Loveland Magazine

LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

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Tag: board of education

Loveland Board of Education seeks members for Board Planning Commission

Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland City School District Board of Education has announced that it is seeking community members for a Planning Commission. The commission will assist the board with researching and evaluating a variety of assigned issues and topics relating to the schools.

“We see this as an opportunity to engage our community in a variety of issues affecting our schools on an ongoing basis,” said Board President Dr. Kathryn Lorenz. “I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to capitalize on residents’ expertise, ideas, and dedication to the success of our schools as it relates to finances, facilities, school improvements, student experience, communications, and community engagement.”

The Planning Commission will have a maximum of 25 participating members. At capacity, it will be composed of seven faculty and staff members and 18 citizens of the school district. The residents, who will be appointed by the Board of Education, will reflect the diversity of the community. Student participation will also be sought, in particular for the committee on school improvement and student experience.

Feb 7, 2020
Loveland Board of Education votes to cancel Grailville purchase

Loveland, Ohio – At its January 21 business meeting, the Loveland City Schools Board of Education voted to cancel the contract with the Grail, an Ohio nonprofit, for the option to purchase 110 acres of Grailville – a property located on O’Bannonville Road east of downtown Loveland.

“With the overwhelming results of the November 2019 levy, the board has placed the facility master plan on hold until we can reengage the community in alternative solutions to our building issues,” said Board President Dr. Kathryn Lorenz in a statement issued by the District. “We have listened to our community and heard that it is not ready to bear the investment in the facilities plan as presented, and therefore purchase of any land without a definitive approved building plan would dilute funds

that will now be needed for additional years of maintenance to current facilities, and would be inadvisable in light of this changed financial need. For these reasons we don’t see the feasibility of moving forward with the purchase of land now.”

The board also approved resolutions related to the $2.7 million in expense reductions that are presented alongside the 6.95-mill operating levy request on the March 17 ballot. In addition to eliminating expenditures in the five-year forecast related to the planned expansion of programs and services; reducing consultants, contracted services and department budgets; and increasing fees; the district is eliminating staff positions.

A combination of 13-14 teaching, non-teaching, and administrative positions, and two future forecasted teaching positions are being eliminated. The positions being eliminated are determined first and the Reduction in Force process is then conducted per Ohio Revised Code (ORC) and Master Agreement timelines for notice and board action. Employees are released at the end of the 2019-20 school year with consideration to certification, contract, and seniority.

Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse said in a press release, “We have focused on reducing and eliminating non-employee costs, but because the largest portion of our budget goes toward paying salaries and benefits, we had to make decisions regarding the elimination of positions.”

Jan 29, 2020
Loveland Board of Education sets meeting dates for 2020
Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland Board of Education voted to hold regular monthly business meetings at 6 PM on the third Tuesday of each month, unless otherwise noted with an asterisk (*) in the schedule below. The meetings will be held in the Loveland Middle/Intermediate School Media Center on 757 South Lebanon Road.
- - January 21, 2020
    
    February 18, 2020
    
    March 19, 2020 (third Thursday)*
    
    April 21, 2020
    
    May 19, 2020
    
    June 23, 2020 (fourth Tuesday)*
    
    August 11, 2020 (second Tuesday)*
    
    September 22, 2020 (fourth Tuesday)*
    
    October 20, 2020
    
    November 17, 2020
No regular business meeting is scheduled for the months of July and December.

The Board also voted to conduct other regular meetings, primarily as work sessions, on the first Tuesday of each month unless otherwise noted (*) in the listing below. These meetings will also be held in the Loveland Middle/Intermediate School Media Center at 6 PM on the following dates:
- - February 4, 2020
    
    March 3, 2020
    
    April 7, 2020
    
    May 5, 2020
    
    June 2, 2020
    
    September 1, 2020
    
    October 6, 2020
    
    November 5, 2020 (first Thursday)*
    
    December 8, 2020 (second Tuesday)*
No regular work session is scheduled for July or August.
Jan 20, 2020
Public can now access financial information about the Loveland City School District on-line

Loveland, Ohio – The public can now access financial information about the Loveland City School District on Ohio Checkbook.

The website was launched by the state in 2014 to allow taxpayers direct access to see how their tax money is spent.

Financial data about Loveland City Schools on OhioCheckbook.com will initially cover the current fiscal year (2020) and last fiscal year (2019).

Jan 8, 2020
Loveland Board of Education’s “Organizational Meeting” is Thursday, January 9

Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland Board of Education’s “Organizational Meeting” is scheduled for Thursday, January 9, at 6 PM in the LMS/LIS Media Center.

No agenda is yet published for the meeting, however, the Board is expected to elect a President and Vice-President for 2020, make various committee assignments and approve a meeting calendar for the 2020-21 school year.

The Board is expected to discuss a range of issues in January, including the contract for the option to purchase the Grailville land; the structure, membership and objective of a community-based committee; expenditure reductions and various fees and tuition increases for the school year 2020-21.

The next Business Meeting for the Board will be on January 22.

