On Tuesday, May 2nd, the citizens of Loveland voted to pass the much-discussed tax levy. This levy was for 4.9 mils, allocating money that the district needs to keep up with inflation and maintain its current programs. While there are many strong opinions on both sides of the issue, the levy was able to pass, allowing for Loveland City School District to maintain its current standard of excellence.
With a 5-star report card in all categories, Loveland City School District is recognized as one of the best school districts in the region. The district enables students for success through a wide variety of course offerings and many nationally known extracurriculars, including Show Choir and Robotics, which were able to attend their programs’ National Championships in 2022 due to their immense success. To continue to enable students to succeed, the district proposed a tax levy to allow Loveland to receive the funding it needs.
This levy would add $172 per $100,000 of appraised home value to property taxes annually permanently. This is significantly less than the district’s 2019 levy attempt, which asked for $587.30 per $100,000 of appraised home value. This year’s levy was seen by Loveland’s taxpayers as more palatable, as it would only raise taxes to account for inflation, allowing the district to maintain its standard of excellence.
According to WLWT News 5 Cincinnati, those voting for the levy were able to garner 56% of the votes, while those against the levy received only 44%. While this was a close election, this stands in stark contrast to the district’s 2019 levy, which resulted in 78% of voters voting against it and only 22% voting in favor of it. After the failure of that levy, the district proposed another levy in the fall of 2022, but 52% of voters voted against the levy and 48% voted for it, leaving it to fail.
With the failure of the last three levies in recent memory, the Loveland City School District community made an extra effort to educate the community and to get out the vote. To educate the community, Loveland City School District’s Board of Education hosted a meeting on Tuesday, April 25th to talk about the need for a levy. On election day, the community’s enthusiasm could be seen at voting precincts across Loveland, with Loveland City School District Superintendent Mike Broadwater personally holding a sign on a street corner to advocate on behalf of the levy.
When asked how the passage of the levy will affect Loveland High School students, Broadwater told The Loveland Roar, “With the passage of the levy, high school students will continue to have the amazing opportunities currently offered. It is exciting to see our community support the various course options available at LHS and we will now be able to continue the excellence!”
As Loveland City School District prevails into the future, it will now be able to operate sustainably without having to make sacrifices. This will allow the students of Loveland to continue receiving a high-quality education without the need to potentially make cuts to advanced classes, teaching staff, extracurriculars, electives, and many other programs. Loveland’s future students will be able to enjoy the same opportunities that its current students have, allowing Loveland to stay a destination for parents and students.