Loveland Magazine

LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor

Since 2004

Tag: operating levy

  • Our Loveland Story – The Colletto Family

    Our Loveland Story – The Colletto Family

    by Kim and Dan Colletto

    Loveland Schools are worth fighting for! Keeping our school district strong in turn will keep our beloved Loveland community thriving, protect our home values and make our neighborhoods enticing to outside buyers. We, as proud Lovelanders, will stand behind the #yesforloveland movement. This is our family’s story and why we are so passionate about supporting the Loveland School District.

    Our family relocated from Orlando, Florida to Cincinnati in the summer of 2016. This change was met with a lot of resistance by myself and our girls, who were 12 and 8 at the time. We were faced with leaving the community we loved and the only home our girls had ever known. Getting the move right was essential, to set our family unit up for success in our new home. Where did we start? The area school districts.

    In Orlando, our girls had grown into a young school district and a developing area, with one elementary and middle school to choose from. After 10 years in the area, our school district had grown to encompass three elementary schools, two middle schools, and a new high school.  My husband and I sat on community growth committees, held school PTA board positions, and volunteered countless hours in the classroom, at fundraisers and community events. We assisted in the effort to make our neighborhood one of the best in the Orange County School District. We knew what a successful educational community looked like and we felt it was essential to make the right choice for the future of our girls in our relocation.

    In researching the Cincinnati area, we toured every surrounding school district. The final school on our list was Loveland. We feared that the opportunities and programs would be lacking, as it was a smaller school district. Boy, were we wrong.

    In Loveland, we were greeted by enthusiastic administration and teachers who took the time to talk directly to our girls and answer their questions. We had top-notch tours and even had a sit-down meeting with the superintendent, assistant superintendent, and the person who would be our daughter’s high school counselor. The girls instantly felt like they would feel safe and welcomed in the Loveland schools. The district’s forward thinking mindset, focus on growth, and developing a well rounded, competitive student was supremely impressive.

    We knew Loveland was the right choice when we left that meeting. Not only were there educational opportunities here, including a thriving gifted program and course options such as foreign language and college prep courses, but the district had top-notch music and arts programs which were of very high importance to both our girls. Loveland was providing music programs from the elementary level up. The high school arts programs were known as some of the best in the Cincinnati area. These opportunities solidified our decision.

    We wanted to get a sense of the Loveland community as well. We explored the quaint downtown, enjoyed the local restaurants, and toured a dozen homes before we ended up buying in a beautiful, homey neighborhood where we were instantly greeted by welcoming neighbors. We had found our home and a place where we felt confident our girls would thrive and above all, be happy. And they have flourished here. Each of our girls had different needs in the classroom and they were both met with phenomenal teachers and support. They each threw themselves into drama, music, and show choir. They were exposed to and tried new things including runners club, intramural sports, student government, and volunteerism.

    Our oldest has now graduated and was set up to enter college with 32 hours of college credit classes allowing her to easily double major in two rigorous programs. The Loveland High School experience gave her the tools to enter into the world confident and prepared. Anna was exposed to a broad range of activities, including music, art, student media, Showchoir, and student leadership groups in addition to a multitude of course options from financial planning to AP and College Credit Plus opportunities. And she took advantage of it all. She had a remarkable high school experience and was set up to get into highly competitive college programs.

    Our youngest is now a junior and is in the college preparation stage. While her high school experience began during the COVID-19 pandemic, she continues to have a wonderful high school life in her classes and extracurriculars including athletics, music, and show choir. We are so thankful for her dedicated school counselors and teachers and for the arts programs that have given her hope and comfort in spite of the challenges of these last couple of years due to the pandemic and unfortunate cuts in the Loveland schools. She has grown immensely into a hard-working student, performer, athlete, and a Tiger through and through. At Loveland, Avery has learned resilience through compassionate district leaders, teachers and mentors.

    Even while navigating the challenges of failed levies, Loveland has kept excellence and the dedication to their students at the forefront. No matter what challenges the district may face, the foundation of community and excellence prevails. The opportunity for students to experience a vast, well-rounded education is there. But the reality is that many of those beloved, winning programs our children have been blessed with are now on the chopping block.

    We have hope that the community will step up and value the importance of a strong school district and how important it is to set our children up for future success.

    Our children in the younger grades should have the same opportunities to enter their years after high school prepared, motivated, and competitive. It’s up to each of us to fight for our schools and to keep Loveland thriving.

    We are Lovelanders now and we won’t give up on our schools or this community. I hope you will join in the fight to keep Loveland strong and get out and vote #yesforloveland.

