A message from

Superintendent Mike Broadwater

By Chuck Gibson 

LOVELAND, OH (March 6, 2023)  – On Saturday, March 4th, the Loveland City School District (LCSD) released a Loveland City Schools Newsletter with the latest “Superintendents Message” from Mike Broadwater. 

Included in the message was THIS VIDEO LINK with Mike Broadwater sharing some “Levy Facts” and more on the Overview of State Financial Oversight for LCSD. 

Here is the full text of his message released Saturday, March 4, 2023: 

I have a request for each person who receives our Community Newsletter: please share it with one friend or neighbor, and encourage them to sign up. It is important to me that our entire community have information about our school district, and this newsletter helps us provide important information.

In the spirit of keeping our community informed, we have launched a Levy Information page on our website about the 4.9 mill operating levy that is on the ballot on May 2, 2023. I want everyone to have the information they need to make the best decision for their family on this important topic. You can reach the page at www.lovelandschools.org/levy.

The page gives an overview of the district’s financial history since the last levy was approved in 2014, including the cuts made after the 2020 levy failure, which continue to impact students. This levy will cost a homeowner an additional $14 per month, or $172 per year, for every $100,000 in county auditor appraised home value. There is a calculator on the site to help you crunch the numbers and links to the county auditor sites so you can find your home’s value.

If the levy is approved, not much will change for Loveland City Schools. We will continue our commitment to fiscal responsibility and use the funds to maintain our class sizes, student support, and course offerings.

If the levy fails and there is no additional funding approved this year, Loveland City School District would move into step one of the State of Ohio fiscal distress process. Each step of the fiscal distress process comes with more state oversight, deeper cuts to what we offer students, and fewer options for how to pull the district out of a difficult financial situation. I discussed the fiscal distress process during our most recent Board of Education meeting, and you can watch my presentation by following this link.

It has been nine years since our last school levy was approved by voters. During that time, the district’s costs have grown for staffing, services, supplies, and fuel. We are essentially operating on 2014 funding in a 2023 economy. This year the district is dipping into its savings to pay for expenses because of our rising costs.

Loveland produces fantastic outcomes for students and earned a 5-star Ohio School Report Card with some of the lowest per-student funding in Ohio. Our district runs incredibly efficiently, and our finances are an open book.

I hope every voter in our community takes the time to learn all they can about our district finances before they head to the polls.

If you have questions or want more information, you can reach me at: broadwmi@lovelandschools.org.