ideals that Jeff lists above.

Source: The 2006 Westlake Levy website http://www.truwebs.com/wlake/faq/faq.asp

Q: Deficit increase over the years
Why does the deficit increase from $4.2 million in 2006-07 to $11 million the next year to $22 million the year after that?
A: The projected deficits are a cumulative effect of our expenses in relations to projected revenue. If you look at the forecast, we are projected to spend $5 million more than we bring in next school year (2006-07). The following school year we will spend $7 million more than we bring in. The year after that, the district will spend $9 million more than we bring in. Every year we do not cover our "deficit" the amount carries forward to the next 12 months.
Q: What is the school issue on the ballot this May?
A: On May 2, 2006, voters will be asked to vote for a 6.9-mill levy for the Westlake School District. There has not been a levy increase in Westlake in six years and the District is facing a $4.2 million deficit in school year 2006-07. Without this levy, the projected deficit jumps to $11.3 in 2007-08 and $21 million in 2008-09.

I'm not afraid of numbers and facts. I'll go to the office next week and get the last 10 years of projections to compare. Here is where they define how the projects are done and what the numbers mean http://fyf.oecn.k12.oh.us/
Last Thursday, I was at Temple Emanu El for a townhall meeting. One of the candidates for city council, and I can't remember if it was City of Orange or City of Shaker Hts., waxed on about how he loved his 'progressive' community, and his goal, even in tough economic times, was to create a shining city that was 100% "green". Is that what Westlake is? We are knocking down buildings so we can erect green monuments for a global community? I'm not anti clean but was the school board of 2008 and 2009 believe that prosperity was going to be a constant and that we were the Gucci of cities that could be progressive and green and cutting edge? Is that public school excess? These are the choices before the voters today. We can re-elect people who, maybe a few years ago, could be called visionaries but today, with forecasts showing millions of dollars in red ink, salaries and benefits overtaking the entire budget, and no safety net to keep these new buildings operating, we need practical and logical and critical thinkers. Replace Mrs. Winters and Mr. Mays with people who can make solid decisions for our children and our citizens; Geoff Rapp, Robert Bodi, and Michelle Albert.

No, Sam, it is not "impossible". Keep expenses level, and we wouldn't need a levy for five more years. The district is not growing, inflation is very low, and thus costs should not be skyrocketing as they are.

Keep expenses level.....on paper that sure looks nice and it makes good campain rhetoric but it is something to cant follow through on.

Freeze all salaries....the Board could do that.

Control the cost of fuel for the buses, electricity, nat gas...nope

Control the cost of educational materials (paper,ink,textbooks)......nope

Control the cost of replacing/ new technology........nope

So it appears your plan is to balance the budget on the backs of the very people who provide services for the children of Westlake. How very Kasich of you.

The fed up Westlake taxpayer.....the same taxpayer who has seen their tax dollars stretched by the current Board while also enjoying LOWER TAXES than Bay and River.

If your "vision" of cutting average salary by $10,000 is the solution you are going to come up way short. Roughly 300 teachers times $10,000 is $3million. Where is the rest coming from? There simply isn't the of control spending you claim.

Um, Duane, do you understand how this works? The state is NOT going to take money from Westlake just to give it back to Westlke. The unconsitutional part of school funding is that rich districts can more easily raise money than poor districts. Westlake is NOT a poor district. If anything, due to housing values, Westlake would be conisdered a rich district. Thus, if we fix the "unconstitutional" funding issue, guess what? The state will tax us to send money to districts like Cleveland and Youngstown. The idea that Westlake will ever get more money from the state under this "fix" is sheer lunacy! It will never happen.

Seriously, that's what you're down to? LOL
Comparing our school building project to one individuals ideas from a city miles away that you can't even remember who he is or what city he is from.

I'm not sure where or how you misaligned the concept of adequate facilities for all students, energy conservation, and healthy buildings into "green monuments for a global community", but that isn't unexpected given your recent rantings.
The fact of the matter is that whomever was on the BOE for the periods where the building project came to fruition was indeed visionary. You can keep pouring money into inadequate facilities (and Westlake spent more than comparable districts and well above the state average), or you can build new buildings that are healthy, energy efficient, handicap accessible, and are up to date with current codes for fire and life safety issues.
I think your CANDIDATES have spoken quite well for themselves and have made it very clear what their platform is.........destruction of public education in Westlake.
What we need are people who act on behalf of Westlake citizens, students, and the District who have no other agenda except to maintain the excellence and improve the District. For that reason, I have already cast my ballot (even though Kasich is trying to take that away from me) for Mays - Winter - Falcone. Please don't waste your time replying Cynthea, to be honest this is the first time I have actually read your rantings in about a week.

Wow I see the sky is falling,doom and gloom, scare tactics of 2 of the Board members and the 3 unwise people that you seem to support has worked on you. I hope you are aware that they can't deliver on what they claim because there isn't that much fat to cut in the schools and that what fat there is doesn't add up to much....certainly not 10's of millions.

The "problems" Westlake has are the same that EVERY school system has. Avon Schools describe it as "a challenge but certainly not doom and gloom" but right next door in Westlake 5 people want you to believe that the world is coming to an end and that there is mismanagement. Check the Avon Press from 2 weeks ago for the article.

No matter who is on the Board they ARE going to ask the people of Westlake for a levy and they are going to have projected deficits at the end of 5 year forecasts.

The 2000 levey was supposed to last until 2004---- it lasted until 2006
The 2006 levy was a 5 year levy and it looks like it will be 2013 before the people of Westlake are asked again. That's 13 years on 9 years worth of revenue and you claim that they are spending it like monolopy money? Get serious.

Clearly you are not grasping the fact that every school district in Ohio is insolvent after about 5 years since for schools their income is fixed but their expenses are not.

Enjoy the Bodi Kool-ade just don't drink it and curb you car in front of a school like one of your 3 chosen ones is rumored to have done.

You are flat out lying that Westlake spent more on building maintenance than other districts Duane. We are not even close to our surrounding districts or the ones we consider our peers. I wish I could say you could look it up on our Westlake BOE website but, alas, you will have to go to the state website and spend some time to find it. I wish I could post my spreadsheet- a spreadsheet says a thousand words.

Speaking of ranting and raving Duane, what is your solution? You have not presented any ideas other than throw more money at it as often and as much as is necessary to sustain the status quo. If you have been paying attention, the status quo is not and will not work based upon increasing layoffs and reducing services. I suppose we can eliminate lunches next (that was one of my favorites from the CMSD lately). The present situation is a problem- so are you a part of the problem or a part of the solution? If you want to be a part of the solution then let's hear some legitimate ideas other than the "stick our heads in the sand" line.

This is an interesting time for slowing growth communities such as ours. We can learn a lot from how the inner ring suburbs have (or haven't) addressed these problems.