Jan 4, 2020
Most read Loveland Magazine stories of 2019

David Miller is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of Loveland Magazine

by David Miller

We will almost certainly never surpass the 1.3 million readers we had in 2017 (combined on lovelandmagazine.com, Facebook, and Twitter) on the day and the day after the fire in the Historic District. And, we quite frankly never want to surpass that record unless it’s much better news. (Early morning fire destroys 2/3 block in Historic Downtown Loveland)

#1

The most-read story by a wide margin in 2019 involved the levy the school district put on the ballot. Actually, we only published a few stories that were informational, the Five Ws (Who, What, When, Where, Why) of the levy vote. We provided public documents, notices of public meetings, etc.

Interesting is what drove readership… we let our readers tell the story through Guest Columns and Letters to the Editor.

Letting our readers, and District staff tell the story in balanced thought-provoking columns proved that we had no need to publish “she said-he said” stories filtered through our eyes and we are extremely grateful to those who submitted columns and the reflective social media comments that followed. We published each and every opinion piece we received and only occasionally felt the need to delete some of the social media comments that were inappropriate.

Topping all of the levy stories was a Guest Column by Juliet Tissot, “We should not thumb our noses at the less fortunate just because we want nice stuff.” We did nothing special to promote Tissot’s column, however, are extremely proud of the Loveland community taking such interest in the subject she raised, because the plight of the “less fortunate” is rarely if ever discussed here in the Loveland area. I hope in 2020 this subject is revisited often inside the institutional framework of school board meetings, city buildings, and township halls.

LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV also produced several videos of school board meetings where the District and local residents discussed the levy which added to making the levy by far the most looked at topic of 2019.

#2

“Public Advised Not to Enter Little Miami River South of Old 3C Highway Until Further Notice” and “Canoe liveries warn of dangerous river conditions this weekend“.

#3[VIDEO] Parking garage coming to Historic Downtown and Council executes purchase agreement for 1.15406 acres of land on First Street in Historic Downtown

#4 Buy the original White Pillars home

#5 Loveland Magazine “Local Voter Guide” to issues and candidates

#6 Loveland’s Rails Trails & Ales Festival is Sept. 6 thru 8

#7 Beloved Loveland High School educator: Charles R. Schmidt passes

#8 It only took 8 minutes a story about flash flooding on Loveland Maderia Road.

#9 Arrest made for scattering screws and nails on the roadway at SR 131 & Betty Lane

#10 [Breaking] W. Loveland/Loveland Madeira area is being evacuated (Crews are investigating a natural gas leak at the intersection of W. Loveland/Loveland Madeira. The area is being evacuated and Duke is on scene.) Exact source of natural gas leak still not pinpointed – evacuation still in place

Jan 2, 2020
Board moves to place 6.95 mills on the March 2020 ballot

Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland Board of Education met on Tuesday, December 17 and unanimously passed a resolution to place an operating levy of 6.95 mills on the March 2020 ballot. The deadline to file the resolution with the Hamilton County Board of Elections is today, December 18.

Neither Board Superintendent Amy Crouse or Treasurer/CFO Kevin Hawley wanted to speak to Loveland Magazine after the meeting, so details of the implications of the levy are sketchy. Neither Crouse or Hawley would discuss the budget cuts they are proposing or the amount the levy would provide the District. However, Crouse did say last week in a press release, “Approximately $2.7 million dollars of budget cuts will be made in conjunction with the levy. They will include a combination of reductions in the instructional cycle budget (textbooks, etc.), staff, and contracted services, among others.”

Last week’s press release also said:

The 6.95 millage levy translates into approximately $20/month ($243 annually) per $100,000 of appraised home value as determined by the county auditor.

Below is a LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video of the 14-minute meeting.

In the interview below Dale Friemoth, a member of the

Loveland Voice on Facebook: “Voter Oversight, Involvement, Concern for Education.”

District Ad Hoc Advisory committee that was appointed to discuss how the District should move forward after the defeat of a combined operating and bond issue that was on the November ballot discusses the Board’s vote. He talked about the new levy and also about a new community organization that has formed, Loveland Voice. Friemoth said they will meet soon to discuss their actions going forward. One thing he stressed is that he feels that the Board must take purchasing the Grailville land off the table at their next meeting if they want voter support for the new levy.

Below is the Resolution that was to be delivered to the Hamilton County Board of Elections today.

Dec 18, 2019
School Board meets Tuesday for March levy vote

Board members, Michele Pettit, Ned Portune, Eileen Washburn, President Art Jarvis, and Vice President Kathryn Lorenz

Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland City School District has called a special meeting for Tuesday, December 17. This meeting will be held to consider a “resolution to proceed” in order to place a March operating levy on the ballot.

The Board will also go into executive session to discuss employment matters.

The 6 PM meeting is in the Loveland Intermediate and Middle School’s Media Center at 757 S. Lebanon Road.

Treasurer Resolutions

Approve a resolution declaring intent to proceed with election on the question of an additional tax in excess of the 10 mill limitation and certifying the same to the board of elections per ORC 5705.21.

