Loveland City Schools Newsletter

Loveland Tiger Community,

The Ohio General Assembly is working on the state budget to determine state spending for the next two years. Governor Mike DeWine’s budget proposal would cut funding for Loveland City Schools and many other public school districts. Over our Five-Year Forecast, our district would receive $2.5 million less in state funding.

Our community has asked district leadership to advocate for solutions to our state funding challenges. We created a State School Funding Committee last year, hoping to increase state funding for Loveland - instead, we’re in a battle to avoid devastating state funding cuts. The good news is that we have a plan, and we’ve made it easy for you to help.

We have launched a page on our website at lovelandschools.org/lobby. There, you’ll find our three funding requests from state lawmakers:

• Protect the “Guarantee”

• Fully Implement the Fair School Funding Plan

• Increase the State Share Minimum to 20%

These requests would prevent funding cuts for Loveland City School District and build a foundation for a better funding system.

We’re asking our community to share our requests with state lawmakers. On the site, you’ll find contact information for Ohio lawmakers so you can email, call, and send letters. Treasurer John Espy and I, along with the Board of Education, have been talking to lawmakers. They are hearing our message, but we need support from our community, too.

Join us for a Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, April 16, at 6 pm at Loveland Middle School. We’ll provide more information about our funding requests and update you on the state budget process.

If you have questions, you can email me at mikebroadwater@lovelandschools.org.

Go Tigers!

Mike Broadwater

Superintendent

Loveland City Schools

Loveland Tiger Community,

Last month, Superintendent Mike Broadwater, myself, and Board Vice President Lynn Mangan spent a full day in Columbus lobbying for funding for our district. We were able to meet and discuss LCS funding with Senators Louis Blessing and Terry Johnson, along with Representatives Jean Schmidt, Karen Brownlee, Adam Bird, and an aide for Representative Teska’s office. Lawmakers received data demonstrating that Loveland City School District is accomplishing above-average results at a below-average cost to taxpayers. This visit was part of the district’s effort to advocate for solutions to state funding challenges.

It was also my distinct honor to provide testimony on behalf of Loveland City Schools before the House Finance Committee on March 12. I outlined the negative impact that Governor DeWine's budget proposal would have on funding for our district. Watch my testimony here at the 42-minute mark. A link to my written statement that includes my full testimony to the House Finance Committee can be found HERE.

I want to thank the numerous community members that are telling Loveland City Schools’ story and advocating for Fair School Funding in the State of Ohio. Keep up the great work!

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at espyjo@lovelandschools.org.

Go Tigers!

John Espy

Treasurer/CFO

Loveland City Schools

Listening to our community allows us to learn and grow while building relationships with families and community members. Our Community Advisory Team (CAT) is an important part of that effort. The CAT serves as a bridge between our community and district leadership.

We have four meetings planned for the 2025-26 school year:

• October 15, 2025, at 6 pm

• November 12, 2025, at 6 pm

• February 11, 2026, at 6 pm

• March 11, 2026, at 6 pm

Meetings will last about an hour and include presentations, discussion, and feedback. The Community Advisory Team is open to any Loveland City School District resident. If you are interested in joining the CAT, please apply by following this link to a brief Google form. Please apply by April 30, 2025. If you have any questions, contact our Director of Communication and Community Engagement, Andrew Setters, at setteran@lovelandschools.org.

Last month, Loveland Middle School eighth grade students were able to visit the Holocaust & Humanity Center. The field trips were done in teams to allow students to have more of a small-group experience. Students and teachers had the opportunity to hear a presentation by Steve Coppel, the son of two Holocaust survivors, including his father, Werner Coppel. Steve was able to share the same message that his father shared as he spoke to students, sharing his experience, for more than 35 years. In addition, teams were taken on guided tours by HHC staff members, during which students were encouraged to reflect on how they could use their individual gifts to be “upstanders” and do the right thing in their daily lives. For the second straight year, this trip was made possible through a generous grant offered by the HCC.