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Athletes commit to colleges
SYMMES TOWNSHIP, OHIO NEWS – Seven women athletes were honored at Loveland High School on February 7. The Loveland seniors will be committing to play interscholastic athletics at the college level. High School Athletic Director Jeff Zidron said, “For all, this is both the end of a long process and the beginning of a new adventure. Everyone of these athletes have been competing across multiple sports for over 10 years. The number of car pools, practices, weekends, the emotional high and lows and the shear volume of practices, games and events they have been part of is astonishing.”
Addressing the student's parents in attendance, Zidron said, “To parents, this is an end of literally years of sacrifice and enjoyment. It is also the start of a level of competition your young athletes have been preparing for their entire lives.” Zidron said he hopes that the Loveland Athletic program has aided in their preparation both physically and emotional for the upcoming challenge.
Zidron told the women to remember “Tiger Pride” and you will be successful.
In the photo, from left to right:
CLERMONT COUNTY, OHIO NEWS - On February 28 in the parking lot of Mercy Hospital, hospital staff, the Clermont County General Health District, the Clermont County Engineer’s Office, and the Clermont Emergency Management Agency set up a mobile field hospital.
“From the time we are notified there is a health emergency, it takes roughly six hours to put up the 30 bed mobile field hospital that we have in place today,” said Clermont Health Commissioner Marty Lambert. “This type of an exercise enables us to familiarize our volunteers with the equipment they will need should a real health crisis or emergency situation occur.”
“This type of an exercise helps us test our emergency plans,” added assistant Clermont Health Commissioner Julianne Nesbit. “Things can look good on paper, but by testing that out we can determine if we need to make modifications in our emergency plans.”
The Alternative Care Center utilized during this drill is part of a 210 bed mobile field hospital that was purchased by the Southwest Ohio Public Health region. Care centers, like this one, have been used in disaster response efforts such as Hurricane Katrina; the mobile centers can provide triage and acute care, as well as provide hospitals with extra beds, critically needed in emergency situations.
“During this exercise, the Clermont Engineer’s Office has provided invaluable assistance,” said Lambert. “Their expertise in putting shelters up quickly and skillfully will be a real asset should a real life emergency occur. I am thrilled with how well this exercise was carried out today.
LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS – You too can “Send a Flock Send a Flock of Flamingos” to help raise funds for the Loveland High School Afterprom. For a $10 donation, the Loveland High School Afterprom committee will “flock your friend or neighbor’s front yard.” A flock of Plastic Pink Flamingos will anonymously land on the lawn of your choice sometime between February 25 and March 20, and remain there for 24 hours.” The committee is hoping that your “flocked friends” will also help Afterprom by donating a $20 “removal fee” and sending the flock on to another yard.
To send a flock of flamingos to a Loveland friend or neighbor, all you have to do is Download flockingform.pdf (also available at the Afterprom website) and mail along with your donation of $10 or more.
Afterprom is a drug and alcohol-free evening/overnight provided for Loveland juniors and seniorsFlamingo regardless of whether or not they attend the Prom. The celebration is meant to provide a safe and fun alternative to other, less desirable after prom activities. In order to provide this event for our high school students, the committee relies on fund raisers and donations.
If you would like to volunteer or would like more information about After Prom, please visit their website at www.lovelandpta.org/afterprom or contact the committee chair, Sara Dyer, at 697-9744.
LOVELAND ART SHOW
A juried show for the sale and display of fine quality original art and distinctive crafts.
Sponsored by the Arts & Cultural Council of Greater Loveland
WHEN: Sunday, September 7, 2008
WHERE: Nisbet Park, Loveland Ohio
WHO: Artists working in all media - original work only
HOW: Go to http://www.all4art.info to download a .pdf of the entry instructions and form. We will be mailing information to artists on our list on March 1. If you need a form or have questions - CALL: Ginny 513-683-1696 or Mary 513-722-9780
DEADLINE: Application must be postmarked by April 30, 2008
Urge Congress to stop "Drive-Through" Mastectomies!