The Board of Education met on Tuesday, December 10, and passed a resolution of necessity to place an operating levy of 6.95 mills on the March 2020 ballot. The decision was five weeks after a failed combined operating and permanent improvement/bond issue on November 5.

According to a press release issued by the Distric, the 6.95 millage levy translates into approximately $20/month ($243 annually) per $100,000 of appraised home value as determined by the county auditor. The board is to have the millage amount certified by the county auditor and intends to pass a resolution to proceed on December 17. The deadline to submit ballot language to the county boards of elections is December 18.

Dec 15, 2019
Three Loveland Schools Recognized with Achievement Awards by Ohio Superintendent and State Board of Education

State Board of Education and Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction Paolo DeMaria (Image ODE)

Columbus, Ohio – The State Board of Education and Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction Paolo DeMaria announced this week the recognition of schools across the state for achieving high performance, outstanding progress and momentum for students – and among them are Loveland High School (LHS), Loveland Elementary School (LES) and the Loveland Early Childhood Center (LECC).

Loveland High School earned the “Momentum Award” for the third consecutive year in recognition of exceeding expectations in student growth. In order to be recognized, schools must earn straight A’s on all value-added measures on the report card and must have at least two value-added subgroups of students, which include gifted, lowest 20% in achievement, and students with disabilities. Value-added measures use student achievement over time in English Language Arts and Math to measure the gain in learning from year to year.

Loveland Elementary School earned the “Overall A Award” for receiving an “A” as a school on the report card. The overall letter grade is calculated by using results in the six components that make up the state report card: Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Improving At-Risk K-3 Readers, Graduation Rate and Prepared for Success.

Loveland Early Childhood Center earned the “All A Award” for receiving A grades on the applicable Ohio School Report Card measures. Only 50 schools and four school districts across the state were recognized for this achievement in 2019.

“I’m incredibly proud of our educational leaders and staff across the district who embrace the mindset of continuous improvement,” said Loveland City School District Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse. “They have done a remarkable job putting goals into action for the benefit of student achievement and academic momentum at Loveland Schools.”

State Board of Education President Laura Kohler issued a statement in a press release issued by the Ohio Department of Education:

“The students, teachers, administrators and staff honored today are shining examples to peers and colleagues around Ohio. We are so proud of these award recipients and the effort they put into learning, leading and growing every day. We are both encouraged and challenged by the example of excellence they are setting.”

Dec 12, 2019
[Breaking] School Board votes to put 6.95 mills on March ballot

Loveland, Ohio – A Press Release issued by the Loveland City School District tonight reads:

Loveland Board of Education Passes Resolution of Necessity for Operating Levy in March 2020

The Loveland City School District Board of Education met on Tuesday, December 10, and passed a resolution of necessity to place an operating levy of 6.95 mills on the March 2020 ballot. The decision comes five weeks after a failed combined operating and permanent improvement/bond issue on November 5.

“We have sought the feedback of our community through an ad hoc advisory committee to determine the feasibility of a March ballot issue,” said Board President Art Jarvis. “We are tremendously grateful for the commitment shown by these individuals to step up, assist us and provide the community input needed for this decision. After collaboration and conversations with concerned community members, parents, staff and administration about the implications of both a March and a November 2020 operating levy, we, as a board, feel that it is in the best interest of the district to give the community the opportunity to vote in March.”

Approximately $2.7 million dollars of budget cuts will be made in conjunction with the levy. According to Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse, they will include a combination of reductions in the instructional cycle budget (textbooks, etc.), staff, and contracted services, among others.

“When implementing cuts in our budget, our priority is to protect our students and the growth, achievement and academic momentum gained over the past several years,” said Dr. Crouse.

If the March levy fails, additional cuts will need to be made in order for the district to go back on the ballot in November 2020.

Operating levies fund the school district’s day-to-day expenses, including the salary and benefits of staff, which at Loveland make up approximately 83 percent of operating expenditures. Loveland Schools receive about 32 percent of its budget revenue from the state, an amount that remains relatively flat from year to year. The majority of the budget, nearly 60 percent, must be generated locally – mainly through property taxes. This locally-generated source of funding is also flat due to Ohio House Bill 920, which prevents schools from collecting additional revenue as home values increase over time.

In addition to voting for a March levy, the board discussed the intention to look into options for increasing transparency and community involvement, for example through a model of community advisory groups, one of which would focus specifically on school funding issues and advocacy at the state level.

“We will continue to work with our community on creative solutions for increasing income and reducing expenditures,” said Dr. Crouse. “Our school facility needs as presented earlier this year still remain and will eventually need to be addressed, but the board will not be placing any levy on the ballot for facilities in November.”

The 6.95 millage levy translates into approximately $20/month ($243 annually) per $100,000 of appraised home value as determined by the county auditor. The board will have the millage amount certified by the county auditor and intends to pass a resolution to proceed on December 17. The deadline to submit ballot language to the county boards of elections is December 18.

Dec 10, 2019