Westlake City Schools Will Not Seek 2012 Levy

Despite , Westlake City Schools will not be seeking a levy until 2013. after news of the new state budget came out, but thanks to cuts and collaborations, Superintendent Dr. Dan Keenan said the school system will be able wait another year before going to voters.

The administration and school board to deal with the reduction in funding, which included .

 “We promised to make it last four to five years, so our aim was 2010 or 2011,” said Superintendent Dan Keenan. The district’s last levy was passed in 2006. “We were trying to think of how we can do this and deal with the tax issue at the same time. We wanted to make it stretch to 2012.”

Westlake City Schools are also going to see losses from the accelerated elimination of the tangible personal property tax. That will amount to a reduction of about $1 million over the next two years.

“When the cuts came, we saw some opportunities to maintain excellence and all-day kindergarten without going to levy until 2013,” Keenan said. “I think that says a lot about how we do things here in the district.”

By working with local consortiums for health care, purchasing and more, the district has been able to save enough funds to make the levy last. The schools have also been working with community organizations to provide students will opportunities at low cost such as internships at local companies. The staff has benefitted from partnerships as well, receiving development training from Baldwin Wallace College.

“We’ve been doing business a lot differently for the last few years,” Keenan said. “Being in this region is really beneficial. There are so many opportunities.”