Home VIEWS - Yours and Ours Editorial Becca Moates: Current Governor DeWine budget proposal undoubtedly leads to additional Loveland...

Becca Moates: Current Governor DeWine budget proposal undoubtedly leads to additional Loveland levy

Governor Dewine is failing to fulfill his promise

Guest Column

Mar 18, 2025

Becca Moates and her family (Provided)

by Becca Moates

Dear Loveland School District,

Let’s start with:

Our goal this week is to send 1000 letters to the statehouse by March 21, 2025. Help make this happen!

Our family moved here a decade ago after the military, and what a well-loved decade it has been. When we packed and moved like the nomads we had been previously, we never expected to find such a great community. It has been everything from a patient phone call from a teacher, a basket of laundry when the dryer broke (3 times in the last decade), and a dish of food when a loved one passed away. Loveland is a small town with a big heart.

Our schools are a vital component of our community, and our students thrive thanks to the dedication of our educators. We rank in the top 3% of districts in the state, with 97% of districts having more teacher support per student. Our teachers and staff are dedicated, as are our wonderful students. We personally, have four children and three of them in Loveland schools. It has been amazing to watch how they thrive and grow as people.

The current budget proposal from Governor DeWine leads to lost funds for Loveland schools which will undoubtedly lead to additional revenue requests from the school district. Let’s continue to build the unity we have as community members to support the students who are the heart of our vibrant community.

While we can and should discuss levies, we currently face a more significant financial crisis affecting our community.

In 2021, Governor DeWine enacted the Fair School Funding Plan (FSFP), which aimed to implement three phases to support public school funding in Ohio, where over 90% of children attend public schools.

The new budget proposal will not fully fund the Loveland City School District, and our Governor and legislators need to understand that Loveland is one of many school districts affected by this situation. Currently, the proposed bill does not adhere to the guarantee established previously.

Not only is the Governor failing to fulfill his promise, but we will also face a reduction of $2.5 million over the next five years.

Your Job Community:

We can unite on this issue. If the state cuts funding (and as a state we are 45th out of 50 states in per pupil funding), the foundation of our community: our schools will suffer. It is time for our legislators to hear from all of us. We need Governor DeWine to endorse a bill that benefits our schools. We need to come together. Write letters, call legislators, and call the Governor.

Read the Loveland Schools Lobbying Request.

Watch John Espy our school Treasurer testify before the Ohio House Finance Committee (42 Minute mark).

Sincerely,

Becca Moates, MSN, APRN-CFNP

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Who To Contact

Download the list or click below PDF to enlarge.

What to Say?

Here are some suggestions for what to include in your phone calls, emails, and letters to state lawmakers:

Your name
Your role (parent, student, staff member, community member) in the Loveland City School District.
Your story (explain why you support Loveland City Schools, your family’s experience with Loveland City Schools, and why you are concerned about funding cuts for our district. Make it clear that decisions about funding impact children and communities.)
Your request (for example: protect the “guarantee” because reducing it would hurt funding for our district, fully implement the Fair School Funding Plan with updated inputs, and increase the state share minimum to 20%)
Your appreciation (thank them for their work in Columbus and their attention to this issue that is important to you and our community.)

We suggest you write an email message to lawmaker, then use that message as a script for a phone call. The message can then be printed and mailed to lawmakers for an additional contact point.