LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor
Since 2004

Tag: Citizens for Loveland City Schools

  • Urgent Issue: Ohio House Bill 335

    Urgent Issue: Ohio House Bill 335

    Loveland, Ohio – This press release was sent by the political action committee, Citizens for Loveland City Schools.

    Dear Loveland City Schools Community,

    Thank you for your continued outreach to our state representatives. You are making a difference!

    Our work continues, however. There is new legislation that is pending – HB 335 – which would be devastating for our schools, cities and counties. It would result in the following losses:

    • Loveland City Schools – annual loss of  $5,846,450
    • City of Loveland – annual loss of $1,683,559
    • Hamilton County – annual loss of $65,730,784
    • Clermont County – annual loss of $22,347,076

    More information on the bill and its impacts to Ohio public schools can be found here.

    How to Help

    Please contact our representatives and ask them to reject this bill. Here is a template you can use.

    You can also join us at Narrow Path Brewery tomorrow, June 12, from 6-8pm. We will gather to write letters to our represenatives, asking them to oppose HB 335.

    We hope to see you tomorrow evening!

    [pdf-embedder url=”https://lovelandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/HB-335-FAQ.pdf”]

    OH SENATE DISTRICTS

    Ohio Find Your Senator

    District 7

    Senator: Steve Wilson (Republican)  wilson@ohiosenate.gov  (614) 466-9737
    Coverage: Covers Warren County, which includes the City of Loveland.
    Website: ohiosenate.gov/wilsonlookup.boe.ohio.gov+2en.wikipedia.org+2lookup.boe.ohio.gov+2

    District 14

    Senator: Terry Johnson johnson@ohiosenate.gov         (614) 466-8082

    Coverage: Represents portions of Clermont County
    Website: ohiosenate.gov/terry-johnsonohiosenate.gov+1senate.state.oh.us+1

    OH HOUSE DISTRICTS

    District 28: Karen Brownlee (Democrat) represents Symmes Township.
    District 62: Jean Schmidt (Republican) represents the City of Loveland and Miami Township. house.ohio.govhouse.ohio.gov

    HOUSE LEADERSHIP

    House Speaker Matt Huffman: Rep78@ohiohouse.gov, (614) 466-6344 

    Finance Chair Brian Stewart: Rep12@ohiohouse.gov, (614) 466-1464 

    Speaker Pro Tempore Gayle Manning: Rep52@ohiohouse.gov, (614) 644-5076 

    Assistant Speaker Pro Tempore Phil Plummer: Rep39@ohiohouse.gov, (614) 644-8051 

    Majority Floor Leader Marilyn John: Rep76@ohiohouse.gov, (614) 466-5802 

    Assistant Majority Floor Leader Adam Bird: Rep63@ohiohouse.gov, (614) 644-6034 

    Majority Whip Riordan McClain: Rep87@ohiohouse.gov, (614) 644-5088 

    Majority Whip Steve Demetriou: Rep35@ohiohouse.gov, (614) 644-5088 

    Majority Whip Nick Santucci: Rep64@ohiohouse.gov, (614) 466-5441 

    Majority Whip Josh Williams: Rep44@ohiohouse.gov, (614) 466-1418 

    Sample Letter

    Dear …… 

    As a resident of Loveland and a strong supporter of Ohio’s public schools, I am writing to urge you to oppose House Bill 335, the so-called “Property Tax Relief NOW Act.” While I understand the importance of addressing property tax concerns, this bill goes far beyond reasonable reform and would cause irreversible harm to our community schools.

    HB 335 proposes to:

    • Eliminate inside millage for school districts, removing over $1.5 billion annually from school funding statewide;
    • Allow unelected county budget commissions to override voter-approved levies, violating core democratic principles;
    • Prohibit new emergency or substitute levies and block renewal of existing ones, stripping districts of vital funding tools;
    • Introduce a patchwork tax credit scheme that creates unequal tax rates on identical properties, raising serious constitutional concerns;
    • Offer no reimbursement or offset for the massive loss in revenue, forcing districts to slash programs, increase class sizes, and cut staff and services.

    This bill directly threatens the quality of education in Loveland and across Ohio. Our schools could be forced to eliminate arts, music, athletics, AP classes, transportation, and much more—reducing educational opportunities and community strength.

    If HB 335 passes, it is likely that Loveland City Schools and other districts will have no choice but to go to the ballot more often, placing a greater burden on voters and increasing instability in school funding. The lost revenue from HB335 for Loveland City Schools is projected at $5.846 million annually, approximately 6.6 mills. Worse yet, by shifting the tax burden from businesses to individuals, this legislation accelerates a 30-year trend of disinvestment in public services.

    There is a better way. Senate Bill 22 provides targeted property tax relief to those who need it most—without destroying school funding. I strongly encourage you to reject HB 335 and instead support a balanced approach that maintains educational excellence while addressing affordability concerns.

    Please stand with your constituents, with Ohio’s children, and with our future. Oppose HB 335.

    Sincerely,

  • Al Osgood, Jr. – The school district is listening to voters

    Al Osgood, Jr. – The school district is listening to voters

    by Al Osgood, Jr.

    Loveland is so fortunate to have a great school district with strong leaders. The Board of Education’s announcement Monday that they are able to phase in the requested November levy increase is a perfect example of that. They listened to community feedback, and because of the recent reduction in interest rates, they are able to phase in the requested levy increase over three years versus all at once; that will certainly help from a budgeting and cashflow planning standpoint.

    It is critically important to recognize that this levy request is about needs and not wants.  We have buildings that are almost 80 years old, we have students learning in temporary trailers and hallways, we have inadequate

    Al Osgood, Jr. lives in Miami Township and is co-chair of Citizens for Loveland City Schools

    safety and security for today’s world, classrooms are “bursting at the seams” and the list goes on.  These issues are not going away; they will only get worse and more expensive if we wait.  Now is the time to act.  There is a significant cost of inaction.  In fact, multiple district building estimates show that the cost of maintaining the current facilities is MORE than the cost of rebuilding.  Bottom line, choosing to “kick the can down the road” will end up costing us more and have a direct negative impact on our children’s education.

    The district’s request is good for students and good for our community.  Great schools correlate to great communities.  People want to move to and live in Loveland because of our schools and the great community atmosphere that the schools help create.  Great schools are good for our property values and our ability to sell our homes.  Please remember that we don’t need to look too far to see the negative impact to communities and schools with failed levies.

    I want to commend the school district for their open, transparent and inclusive process that they have used in developing the facility master plan and current levy request.  They have been working on this for four years with opportunity after opportunity for the community to participate and provide input.

    Please get the real facts before making a decision at the ballot box.  There are almost daily social media posts and websites that are incorrect or misleading.  It’s easy to assume that everything posted on-line is accurate, but it’s definitely not.  If you haven’t had an opportunity to get the facts, please go to one of the multiple community events that the District has scheduled. The next one is a Community Meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 12th at 7 pm in the high school auditorium. Please go tour the almost 80-year-old LES building at 7 pm on September 17th.  Please attend one of the five currently scheduled Ask the Superintendent discussions. Please call the District office.  Any of these opportunities will allow you to get the real facts and understand why the levy request is needed and needed now.