Myths vs Facts
Learn the truth about the issues impacting Westerville Schools
Myth: Westerville Schools are undergoing a massive decline in enrollment.
Fact: Enrollment in Westerville Schools is about the same as it was 15 years ago. However, weighted enrollment has actually substantially increased.
It’s always difficult to project increases and declines in the student population because there are so many factors that influence enrollment, ranging from: the State’s decision to increase subsidies for private schools via a “school choice” program, to lower population growth overall, to a global pandemic.
If you only consider unweighted enrollment data, just prior to the 2020/2021 pandemic there were 758 more students enrolled across the district. Compared to today, that amounts to about 58 fewer students per grade. If you were to spread all those students evenly across all 23 school buildings, that’s a decrease in enrollment of less than 3 students per building. You can see how when you get to the classroom level, that’s not even 1 student per class.
Today, enrollment has leveled off again, resulting in a slight net increase in unweighted student enrollment from 15 years ago.
Unweighted Enrollment
However, not every student has the same needs. Many students require extra services, ranging from special education to individual education plans to gifted programs. That’s why beginning in 2013 the State of Ohio stopped using unweighted enrollment numbers when determining student funding and moved to weighted enrollment numbers. Weighted enrollment takes these extra required services into account.
When considering weighted enrollment, enrollment has actually grown substantially more.
Weighted Enrollment
Myth: All the money goes to overpaid administrators, none of it goes to the classroom.
Fact: Westerville spends 8.5x more on classroom and instruction than it spends on administration.
Expenses by Type
*Other includes:
Central Support Services: $3,696,853
Co-and Extra-Curricular Activities: $3,533,724
Fiscal Services: $3,231,208
Community Support Services: $233,155
Building Site Services: $16,906
Total General Fund Expenses: $229,867,169
$0.73 of every $1.00 goes directly to Classroom Support and Instruction
Myth: Westerville Schools has a bloated and overpaid administration.
Fact: Many administrative roles are required by the State to satisfy State mandates, and administration is competitively compensated.
Schools are tasked with more than just educating. Administrative roles primarily exist to support students and to keep our schools safe. Many non-teaching roles are designed to support the changing demographics of the district. Reference the accompanying chart for just a few examples. While Westerville Schools invests in resources necessary to ensure these students succeed, these resources are not classified under standard teaching categories.
Perhaps a more important reason behind additional administrative roles is related to mandates from the State of Ohio. These additional mandates are generally not funded by the State. Yes, you read that correctly – the State passes legislation which schools are required to implement, but the State does not provide schools with additional funding and resources to do so. Westerville Schools has both invested in resources to satisfy these mandates and reallocated existing resources wherever possible. Oftentimes, this means that the administration has combined roles and decreased the level of service it can provide. As just one example, the district no longer has the resources to monitor public comments made on district social media posts.
Student Demographics
% Increase from 2010-2024
Economically Disadvantaged
+17.3%
With a Disability
+5.6%
Limited English Proficiency
+1.0%
Source: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Development
Another important consideration is that Westerville Schools is subject to the same market forces as the rest of central Ohio, including competition for qualified employees.
As you can see from the corresponding graph, Westerville Schools employed administrators at a salary rate competitive with other Central Ohio school districts.
From these two sets of data you can also see that Westerville Schools is in a unique position: our student demographics are more comparable to districts like Gahanna-Jefferson, Hilliard, and Pickerington while our district is geographically aligned with Worthington and Olentangy.
Among the 14 school systems in Ohio with an enrollment of 10,000+ students, Westerville Schools spends $400 per pupil less on administration, and their administrator salaries are ranked 9th lowest.
Average Administrator Salary
Myth: The State of Ohio is giving public schools more funding than ever.
Fact: As a share of State funding, Westerville Schools is receiving less funding every year.
2021
2025
2027
After years of ignoring Ohio Supreme Court orders to fix school funding, legislators from both political parties came together in 2021 to pass the Fair School Funding Plan (FSFP) Though imperfect, this plan was set to put school funding on a more equitable path.
But state legislators did not follow through on their promise to schools. Instead of fully funding the FSFP, they have underfunded the plan since its inception. As if this continued uncertainty wasn't enough, state legislators are throwing school budgets into further turmoil by threatening to reduce or eliminate the local property taxes schools depend on. At present, there are no less than 17 bills in the Ohio Legislature that would impact property taxes.
In fact, it was state legislators who urged local school boards to shift the tax burden from local property taxes to local income taxes.
Myth: Westerville Schools is sitting on a big pile of cash that they are not going to spend.
Fact: The cash on hand will not come close to covering projected expenses. Westerville Schools has some cash in reserve accounts designated for these expenses, while additional cash reserves are required by state law.
Because expenses are projected to exceed revenue, the cash Westerville Schools has on hand has effectively been “spent.” This cash is earmarked to cover expenses the district already knows it will incur over the next few years. The accompanying charts illustrate this funding gap.
Revenues vs. Expenses
And in the interest of transparency at the behest of state legislators, Westerville Schools has moved some its cash from its General Fund into specific reserve accounts.
“Interviewer: State Rep Thomas says districts can move money from their general funds into specific reserve accounts meant for something like a roof or a school bus...
...you either should be reserving towards some future purpose for the voter or it shouldn’t be in your account.”
