by Al Osgood, Jr.

The November 2019 election is over and the community obviously didn’t support the Loveland City School District’s long term master plan of new buildings, new property, etc.  That’s history now.

Al Osgood, Jr. is a resident of the Loveland School District and lives in Miami Township

Based on the community feedback, the Loveland City School District is now asking for just the opposite end of the spectrum – a bare bones request to maintain current operations less $2.7 million in current spending reductions that are already being implemented.  This is the 6.95 mill request on the March 17th ballot.

Failure of a bare bones request in March will have monumental implications for our schools and our community.  Before casting a NO vote, please think twice about the following:

  • It has been six years since the last tax increase for the schools.  We can’t expect strong schools if we don’t support a reasonable increase after six years. We can’t penalize the schools because the state of Ohio school funding is flawed and has been ruled unconstitutional.
  • The failure of a bare bones request will most certainly negatively impact our community and our property values.  We can look to neighboring communities like Little Miami to learn how failed levies impact property values and how long it takes for them to recover.
  • The District has been transparent about what happens if the March levy fails.  The firing of 25 staff, increased class size, elimination of high school busing just to name a few.  None of these are positives for our community, our schools, or our students. We can’t let that happen.
  • The firing of 25 staff will have a tremendous negative impact on the programming and education that our students receive.  We can’t let that happen.
  • Continued levy failures will encourage our amazing teachers to go elsewhere just making matters worse.  We can’t let that happen.  How many years would it take to redevelop that dedication and expertise?
  • Please don’t rationalize that “well, they will just come back in November with less”.  March is less and November is ugly with negative changes between now and then that will take years to reverse.

Before voting no, please think twice.

Before voting no, please think twice that this is a very different request than the previous request and seriously consider the major negative impact that continued levy failures will have on our community, our students, and our property values. As a community, are we really ready to go down the path of continued levy failures? For $243 per year per $100,000 of appraised home value, after no increases for six years, I certainly hope not. Please vote YES on March 17th to protect our community, our schools, our students and our property values. It will be well worth the investment.

7 COMMENTS

  1. Thanks for caring about our students and our schools. We all want the children in our city to know we care about them deeply. We all want to help them grow into their full potential.

  2. Why give more good money to the same group that had no realm of reality with the November levy. A complete overhaul of Loveland leadership is needed to move forward. Fiscal responsibility under new leadership is desperately needed. Wonder if the BOE wishes they had the money spent on consultants to push their agenda forward. The wasted money on trying to buy land that wasn’t needed.

    What happened to the dooms day scenario of buildings will fall do to lack of repair? Packed classrooms and kids being taught in parking lots? For an enrollment that is flat and hasn’t gone up!

    This levy has new tatics. Hs busing? How many hs kids ride the bus? Private school busing?! Really? We all pay a levy for parents who can pay for the high Loveland taxes AND afford to spend 10-20k more for a private school! Come one? Parents pay a little more for their kids to participate in art, sports and music? Property value decrease. This always the best one. How about when someone looks at a house and sees the increase tax bill added to a mortgage? No way property value goes down if the fear tactics are in place.

    No clear plan, no trust, wasted money, fiscal responsibility opportunities lost over the years, need new leadership.

    No. No. No. all day!

  3. Why give more good money to the same leaders who thought had the lack of reality with the November levy?! The waste in spending from consultants to an agenda passed? Money wasted on trying to buy land that is not needed? What happened to the dooms day scenario of buildings will fall, kids will be taught in parking lots because of the packed classrooms? The enrollment hasn’t gone up!

    Now the fear spreading is high school busing? How many hs kids ride the bus? Busing for private school kids? Parents that pay the overpriced property taxes in Loveland and can afford to send kids to a private school?! Parents that want to participate have to pay more for sports, art and music? They have listed 25 positions cut? Who? Which ones? If you know the number, be transparent on who is being cut.

    These are the extra items that everyone’s tax bill should go up?

    To move forward a total overhaul of Loveland school leadership is needed.

    No all day!

  4. Why give good money to same group who thought it was reasonable to have such an outrageous levy in November. The thought process alone that a group would think a community would add such an increase to an already high tax bill is beyond comprehension. The only way to build trust of fiscal responsibility is with a complete leadership overhaul. What happened to the fear spread by not passing the November levy, schools will fall down, kids will be taught in parking lots, mass exodus of teachers, etc. Now the fishing expedition to insight fear with this levy. High school busing? How many high school kids ride the bus? Private school busing? Really? Having the parents who participate in art, music and sports pay more? These all sound like extra channels on cable that majority of Loveland citizens can’t justify a permanent levy. Sounds like the difference isn’t that impactful to me. Get new leadership, make the cuts needed, and come back with a better plan. No all day!

  5. No trust from the same group that in November asked for such an outrageous levy. Fiscal responsibility is what is needed. The trust from anew administration is what is need to change before any levy will be passed. You cannot allow more good money be wasted. What is odd is the dooms day scenario if the November levy failed. Sounded like buildings were going to fall down, kids would be taught in parking lots, etc. Now, they just come back asking for something different. No clear plan or direction. The areas impacted, high school bussing? How many hs kids ride the bus, I am ok that we don’t provide bus services for private school kids. Let the parents pay for sports, music, and art. To me this is extra stuff the majority will not support paying more for in a permanent levy. Three taxes are insanely high already. No all day!

  6. Heck no! and let me tell you why. Do my math.
    Majority of us on fixed income $20,000 or less and you want us to pay $3,000 a year.
    I do not have kids and let me mention the EMPTY school buses(3) wakes us up every morning.
    You pay for your own kids like a private school if you feel that strongly.
    You mentioned school money flawed…think mirror

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