    ____________________________________

    Kim and Dan Colletto live in the Miami Trails Neighborhood

  • How to register and vote on School Levy May 2nd

    How to register and vote on School Levy May 2nd

    [vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland City School District is asking voters to approve an additional 4.9 mills permanent operating levy that will be on the May 2nd ballot.

    Your voter registration and updated Information Form must be postmarked by the voter registration deadline, the 30th day before the election, to be eligible to vote in that election.

    April 3rd is your deadline.

    Absentee voting begins April 4th.

    If you register in person or online, you must do so by the 30th day before the election. You, or another person acting on your behalf, also may deliver your application to your Board of Election offices.

    What are the qualifications to register and vote in Ohio?

    If you meet all the following requirements, you are qualified to register to vote in Ohio:

    1. You are a citizen of the United States
    2. You will be at least 18 years old on or before the day of the next general election
    3. You will be a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days immediately before the election in which you want to vote
    4. You are not incarcerated (in prison or jail) for a felony conviction
    5. You have not been declared incompetent for voting purposes by a probate court
    6. You have not been permanently disenfranchised for violating the election laws

    You are eligible to vote in elections held in your voting precinct 30 days after you are duly registered to vote in this state. Your Board of Elections office will mail you a notice of your voting location. If you do not receive a timely notice, contact them.

    Clermont County Board of Elections

    Hamilton County Board of Elections

    Warren County Board of Elections

     

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    7 PROPOSED TAX LEVY (ADDITIONAL) LOVELAND CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

    A majority affirmative vote is necessary for passage.

    An additional tax for the benefit of Loveland City School District for the purpose of current operating expenses that the county auditor estimates will collect $4,903,000 annually, at a rate not exceeding 4.9 mills for each $1 of taxable value, which amounts to $172 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised value, for a continuing period of time, commencing in 2023, first due in calendar year 2024.

    FOR THE TAX LEVY AGAINST THE TAX LEVY _____

    AGAINST THE TAX LEVY _____

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  • Loveland City School District Board of Education votes to place 4.9 mill levy on the May 2nd

    Loveland City School District Board of Education votes to place 4.9 mill levy on the May 2nd

    Loveland, Ohio – Last night in a unanimous vote, the Loveland City School District Board of Education voted to place a 4.9 mill operating levy on the May 2nd ballot.

    The discussion about the levy begins at the 19:12 minute mark of the meeting video.

    4.9-Mill-Resolution-to-ProceedDownload
  • An Open Letter to the Loveland Board of Education from Loveland VOICE

    An Open Letter to the Loveland Board of Education from Loveland VOICE

    VOICE is a grassroots organization representing ALL of Loveland. As our name implies, we are not your enemy, we are citizens concerned for the welfare of all. VOICE did not fail the recent Permanent Tax Levy: the citizens of Loveland failed the Levy 52%-48% for many reasons, some of which were compiled and listed in an article titled Why People Vote No. VOICE’s purpose is to ask questions and inform citizens on the broader facts of an issue or narrative and to hold the district accountable to justifying expenditures of public money. VOICE originated after the 2019 levy when it was apparent that the district was not being truthful about its needs or communicating well with the community. We understand that the district had operated without public scrutiny for many years and that it can be uncomfortable to have the curtain pulled back and receive criticism. Some in our community have even been offended by our efforts. Public education, however, is a service to the community, paid for by taxpayers. Therefore the school is a servant, not the master, and should be able to operate with humility and correction when necessary.

    The School Board has not represented the community. Rather, it has acted merely as an advocate for the school. The Board should intelligently consider the entire Loveland community represented in three different counties and several socio-economic neighborhoods. The Board’s decisions impact the whole community and should not be overwhelmingly influenced by “in-house” thinking. The VOICE and numerous individual citizens suggest that, moving forward, the Board seriously consider alternatives to constantly choosing PERMANENT property taxes. The burden on senior citizens, long-term residents and low-income families is destructive and pushes people deeper into poverty or out of the community. Moreover, the rising property tax burden does not maintain property values more than it simply discourages all but higher income earners from purchasing homes in our community. Pushing an older generation or middle class taxpayers out to make room for young families who will bring more money is not a healthy or unifying way to build a community. The current path is unsustainable, as has been repeated by businessmen and other ordinary citizens since 2020. We do not want to constantly reside in a victim status created by H.B.920, and we need to take the time to consider the alternatives and change the status quo.

