Our Kids, Our School

11/07/2023

It’s Election Day! Polls are open from 6:30 am to 7:30 pm!

Vote today to SUPPORT our small town and CONTROL your cost over time. Our kids need us.

11/06/2023

Election Day is TOMORROW! We have shared many testimonials on this page filled with why our community members are voting yes for this levy. We are voting yes for our small town. We are voting yes for our children. We are voting yes for the generations to come.

Our children deserve a bright future, and supporting the school levy for a new building is a crucial step towards providing them with a SAFE and INSPIRED learning environment. Let's invest in their education and our community's growth! Let us know why you are voting YES FOR LUCAS in the comments!

11/04/2023

Your Vote Matters! We are looking forward to seeing everyone head to the polls to vote YES FOR Lucas! 🧡🖤

Last year the Lucas School Levy failed by less than 50 votes. This is just a reminder that your vote DOES matter. If you are unable to vote this upcoming Tuesday, please go out this weekend and cast your vote! Also, this would be a great opportunity for Lucas alumni who are home from college this weekend & still registered to vote in Lucas.

To vote in person this weekend go to the Richland County board of elections today 8-4 or tomorrow 1-5! 🐻

Thank you for ordering the banner from us this year, Our Kids, Our School !

11/01/2023

We are less than a week out from Election Day! Here's what the levy proposal will look like on the ballot. We know so many of you have already headed to the polls for early voting, and appreciate every vote for Lucas!

And please remember that the district is not asking for any more money now that property values have increased. The millage will decrease due to the new property valuations after Election Day. If you would like to calculate your estimated contribution, please head to wearelucascubs.com and use out calculator (with your 2022 value!).

Let us know if you have any questions!

10/26/2023

School looks different today than it did for most of us. A new building would be equipped with a better, safer learning environment for our students and teachers. It will be built for education in 2023 and beyond, with better technological scalability, improved security, and flexible class environments.

A vote for the Lucas levy will be a vote for the education of generations of children.

10/24/2023

40+ years ago I married my husband, who was raised in an agricultural family and I moved to Lucas. At the time, I never thought that my husband would be involved in farming, but circumstances of life and his love of farming brought him back to it. We do not own a lot of land, as many farmers in the area do, but we own more than many single homeowners. My husband rents farm ground, and I’m sure that rent will also go up when the levy passes. Paying higher taxes is not something any of us want to do, but we will do it for future generations and the future of our little community. It is our privilege to live in this community and to support this great school.

It is a blessing for us to own the property that we do. It is also a blessing for us to support the education of our future generations. Someone paid taxes so that our children could attend school and get an education. We feel it is our duty to vote YES on this levy, keep our school and support our community.

My husband and our sons are graduates of Lucas Schools. Our grandchildren attend here and I hope that they will also graduate from this school. I attended a large school, with very large classes (My third grade classroom had 43 students). It was not a good learning experience, that entire year seemed to be focused on discipline in the classroom. The attention that our children get at Lucas with the small class sizes is amazing. It is like sending your child to a small, private school, without paying tuition.

The teachers here are invested in our children’s lives and care deeply about their success in the classroom. Many of our teachers have taught here for years, because they like teaching in a small setting, where generally there are fewer discipline problems than are in a large school.

All of us could probably relate a story of a problem we had at Lucas school. This does not detract from the fact of the education that our children received. There will be issues at any school. This should not be a reason to vote down this levy.

I love living in this small community. I loved the fact that when my children were young if they were doing something they shouldn’t someone would point it out to them or tell me about it (because everyone knows whose kids they are). I love that our kids are able to be involved in most anything they want to because our numbers are small.
We will be voting YES on the Lucas School Levy!

10/21/2023

The learning environment is critical to academic success. A vote yes for Lucas will be a vote for continued success of our academic programs and graduates for generations.

As a community built on generations of residents and family values, our children's education is critical to the betterment of Lucas, Ohio.