"Desperate Housewives" star Marcia Cross joined Lifetime Senator Landrieu (D-LA) and Representatives DeLauro (D-CT) and Moran (R-KS), at a Capitol Hill press conference on Wednesday, January 23, to give voice to the 20 million signatures collected on myLifetime.com urging Congress to end the practice of “drive-through” mastectomies, when women are forced to leave the hospital following their physically and emotionally difficult breast cancer surgeries before they and their doctors may feel they are ready to go home.
Senator Landrieu and Representatives DeLauro and Moran are championing the bipartisan Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2007 (S.459/H.R 758), which includes no mandates but allows a woman and her doctor to decide if she is best off going home or staying in the hospital for at least 48 hours after having a mastectomy.
LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS – Loveland Magazine sent a list of questions to Loveland School Superintendent Dr. Kevin Boys and to Walter Golladay about the proposed 8.5 mill operating levy that will be on the March ballot. Golladay represents Loveland CSD Residents for Fair Taxes, who are opposed to the tax issue. Both were asked to reply to the initial set of questions, then after the initial answers were published, each side would be allowed a rebuttal response that would be published a week later.
Dr. Boys' initial answers are printed below. Golladay responded by saying, “After thoroughly reviewing the questions and recent articles on your website, we have decided to pass on this questionnaire.”
What will the Levy money provide for the School District?
The levy will generate 6.3 million dollars in revenue to allow the district to continue the present instructional program, maintain current class sizes, and accommodate the anticipated enrollment increase of 300 new students in the next four years. The district is committed to continuous improvement in our instructional program, however, any new programs would need to be funded by corresponding reductions in other programs or areas.
What happens if the Levy doesn't pass on March 4?
During this school year, the district’s current expenses are 1.7 million dollars more than our revenue. This is typical in the latter years of a levy cycle for most school districts in Ohio. The district funds this difference through its cash balance from previous years. Next year, this amount increases to a 3.5 million dollar imbalance with less than 30 days of operating cash remaining at the end of the next budget year.
Without additional revenue, the Board of Education has only one choice and that is to reduce costs. Since the largest portion of any school district’s budget goes to personnel costs, reductions of this magnitude must come from the personnel budget. That means reducing the numbers of teachers, administrators, bus drivers, and other employees that provide the services required in any public school.
What does that mean to students and parents?
It ultimately translates into larger class sizes, less individual attention, fewer course offerings, more crowded buses or reduced transportation.
One other possibility is to look for ways to increase revenue. Increased student fees for instructional materials or participation in activities is something most districts need to consider when balancing a budget. The district has not determined a set list of reductions. It has taken a positive approach in explaining the need for this levy and its importance to the community. In the end, we trust that our community will decide to keep our schools heading in a positive direction.
If the Levy passes, what will be the impact to individuals, families, and students?
Our community will continue to enjoy the benefits associated with having strong public schools. People relocating to Cincinnati are often directed to schools like Loveland, Madeira, Mariemont, Mason, Sycamore and Wyoming. This reputation affects home values, resale, and community pride for all residents. For the students and families in our schools, they will continue to have class sizes of approximately 25 students in grades K through 6 and under 30 in most classes in the upper grades. We will be able to continue to offer a competitive high school curriculum that prepares our students for the most selective colleges and universities. Our schools will continue to attract highly-qualified staff when vacancies arise.
Property taxes are reduced by Homestead Exemptions. Who receives a tax reduction through this program? Will those who are eligible for the Homestead Exemption also receive a reduction in the proposed property tax on the March 4 ballot?
Real Estate Property Tax Rollback and Homestead Exemptions are forms of property tax relief.
The 10% rollback applies to non-business property, defined by state law to include all uses of property except farming; leasing property for farming; occupying or holding property improved with single-family, two-family, or three-family dwellings; or holding vacant land that the county auditor determines will be used for farming or to develop single-family, two-family, or three-family dwellings.
The County Auditor's office also administers the 2 1/2% Property Tax Reduction Law for residential and agricultural parcels on which there is a home site occupied by the owner.
In addition, the Homestead Exemption is open to any Ohio homeowner who currently lives in their home including manufactured homes, and that home is their primary residence, who:
Manufactured homes are also included in this Homestead Program. Eligible homeowners are able to shield $25,000 worth of the market value of their home from local property taxes. (Applications are available at the County Auditor's Office.) Source: County Auditors’ Association of Ohio.
