Schools

FACT Report Suggests More Continuing Levies, Higher Health Care Contribution for Employees

The Financial Activities Communications Team gave its most recent report to the Board of Education during Monday's meeting.

Overall, the district’s Financial Activities Communications Team thinks the schools’ five-year financial forecast is the reasonable and the best it can be under the economic circumstances.

Robert Routson, a member of Brecksville-Broadview Heights’ FACT, gave a brief presentation of the group’s latest report to the in the district's .

The team exists to oversee the district’s spending and make suggestions. According to the report, the group is made up of community members with financial expertise. They meet monthly with the district’s treasurer/chief financial officer and have been in place since 2002. Previous reports are available on the district’s website.

The big takeaway from the new report is that the team feels the district needs to continue to find ways to save money and cut costs without affecting education, Routson said. Members were pleased to see the —it “makes for better planning,” Routson said, and reduces the need to go back to the ballot—but the district still needs to work to make sure spending doesn’t outpace revenue. The team suggested in the report that the district try to convert the 7.4-mill renewal levy to a continuing levy, as well.

The report notes that the team believes that the district can’t depend on the passage of another levy and must instead reduce costs. One suggestion in the report is that the district could save money by asking employees to increase their share of health care costs. District employees now pay 10 percent of their insurance premiums, and administrators pay 15 percent.


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