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.”