Have you ever lobbied the Statehouse for changes in the way school districts are funded? Please give specific examples of communication, proposals you have supported, or proposals you have lobbied against.
The Superintendent and Board of Education have actively participated in lobbying efforts that promote additional funding for Loveland Schools and for a constitutional amendment that promotes the funding of a high-quality education for all of Ohio’s children and young people. Examples follow:
- On April 24, 2006, the Loveland Board of Education hosted a meeting with our area’s representatives. Attending on this evening were Senators Tom Niehaus and Bob Schuler, and Representatives Michelle Schneider and Joe Uecker. The purpose of the meeting was to share the effect of HB66, the budget bill passed the previous spring, on the Loveland School District. This was the first budget in which the district was places on the “guarantee” rather than receiving funding on a per-pupil basis. We also discussed how important it was for the legislature to avoid future legislation that was unfunded, or under-funded.
- In September of 2006, Dr. Boys wrote to our Senators to express support and concerns with the Governor’s proposed CORE curriculum bill. In it he wrote: “Finally, as much as I applaud the intent of this bill, I implore you to reject it in its entirety, unless it is fully funded in accordance with a comprehensive cost-impact study. When you met with the Loveland Board of Education last year, we asked that you refrain from passing any additional requirements on local schools without fully funding the requirements. You will hear, as I have heard, that HB565/SB311 will not require additional staff or budget for the local school districts since it will simply realign the kinds of courses that students are taking. If passed without full funding, you will be putting local school boards in the position of eliminating popular and beneficial programs so that students can meet a new state requirement. These are programs that often are very important to the students and parents who reside in your district. Ironically the majority of the students in your district may already be meeting and exceeding the requirements of the core curriculum.”
- As a new biennium budget was being crafted in the spring of 2007, Loveland joined other high-growth districts in personally lobbying the Senate Finance Committee to consider a provision to fund high growth districts for every student beyond 50 new students. The lobbying effort included a post card campaign from district parents, a visible presence of Loveland parents and administration at a Senate Finance Committee meeting, and follow-up correspondence and meetings.
- Dr. Boys wrote the following after the day at the Statehouse: “In spite of the perception that our community can afford to pay a larger proportion of the costs, our community is already taxed far beyond the 23 mill charge-off. I take no pride in Loveland City Schools having one of the highest tax rates in Hamilton County. I do take pride in the excellent results we are able to achieve with a per pupil expenditure that is below the state average. Your support will make a significant difference in the operation of Loveland Schools. We are counting on the Senate to correct an oversight in the Governor’s and House of Representative’s budgets.”
- The Loveland Board of Education realizes that a legislative solution to Ohio’s funding dilemma seems to be unlikely. It formally adopted a resolution in support of the Education Amendment, a proposed constitutional amendment that is designed fix the inadequacies of Ohio’s current funding system. The Superintendent has encouraged parent and staff involvement in gathering signatures for this initiative. At last count, the effort was past the half-way point of gathering the required 410,000 signatures required to place the issue on the ballot.
- Realizing that Loveland is one lone voice in the midst of many in the fight for state dollars, it has joined the Alliance for Adequate School Funding to join with similar districts in a shared concern that the legislature remembers suburban, excellent school districts in its budget deliberations.
What does the Excellent rating mean to the community and students?
The State of Ohio instituted the rating system as a way to provide a measure of accountability for school districts. Loveland Schools have received the state’s highest rating for seven consecutive years. Since its inception the rating system has focused primarily on student performance on academic proficiency tests, or in recent years, achievement tests.
Although many disagree with the emphasis on test results, it has led schools to being much more deliberate in curriculum planning, instruction, and regular measurement of student learning. It has brought more of a data-driven approach to helping young people learn that which they need to know. Of course, a major focus of the K-12 school experience is to prepare students for a future of life-time learning. An excellent rated school district means something to college admissions personnel. Colleges know that Loveland students are well prepared for college work and seldom need the remediation that we hear about from colleges and universities. To a community, an excellent rating brings pride. It attracts new residents. Ask someone who recently relocated to Loveland…what drew their attention to the community? Did the school’s excellent rating have any bearing on their decision?