    The VOICE has been mocked for its themes of trust and transparency, and yet getting simple answers for simple questions, like what is the true number of teachers and why a lower number was used for a live levy session, has been virtually impossible. To understand real budget numbers, numerous questions must be asked, resulting in accusations that individuals are using up district time and resources. When the contingency fee was explained at a board meeting, it created confusion about where the money came from and how the bucket was to be refilled. The district clearly avoided directly addressing the issue several times when clarification was sought. Citizens must be able to understand how and why their money is being spent in a clear, not obfuscated or cherry-picked, fashion. Please don’t announce that you will have to cut 50 teachers if the levy fails and then, after the levy fails, announce that no decisions have been made about future funding requests or budget cuts. We have good, honest people in our community. Please don’t sell us a levy with fear. Please give us the whole truth so we can be informed and make up our own minds. It is our money, and they are our kids, not yours. Please don’t resist transparency — proactive transparency builds trust. You do not build trust by talking at people. Has the greater community ever been invited to engage in a discussion where the conversation was not directed by the school?

    Please consider curbing expenditures in a time of economic hardship. There are many ways we can think of to trim the budget before cuts are even considered. Before approving the next budget forecast in November please remove from the budget the amounts that were added in anticipation of passing a levy. Strip the budget of money for potential new teachers or possible bus drivers, and put the contingency fee money back into the baseline cash balance. Please justify your expenditures instead of vaguely claiming that you need money to “maintain educational programming”. This purposely leaves it to the public to fill in the blank. If you are putting a levy on the ballot, every dollar you are asking for should be accounted for publicly. Please don’t hold on to our money for us, promising not to spend it until you need to, when we might need that money right now for our families and our own basic living expenses.

    We kept hearing the message that things were changing, but it seems that things continue to be done as they were in the past. This community infighting was created by you, the Board. It pits neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend. It is unnecessary! We all want what is best for the community and what is best for the schools. It took years to get us to this point of “bridge failure”, and it will take time to repair the damage. You alone have been entrusted with the power and responsibility to solve this problem. Make the decisions necessary to fix the budget and reduce the excessive spending that is so obvious to many of us. Pushing this off until another permanent levy finally passes will not fix anything. The fighting will still be there, and the community will pay the price. Take responsibility. The fix is NOT cutting services, it is proper budgeting and spending. It is time to change how we do things because we cannot afford to keep repeating past mistakes. Whether levies pass or fail, we must all return to living together in the same community. We would like to believe our Board has the will and courage to do hard things, to actively listen to dissenters, and to bring unity out of the division we have experienced in Loveland.

    Sincerely,

    Loveland VOICE (Voter Oversight, Interest and Concern for Education)

  • School Superintendant releases video statement about levy defeat

    School Superintendant releases video statement about levy defeat

    Loveland, Ohio – Mike Broadwater, the Superintendent of the Loveland City School District has released this video statement about the defeat yesterday of the operating levy.

    You can communicate with Broadwater via email: broadwmi@lovelandschools.org

    [Updated] 2022 Loveland Area Mid-Term Election Results

    David Miller – Nov 9, 2022

  • Board of Education to consider Operating Levy on Tuesday

    Board of Education to consider Operating Levy on Tuesday

    Loveland, Ohio – A “Special Meeting” of the Loveland City School District Board Of Education will be held in the LIS/LMS Media Center at 757 South Lebanon Road on Tuesday August 2 at 6 PM. Among the agenda items that will be discussed is placing a 4.90 Mill levy on the ballot for the General Election on November 8.

    Background

    Loveland School Board approves first step to place operating levy on Fall ballot

    MORE:

    Also on the agenda is a discussion of accepting a territory transfer from the Little Miami School District, accepting financial reports, acting on an updated Exempt Employee Handbook, and acting on employment recommendations.

    In accordance with Policy 0169.1, public participation may be permitted at scheduled business meetings of the Board. “Hearing of the Public” will be included on the agenda of this meeting.

    The draft agenda:

  • Special School Board meeting tomorrow – Vote scheduled on Operating Levy

    Special School Board meeting tomorrow – Vote scheduled on Operating Levy

    NOTICE FROM THE LOVELAND SCHOOL DISTRICT:

    “Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Tuesday, June 14, 2022 business meeting of the Loveland City School District Board of Education has been canceled. The new meeting date is Thursday, June 16, 2022, at 6 pm in the Loveland Intermediate School Media Center.”

    Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland Board of Education announced at its March 22 Regular Session that it would have a Special Meeting on June 14, at 6 PM in the Loveland Middle/Intermediate School Media Center.

    The agenda for this rescheduled regular meeting is available on BoardDocs.

    The Board may authorize a Resolution of Necessity to Request Hamilton County Auditor Certification of projected Revenues for a 4.90 Mill Levy for the General Election on November 8.