Revenues vs. Expenses
Specific Reserve Accounts
Capital Projects Fund
– used for the acquisition, construction, or improvement of fixed assets, including motor vehicles.
Terminations Benefits Fund
– used to pay for accumulated leave payouts (severance or vacation) or an irregular pay cycle.
Myth: Westerville Schools isn’t managing money responsibly, or there is fraud, waste, and abuse.
Fact: The district has received numerous awards for responsibly managing its finances.
Just a few stand-out examples of the excellent, fiscally responsible, and transparent practices Westerville Schools has been recognized for by outside experts:
“I would like to recognize the Board, Administration, and Finance Department that have done an outstanding job watching over every dollar.” ”
Ohio Auditor of State Award with Distinction
14 consecutive years
Only 4% of public entities in Ohio receive this award
Moody’s Aa1 Credit Rating
Obligations rate Aa are judged to be of high quality and subject to very low credit riusk
Results in lower interest rates for school bonds, saving the district millions
Ohio Auditor of State Commitment to Transparency Award
New award beginning in 2020
Westerville Schools has won it every year
4 out of 4 stars
Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting
Government Finance Officers Association Award
Myth: Westerville Schools isn’t willing to listen to the community’s ideas when it comes to funding schools and cutting costs.
Fact: When the last levy failed in November 2024, Westerville Schools recommitted itself to community engagement and feedback. After the last levy failed, Westerville Schools cut over $9 million from the budget in areas that would least impact the classroom. The Income Tax ballot issue being proposed is in direct response to community feedback.
After the last levy failed in November 2024, the district took over $9 million in austerity measures –
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Postponed K-5 math curriculum updates
Postponed replacement of access control cards for entry doors
Postponed software updates for routing software for buses
Reduced transportation costs
Reduced contracted services and repairs for facilities
Reduced professional development for staff
Reduced instructional software available for students and staff
Reduced instructional supplies not funded through school fees
Reduced planned School Resource Officer additions at the elementary
Reduced professional technical services – design services
Reduced services for software on policy updates
Reduced technology purchases for individual devices
Reduced technology purchases for audiovisual equipment updates
Reduced reports normally produced that are not required (I.e. PAFR)
Eliminated $65,000 annual transfer to Permanent Improvement Find
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Administration
Deputy Superintendent
Director - Curriculum
Coordinator - Student Enrollment
Coordinator - Special Education
Elementary Assistant Principal
Environmental Health & Safety Manager
Communications Specialist
Teaching
High School Teachers
IB Coordinator
Elementary Music Teacher
Elementary Art Teacher
Elementary Physical Education Teacher
English Learner Facilitator
Gifted Facilitators
Special Education Transition Specialists
Support
Mental Health Specialist
Health Aide
English Learner Paraprofessionals
Maintenance Worker
Behavior Specialist
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Current and future budgets
Postponed 1:1
After the November 2024 Property Tax did not pass, Westerville Schools opted not to put the Property Tax issue back on the ballot in the Spring of 2025. Instead, they took the time to listen to community concerns. What they learned was that the community wanted the State to pick up their promised share of public school funding.
In response to these concerns, Westerville Schools heavily lobbied State lawmakers.
Westerville Schools parents, administrators, and students all testified during the State of Ohio budget hearings
When the State of Ohio failed to deliver on its Fair School Funding Plan promise, Westerville Schools took feedback from the community and opted again not to place a Property Tax on the ballot, but to place a <1% (0.75%) Earned Income Tax on the ballot instead
While oftentimes well-intentioned, many community suggestions cannot be implemented due to their practicality or their legality. It was suggested, for example, that the district share administration with other districts. While this idea may work for a smaller district, Westerville Schools is a large district and administrative roles have already been combined into full-time responsibilities. Another suggestion was that students fill custodial maintenance roles, but such an initiative would doubtless run afoul of child labor laws.
Myth: Westerville Schools isn’t getting results. They continue to spend more per pupil than other Central Ohio districts while their test scores continue to decline.
Fact: Expenditures per pupil are on par with every other Central Ohio district, and Westerville Schools is doing better academically than many other districts but that isn’t always reflected in the data.
When it comes to calculating per-pupil expenditures, there are two different numbers that can be considered. The State school report card uses a weighted (“equivalent”) student count for that calculation. The per-pupil expenditure can also be calculated as unweighted using district operating costs.
By either metric, Westerville Schools lands almost directly in the middle of Central Ohio districts.
If you are viewing this page on a mobile device, rotate your device to landscape mode to view the complete chart below:
Expenditures Per Pupil: Franklin & Delaware Counties
Although Westerville Schools continues to meet or exceed every State standard, there are a few very important caveats to take into consideration when it comes to these standards.
The State continues to change the metrics used for academic standards, so comparing historical results to recent results is not a direct comparison.
Just as one example, recent State calculations do not include Westerville Schools students who take Algebra in 8th grade – which is almost a third of Westerville Schools’ students. The State only includes students who take 8th-grade math, so all Westerville City students who are advanced and taking Algebra are not counted in the State’s calculation.
Westerville Schools has a large population of English language learners, with over 50 different languages spoken among our families.
Early literacy is an ongoing focus for the district. With so many English language learners, this effort takes extensive support through reading intervention with small group sessions, in-class support by our reading specialists, and other additional resources. This is yet another reason we need to continue to fund our schools, as cutting funding will impact early literacy resources.