Of course, everything can not be boiled down to a number or a rating. Excellence is so much more than a rating on a local report card. It is evidenced in the care with which the kindergarten teacher nurtures and teaches the youngest of our students. You see it in teachers with 1 to 40 years of experience who never tire of learning new ways of teaching and making their subject come alive for students. You can see it in the individual accomplishments of students in the arts, athletics, and academics. You find instances in the many ways that parents choose to become involved in making schools a better place for our children. You hear it in the voice of students when you ask, “How was school today?” and they say “GREAT.” We know it when we see it and aspire to it when we fall short of it.
Enrollment in the District has increased 13% since the last levy was passed in 2004, and an estimated 300 additional students will be enrolled in the next four years. Given that funding from state and federal sources has been fixed at a guaranteed amount regardless of student growth, without additional money how do you propose to pay for additional enrollment?
The only way to pay for the additional enrollment is to ask our community for continued support, or assimilate the growth by allowing class sizes to increase beyond what we see as acceptable, not even ideal, class sizes.
Does the issue of the former Treasurer effect the need for additional operating money?
Absolutely not. This levy has been projected since the 2004 levy. This projection has been shared with the community often since that time.
Can you explain to voters the Bond millage drop?
Property owners will receive a reduction in their taxes reflected first in their January 2009 tax bill. The reason for this reduction has to do with the way the debt payment schedule was structured. By paying more principle and interest in the early years, and after growth in the property tax base throughout the community in recent years, the Board structured a significant reduction in the debt payment schedule beginning in 2009. In short, less tax money will need to be generated in order to make this debt payment. How much less? A conservative estimate provided by our Bond Underwriter, 5/3 Bank estimates that millage drop-off to be around 3.5 mills, or $120 less per $100,000 of assessed value. By planning this millage drop, the Board hoped to soften the effect of an anticipated tax levy in 2008. You could look at it as having a net effect of a 5 mill levy, or having the net effect of an additional $140 per $100,000 of valuation.
What is the opposing side saying about the proposed levy that you feel is not entirely accurate?
Many levy proponents have questioned the accuracy of the large signs opposing the levy. Two articles recently appearing in the Loveland Herald seem to capture the essence of those who support the school levy: Read here, and here.
Our levy committee under the leadership of Al Osgood has been working very hard to run a positive campaign and get the message out that we have achieved high results and have done so efficiently at a cost per pupil less than the state average. The campaign, funded entirely by contributions from citizens, also has a website that has more information about the issue.
LOVELAND, OHIO NEWS – The Loveland Tigers mens basketball team will face off against the number two team in the area on Sunday at 3:45 at Xavier University's Cintas Center. The Tigers defeated Mason 44-37 and St. Xavier defeated Kings 64 40 on Friday night setting the stage for the Regional final.
Loveland (14-8) was behind Mason most of the low scoring game, only taking the lead late in the final minutes, forcing Mason to take desperate fouls to put Loveland at the line; increasing their lead at the end.
Junior Brian Wozniak had a game high 14, with and Junior Bobby Capobianco scoring 9. Senior Chris Williams ended the game contributing 8, and Junior Chris Stahl scored 7 points.
Wozniak (6-foot-5) scored 8 of his points in the fourth quarter, including two, 3-pointers. His first from 3-point range put Loveland within 1, his second, after the 190-pound forward moved out front to handle the ball and control the offense, gave Loveland a lead they never relinquished.
St. Xavier is now 13-2, with their only loses coming against city leader, Moller. The winner on Sunday between Loveland and St. Xavier will enter the University of Dayton Lower (2) Bracket on Friday, February 29 at 6: PM.
The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County has compiled an extensive list of election resources for local voters It's a virtual "When, Where, and How" about the March 4 election. How to request an absentee ballot, a link to all of the local Election Boards, tips for voters in english and spanish, directories of all local contests from the League of Women Voters, resources for children, and more..........
If you live in Hamilton County you can go to this web site, type in your address, and view your ballot.
Ohio primary ballots lack the word president by Joe Guillen Plain Dealer Reporter
Ohio voters are sure to have a big say in picking the presidential nominees. But you can't tell by looking at the ballots for the March 4 primary.
Read on... : Ohio primary ballots lack the word president' - cleveland.com.
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