American Greetings Announces Layoffs

Company's profits dropped 37 percent in third quarter.

Westlake School Board Considering Levy In 2012

Officials will also eliminate or reduce positions and do away with high school busing to deal with millions in state budget cuts.

To handle the proposed $4.9 million in state cuts over the next two years, school officials were forced to implement some deep reductions during Monday’s regular meeting, and it’s only the beginning. The Westlake Board of Education will also consider a levy in 2012, but determining the millage will take months as school officials will need to review and analyze next year’s local and state budget data, said Superintendent Dan Keenan. But he noted that even if a levy is passed it may not bring back the 17 lost teaching positions as the district will try and maintain a respective 85-15 split between personnel and operating expenditures.  Board members voted to eliminate or reduce 40 positions Monday night: 17 teaching (six of which were open …

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Exclusive: School Officials Gaining Union Support for Reductions to Teachers, Personnel

Union reps to school officials: 'We're coming to you, asking how we can help.'

In an effort to help absorb over $6.3 million in proposed state funding losses over the next two school years, Westlake’s teacher unions said they're willing to make concessions on reducing compensation and eliminating personnel within the district.  This news comes just days after the release of Superintendent Dan Keenan’s proposal to collectively reduce or eliminate anywhere from 44 to 73 administrative, teaching, classified and exempt positions from Westlake City Schools.  More details will surface at Monday’s regular Board of Education meeting as Keenan and the board will start the process of calculating how much needs to be cut from personnel expenditures, which accounts for about 85 percent of the district’s $50 million annual budget…

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