LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor
Since 2004

Tag: Loveland City Schools District

  • Community Advisory Team Op-Ed by Superintendent Mike Broadwater

    Community Advisory Team Op-Ed by Superintendent Mike Broadwater

    by Mike Broadwater
    Superintendent
    Loveland City Schools

     

     

     

    Dear Loveland Tiger Community,

    When I joined Loveland City School District as Superintendent in 2021, one of the first things we began to work on was our #beLOVEland Strategic Vision. Parents, students, staff, and community members worked together to set shared goals for our district. Our #beLOVEland Strategic Vision serves as our north star, and by focusing on that, we’ve achieved some amazing results. Loveland City School District is in the top 3% of public school districts in the state, earning five stars in every category on the Ohio School Report Card. We produce above average results at below-average costs, with per-pupil expenditures lower than 62% of Ohio public school districts.

    One of the goals of our #beLOVEland Strategic Vision is Community Engagement. To reach that goal, we created a Community Advisory Team. More than 80 people volunteered to join us for four meetings throughout the school year for a deep dive into important issues and give district leadership important feedback. We are halfway through the year, and I want to deliver a progress report on our work.

    Community Advisory Team (CAT) Meeting #1 focused on student success topics, including student mental health, supporting English Language Learners, our gifted and intervention programs, and the Ohio School Report Card. We presented data to CAT members during the meeting, had great discussions, and gathered important feedback. All of that work has led to a few action steps. First, beginning with the 2025-26 school year, we are moving to a later high school start time. Studies show that starting school later has a positive impact on students’ sleep schedules and mental health. Second, we will continue focusing on academic success and preparing students for life after high school. The feedback has made it clear that this remains a priority for our community. The state of Ohio has also focused more attention on this area, and the Ohio School Report Card is expanding to score schools on College, Career, Workforce, and Military Readiness.

    CAT Meeting #2 was an in-depth discussion about school finance. Treasurer John Espy provided important information to the CAT members about the district’s current financial outlook, sources of revenue, and expenditures. Ohio’s public school funding system can be challenging to understand, but our community has made it clear they want to know even more about school finances. Thanks to the feedback from the Community Advisory Team, Treasurer John Espy has launched a series of “Finance Friday” educational videos. We will share these videos via social media, the school district website, and our monthly Community Newsletter. You can follow this link to learn more about the Community Newsletter and subscribe.

    These action steps – a later high school start time, continued work on College, Career, Workforce, and Military Readiness, and our new series of Finance Fridays educational videos, are just the first steps we’re taking based on the Community Advisory Team’s work. The CAT will hold two more meetings this school year to discuss our Loveland Tiger Pathways program and district facilities.

    Relationships are at the heart of what we do here in Loveland City Schools. We’re only successful because of the amazing relationships between teachers and students, between staff members and parents, and between the district leadership and our community. By building relationships and showing our #beLOVEland spirit, we’ll continue to grow and improve together.

    I encourage community members to get involved by attending Town Halls or joining efforts like the Community Advisory Team. We extend the invitation, but it is up to our community members to share their voices with us. You can complete our Community Survey by following this link, or if you have questions, you can email me at mikebroadwater@lovelandschools.org.

    Go Tigers!

  • LEAAD to host 1st Community Tailgate at Loveland High School this Thursday before game vs. Milford

    LEAAD to host 1st Community Tailgate at Loveland High School this Thursday before game vs. Milford

    Loveland, Ohio – Loveland Educating Against Alcohol and Drugs (LEAAD) will host its first community tailgate on Thursday, February 7, before the Loveland varsity men’s basketball game against the Milford Eagles. The event, open to all community members, is supported by many local churches and businesses and offers free food, raffles, informational booths and prizes to the first 50 students who attend. Spearheading the event is Katie Sedziol, who joined Loveland City Schools District as LEAAD program coordinator earlier in the school year.

    “The purpose of this event is to offer a healthy alternative activity to drugs and alcohol, and provide an inviting atmosphere to educate about LEAAD and our vision,” said Sedziol. “We hope the tailgate will serve as an educational experience to show just how important it is to have regular events that youth in our community can attend, and that they can be around others while making healthy, safe and drug-free choices.”

    The Search Institute – a nonprofit that bridges research and practice to help young people be and become their best selves – has identified 40 building blocks of healthy development that help young people grow up healthy, caring and responsible. Based upon these principles, LEAAD wants to focus on the importance of the “constructive use of time” component, specifically that young people spend three or more hours per week in sports, clubs or organizations at school and/or in the community. (https://www.search-institute.org/, December 2018). The vision of LEAAD is to provide students with direction, education and awareness of healthy choices in a positive environment, and support children and families in prevention and intervention strategies through community and school activities based on best practices research, data and policy.

    “Our LEAAD coalition strongly believes this event will be the perfect opportunity to role model healthy behaviors and reinforce positive community norms,” said Sedziol. “It is our goal to showcase Loveland asa strongleader in healthy choices and lifestyles, especially when it comes to ouryouth. A gathering to celebrate and support our youth before a game is a protective factorthat we hope all in the community want to be a part of!Come on out to support your Tigers, have a good time, and learn more about LEAAD.”

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