    Here is the resolution the Board will consider:

  • BOE adopts two new meeting policies

    BOE adopts two new meeting policies

    Loveland, Ohio – During the COVID-19 pandemic, Loveland City School District (LCSD) Board of Education meetings have been live-streamed to provide public viewing. The Board is not meeting in person, instead, they are using the “Zoom” App and putting their meetings on YouTube. At their

    Meet the 2 New School Board Members Dougherty and Schwetschenau

    last meeting on June 2, a decision was made to leave the videos on-line, instead of deleting them from further public viewing when the meeting is over.

    Also, at the meeting, they discussed how the public could again participate in their “Business” meetings and restoring the public participation portion of the meeting that is usually on the agenda.

    In a press release issued by the District on June 12, it stated, “The Board is committed to hearing from the public and continues to welcome input through email.”

    While meetings are not open for the public to attend, the Board requests that you email your input to the Board of Education at board@lovelandschools.org.

    The Board must have received your email by 4 PM on the date of the meeting if you wish to have it read at the beginning of the meeting, and you must indicate that you wish to have the statement read aloud.

    Guidelines

    Your statement should not be longer than three minutes, should not reference names of employees or students of the district, and should not include any offensive comments or language.

    Statements will be read in the order in which they are received, for a total of no more than 30 minutes. All statements will be available to all Board of Education members and those not fitting within the 30-minute limitation will be noted as having been received. All members of the public submitting statements will have their names recorded in the public participation section of the minutes of the meeting.

    The next business meeting of the Board of Education is scheduled for Tuesday, June 23.

    A link to the live stream of the meeting, along with the agenda will be published at https://go.boarddocs.com/oh/love/Board.nsf/Public ahead of the meeting. The agenda has not yet been published.

  • To the class with 2020 vision… we made it!

    To the class with 2020 vision… we made it!

    Mihaela Manova is now a Loveland High School Graduate. She joined Loveland Magazine as an Intern in September of 2019 and was soon promoted to be the Editor for our “Covering Climate Now” series. She will study journalism at Miami University.

    Here is Loveland High School’s 2020 Graduation (my graduation) in photos and videos – you can experience the whole 11-hour day!

    By: Mihaela Manova

     

    Welcome by Olivia VonDeylen

     

    Carson Sarver Class President

     

    Senior Choir members perform Irish Blessing

     

    Sophia Dillhoff Salutatorian

     

    Ashley George Valedictory Address

     

    National Anthem Tribute by Chamber Orchestra and Show Choirs

     

    Principal Peggy Johnson

     

    Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse and School Board President Kathy Lorenz

     

    Each student receiving their diploma

    Below is the entire video of the LHS Graduation that was produced by the school.

    To see each graduate cross the stage drag the slider to the 28:52 minute mark.

    The entire video of the Commencement exercise 

    Also read these stories about the Class with 2020 Vision…

    [Video] LHS’s Class of 2020 Celebrated in a Moving Assembly Through…

    The awards, honors, and scholarships for the LHS Class of 2020

    Aerial video greeting from Loveland Schools bus drivers to Class of…

    Introducing the honors awarded the LHS Class of 2020

    LHS Principal Peggy Johnson to Class of 2020: You are the…

    A video message from LHS Senior William Heard about his $socks4homeless2020…

  • [Video] Pay to Play/Participate fee increases and next levy discussed by BOE

    [Video] Pay to Play/Participate fee increases and next levy discussed by BOE

    Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland School District Board of Education met via Zoom/YouTube on Tuesday, June 2 to revisit the 2020-21 Commitments to the District Vision, the Portrait of a Tiger, the five-year financial forecast, and levy cycle scenarios. They also discussed possible Pay to Play/Participate fee increases.

    View the five-year forecast HERE.

    During the live District broadcast of the meeting, possible new operating levy scenarios were discussed by the Board and staff, but the documents they were reading from were not available to the public.

    The documents can now be view here because of a public record request made by Loveland Magazine.

    To view these documents (seen below the video) as a larger image and in a correct visual orientation, you can “Right Click” each to open in a new tab. You can also view the document file here as the .pdf the District provided. Levy Scenarios

    Treasurer Kevin Hawley presents the different levy scenarios at the 53:54 minute mark of the video.

    Possible Pay to Play/Participate fee increases is discussed at the 30:21 minute mark of the video.

     

    To view the Treasure’s discussion of the Five Year Forecast at the May 28 Board of Education meeting watch the video below.

    If you believe the time and effort involved in reporting this type of news is valuable to your life as a resident of the Loveland community, please support and reward our efforts.

    Your reward is knowing you are helping keep your fellow residents informed about the Loveland Schools, a subject of incalculable interest to you as a taxpayer, our teachers, and of course our children.

    Checks can be sent to Loveland Magazine:

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