10/19/2023

"My husband, Aaron and I have lived in Lucas for 15 years. Initially it wasn’t in our plans to stay here but that plan has long since passed. This community has been so welcoming and accepting. I love the encouragement and support that it provides when it sees “one of its own” in need! I love the camaraderie and the friendships we have built with so many incredible individuals and families within Lucas! This is exactly the kind of place you want to settle down and raise your kids. Aaron and I have been blessed with three children: Leland, Everett, and Ivy. They are my ultimate pride and joy, and everything I do, I do for them!! Everett and Ivy are currently attending Lucas Elementary and Leland is a sixth grader in Lucas Heritage Middle School. From the moment Leland entered kindergarten, Aaron and I have fully submersed ourselves into Lucas schools, sports, and other extracurricular activities. I am extremely involved as my children are an investment, worth all of my time, money, energy, and hard work. Anyone who knows me would agree that I put my heart into my kids and their peers within the Lucas community. My husband and I are both very involved with the school and athletics. I have coached soccer for multiple years, at times two different teams per season. Aaron has helped coach youth football the last couple of years. I volunteer within classrooms, for field trips, and I am a member of the Lucas Elementary K-7 PTO. I planned Lucas Elementary’s first Father/Daughter Dance and Mother/Son Event last year. Both of us have enjoyed chaperoning at different events and I actively look for ways to help out within the school, and with other school related events.
As an educator, my children’s education and opportunities are priorities. I have taught at two different local schools for a total of 9 years before deciding to resign until my children were all of school age. Last year Ivy entered Lucas Elementary. I decided it was time for me to return to teaching and the world of education. When I was unable to find a job in my discipline, I became a substitute teacher. Last year I subbed almost daily within all three of the Lucas School buildings. This year I have been blessed with the opportunity to fulfill two different long term sub positions within Lucas High School and Lucas Elementary. Throughout this time, I have been given the amazing opportunity to really get to know, and have truly grown to love, all of the students within this incredible school district! To say that I care about the youth of Lucas is an understatement. In addition to being given the opportunity to build relationships with the youth of this community, I have had the opportunity to really “see” the teachers within all three buildings. They are truly amazing!! They are kind, encouraging, and truly motivated to see our kids succeed!! With all of the good that I have seen within Lucas Local Schools though, there have also been disappointing, discouraging and very “eye opening” moments that revealed the negatives. The condition of the buildings and the lack of security are concerning to say the least. These incredible teachers are working so hard to do all that they can with their limited, out of date resources and the less-than-adequate facilities that they have to work with. Having taught at other schools, it is hard not to compare. The truth of the matter is that Lucas Local Schools are lacking compared to other local schools. I would love to see an environment where our youth can have an abundance of opportunity and truly thrive, rather than only survive in facilities that are far below what is acceptable. One of the most concerning parts for me are the safety issues. As a parent it is my responsibility to protect my children. NOTHING is more important than keeping our kids safe!! We can educate them and teach them all we want, but if they are not safe… it doesn’t matter. If there was ever a time that we were needed to support, protect and give the youth of this community opportunities to grow, excel and succeed, it is NOW!!! They are more than worth it! Please vote “YES” for Lucas Local Schools!"

-Savannah Hitchman, Current Lucas Parent & Substitute Teacher

10/17/2023

Schools are limited to raising funds by only two methods: income tax and property tax. Both options were, in fact, considered by the school prior to putting this issue on the ballot. Ultimately, a property tax was chosen as it resulted in the lowest cost to the residents.

With a property tax, for every $1 collected from the residents, $1 is collected from the utility companies, railroads, and other business. An income tax would require the school to collect both of those dollars from residential taxpayers. This levy issue is set up to keep the cost as low as possible for Lucas residents.

We look forward to seeing you vote YES FOR LUCAS on November 7th.

10/16/2023

We will continue to run our campaign based on the FACTS of this levy issue. We ask that you ensure you are educated on these facts prior to choosing how to vote this election day.

Fact: The District heard the concerns of the community and updated this levy issue to reduce taxpayer costs.
This levy package is different than the previous two times it has been run. With the recommendation of the school’s financial advisor, the district will be contributing $5.15 million to the build as well as the state-mandated funding for the permanent improvement fund.

Fact: The taxpayer contribution for renovating the school will be higher than building new.
If the school elected to renovate the building instead of building new, they would have to come back to the taxpayers for additional funding (i.e. another levy). Because the State of Ohio funding is only available for new buildings, the cost to the taxpayers for renovating over the next 15 years would be $37,564,700. Renovating would require more funding from taxpayers, resulting in an even higher financial burden on you.

Fact: The levy issue is NOT based on the new 2023 property values.
This levy is for a set amount, $26.9 million. When the levy passes, the school district is not legally allowed to collect anymore money than this. Instead the percentage of your property value that is needed to collect the $26.9 million will be adjusted based on your new value, NOT the dollar amount. Use the calculator at wearelucascubs.com with your 2022 value to determine what your estimated DOLLAR AMOUNT will be.

Fact: The Lucas School District is financially situated to withstand operating costs of the new build without additional taxpayer money.
The new building will have many efficiencies and cost savings that allow for its continued operation with current school funding. Lucas School District's financial position is strong. The school's financial expert has stated that it is situated wot withstand operating costs for at least 20 years without the need for any new funding from the taxpayers.

Fact: The build cost has been calculated by experts in the field, allowing the levy to cover the cost of the entire build.
Trust the experts. The build cost is meant to encompass the full build. See the details of what will be included at wearelucascubs.com

We encourage all of you to continue reaching out with questions and concerns. Our role is to help you understand the facts of the issue so that you can make an informed decision. Vote Yes for Lucas on November 7th!