Loveland School Board Swears in two new Board Members

Kevin Dougherty and Dr. Eric Schwetschenau were sworn in at the May 28 Loveland Board of Education Business Meeting

NEWS RELEASE: Susanne Quigley, Chief Information Officer 

LOVELAND, OH (May 29, 2020) – At the Loveland City Schools Board of Education business meeting on Thursday, May 28, Treasurer/CFO Kevin Hawley conducted the oath of office for newly appointed board members Kevin Dougherty and Dr. Eric Schwetschenau. 

The board elected Michele Pettit to serve as Board Vice President for the remainder of the calendar year. Mr. Dougherty volunteered to serve on the Finance and Facility Committees; Dr. Schwetschenau on the Finance Committee.

The board approved teaching and administrative contracts for next fall. Charles Ogdan, principal at Loveland Middle School (LMS) since 2017, will assume the role of Director of Human Resources, effective August 1. Ogdan, who is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education (EdD) alongside his duties at Loveland, served as assistant principal and principal at Princeton High School after teaching at Sycamore High School for 10 years.

“I’m extremely excited about my transition and I look forward to continuing my personal and professional commitment to excellence for the Loveland community,” said Ogdan. “To have this opportunity in Loveland, my home town, makes this transition that much more meaningful.”

David Knapp, current Director of Technology and Innovation, will succeed Ogdan as principal at LMS. Knapp joined the district’s administrative team in 2014 to spearhead the efforts around the deployment of new technology and instructional innovation throughout Loveland Schools, a position that has been eliminated as part of the district budget cuts. Knapp has 12 years of education and leadership experience, holds multiple master’s degrees, and has served students and staff as a high school science teacher, instructional coach, and district administrator.

“The work and accomplishments at our middle school over the past few years – focusing on student achievement, creating a culture of collaboration, and impacting the overall student experience – has been truly amazing and I couldn’t be more excited and honored to join the LMS team,” he said.

Andrea Conner, currently serving as Director of Teaching and Learning, will transition to Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning. Conner, who has been an educator for more than 30 years, has assisted the district in developing and coordinating a robust college and career readiness program for sixth through 12th grade. Her work in college and career preparation has earned her recognition from the Ohio Senate, Ohio House of Representative, (then) Attorney General Mike DeWine, and the Clermont County Board of Commissioners. Conner has also supported the implementation of College Credit Plus coursework and the district’s Business Advisory Council. 

“I am truly honored to be serving the Loveland City School District as the Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning,” she said. “I’m excited to continue working with our excellent teachers, support staff, and administrative team to advance our students’ learning.”   

As part of the board’s approval of administrative contracts, current Loveland High School (LHS) Assistant Athletic Director Eric Fry will take on the role of Assistant Principal at LHS, a position vacated by a recent resignation. The position of Assistant Athletic Director will not be replaced at LHS as part of the district’s budget reductions.

The board also approved the May 2020 five-year financial forecast as presented by Treasurer Hawley. In summary, the forecast shows that the district has continued to decrease expenditures, both current and planned. Expenses are

anticipated to decrease by approximately $1M in FY2020 (July 2019 – June 2020) since the last forecast in February, 62% of which is due to reduced salaries and benefits. On the revenue side, unanticipated state funding cuts present challenges to the current budget and are anticipated to continue into 2021.

“We have a forecasted decrease in revenue of nearly $1.1M for the current fiscal year as compared to the updated forecast in February, and we are now also projecting a slightly higher decrease in revenue for fiscal year ’21 at $1.5M,” said Hawley. “Neither was anticipated earlier this year. As state revenue is cut significantly due to the decline in sales and income tax collections during the pandemic, the need for local financial support is increasingly apparent.”

The link to the virtual online Board of Education meeting Thursday, May 28, is no longer active.

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