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EASTLAKE - The Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools (WES) Board of Education accepted the resolution of recommended $2.1 million in cuts by Superintendent Steve Thompson resulting from the failure of the 4.99-mill continuous levy on Nov. 5.

The levy, which was defeated at 9,387 to 8,081, would have cost $174.65 per $100,000 property valuation and would have generated $8.4 million in operating revenue.
The unanimous vote was cast at a special board meeting Nov. 14, following two informational meetings for employees, parents, residents and others. The Board also accepted the five-year forecast presented by Thompson and Treasurer Bill Parkinson.
The action follows $1.1 million in cuts resulting from failure of a continuous levy in August.
Parkinson said the next question will be whether to put a levy on the ballot in March and whether that levy will be continuous with no time limit, or an emergency operating levy with a time limit. WES currently has one continuous levy and five operating levies.
The extensive list of supplemental cuts affects all levels of the system from marching bands, drama club, foreign language clubs, many performances, middle school Honor Society, athletics and much more. Supplemental assignments are eliminated, although no academic staff members are being eliminated. A complete list of cuts is on the schools’ website, weschools.org.
The March levy will be considered at the next regular board meeting on Dec. 9. Since the resolution must be presented twice, a special board meeting could be called if necessary.
WES serves 8,000 students in the communities of Willoughby, Willoughby Hills, Eastlake, Willowick, Timberlake, Lakeline and part of Waite Hill.