PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT
The purpose of this report is to share with our community some of the ways we’ve used the financial resources approved by voters in November 2019. We also want residents to learn about some of the strategies used and measures taken that have allowed our district to emerge from the height of the pandemic in a much stronger fiscal position than others around the state and nation. By stretching our local resources and using federal pandemic resources wisely, we have actually been able to enhance our academic program and expand the opportunities available to students while avoiding deficit spending longer than originally expected.
Over the last four years...
In November 2019, the Westerville City School District requested voter approval of a 7.85 mill combined operating levy and bond issue. Revenue generated by this issue was necessary to fund general operating expenses and address facility needs identified within the first five years of the district’s 10-Year Facilities Master Plan.
We were grateful when the ballot measure passed, but no one could have predicted what was about to happen next. Everyone’s world changed in March 2020 when the COVID-19 global pandemic struck. As a school district, we were forced to change how we operated, how we delivered instruction, how we fed students, how we met staff and student technology needs, how we complied with ever-changing health and safety rules, how we communicated, how we addressed the mental health and wellness needs of those we serve, and how the Board of Education continued its work while following new rules about how Ohio’s public institutions were to operate.
Although this likely was the most difficult period many of us working in public education had ever endured, the good news is that as an organization, we weathered the storm quite well. We became a much more nimble organization able to adapt quickly to rapidly changing conditions. We found new ways of conducting business that remain in place today, either by choice or because they resulted in newfound operational efficiencies. And, despite all of these challenges, we kept the promises we made to our community when requesting additional funding approximately three and a half years ago. In fact, despite increases to the cost of construction materials, as well as supply chain challenges caused by the pandemic, we’re proud to report that all of the facilities projects we promised to complete remain on time and within the overall Facilities Master Plan project budget established at the outset.
Our district and community are fortunate that things ultimately worked out for our school system the way they did. Yes, there were significant challenges and some stumbles along the way, but had the November 2019 ballot measure been defeated, we would be telling a much different story than what you will read in the following content sections. Thank you for taking the time to review this document.