Loveland, Ohio – Loveland City School District board member Art Jarvis did not attend the April 30 Board meeting but instead resigned before it started. At the beginning of the meeting, President Kathy Lorenz read a letter Jarvis sent to the Board. You can watch a video clip of her reading the letter below.
Board member Ned Portune attended the meeting and resigned his position after it was over. You can read the statement he sent to Loveland Magazine the next morning below.
Both resignations were effective immediately and follow the apparent overwhelming defeat a vote on an operating levy announced the day before. (Loveland Levy apparently fails by wide margin)
According to a press release issued by the District the day after the meeting, the vacancies are expected to be filled at the May 12 board meeting.
The release also said that the board is now seeking candidates to replace Jarvis and Portune. It says that applicants should submit a “notice of interest” by Email to Treasurer Kevin Hawley (hawleyke@lovelandschools.org) by 5 PM on Monday, May 4.
Applicants should include biographical information, address, affirmation of voter registration, and a short statement describing qualifications and reasons for filling the role of Board Member of the Loveland City School District. Both of these positions would be for service through December 2021.
Remaining Board members are Dr. Kathryn Lorenz, Board President, Michele Pettit, and Eileen Washburn.
For Immediate Release. 5/1/2020
It is with sadness that I acknowledge my departure from the Loveland City Schools Board of Education. My resignation is for personal reasons, and should not be interpreted as a negative reflection of my faith in, and support of, the district leadership.
As I have said previously, students and teachers alike can’t be successful if they aren’t in the right culture of care, support, learning, and high expectations set by their administrators. And as such, our administrative team and educational staff have raised the bar of expectations at Loveland well beyond “average.” The improvements our district has experienced, and the achievements our students have accomplished over the past several years have been tremendous. Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse and Treasurer Kevin Hawley are tireless champions for our students, and perform their roles with exceptional grace and integrity, as do Dr. Kathy Lorentz and the rest of the Board. I am grateful to have worked with this team.
As community members, we should all take pride in what we have accomplished together over the past several years, and the reputation for excellence that has been achieved by our schools. This success is only possible with support. I know I am proud to have been a part of a list that includes:
- moving key state report card grades to A and B from C, D and F,
- improving from 433rd (out of 610 districts) to 22nd in ODE’s Value Added rankings,
- LES students performing on average 20% higher than the State average in Reading/Math for AIR and exceeding MAP projections, on average, at 20% higher than the National average,
- 100% of all third graders meeting the Third Grade Reading Guarantee for 3 consecutive years,
- LIS students scoring 20% higher than the state average in 3 of 5 areas, and 15% higher in all 5,
- 8th grade foreign language curriculum increasing from 150 students receiving HS credit to 227 students, and foreign language exposure in 7th grade increasing from 0 students to 185,
- LHS increasing AP offerings to 24 courses serving 428 students, up from 291 in 2016, and our students earning AP Honor Roll for 2 years (a distinction given only to the top 3% of districts in the US and Canada), with 80% scoring a 3 or higher,
- Over 40% of our LHS seniors earning college credit through AP or CCP offerings,
- LHS adding 20 new elective offerings, and adding Transition to Work programming with multiple community sites,
- Developing 6-12 College and Career counseling programming, and adding class-leading Teaching, Business and IT programs,
- LHS ranking in Cincinnati Magazine improving to 8th out of 80 local high schools, and receiving the Momentum Award from ODE for the last three years.
And this doesn’t begin to address the improvements in gifted and special education services, social-emotional support improvements, or individual awards and accolades our students and teachers themselves have received across all of our schools. Add to that the readiness and excellent implementation of remote learning which has kept our students learning during a time no one could have predicted. Our administrators and educators have truly moved the bar higher for our students, and we should all celebrate that accomplishment.
Today, the district, its staff, students, and parents are entering an unprecedented time in our history. The right thing to do is to be positive, helpful and supportive in keeping our schools operational and our students successful. I believe we as a community will do that moving forward.
It has been an honor and privilege to have had the opportunity to serve our schools and this great community with this Board. I will continue to be a fervent supporter of Loveland Schools and our students.
-Ned Portune
by Cassie Mattia
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