The fall season has arrived and school activities are fully underway at Tri-Valley Schools. I am happy to report that it has been a very smooth start to the school year. Our students are back in the routine of school and our staff members are ready for another great year as well. As district superintendent, I could not ask for any more from our families, our students, or our staff members.

September, October and November are very important months in terms of education and in terms of enrollment.  There are typically only very minimal interruptions to the calendar in these months, which makes it a great time to zero in on key educational concepts and cover a lot of ground academically. October is also the month in which enrollment numbers are typically stabilized and these numbers are what drive the largest portion of our funding from the State of Ohio.  Approximately 54% of our ADM (Average Daily Membership) funding comes from the State (through income and sales tax paid by Ohio residents), 7% from the federal government via grants, special education, and Title funding, the remaining 39% is generated locally through local real estate taxes. Enrollment is a critical key to maintaining district revenue. District-wide enrollment for the district for the current school year is currently 2843 students which is roughly 20 students less than the previous two years. In 2011, our total enrollment was 3196. District enrollment has dropped slightly over the past 13 years even as open enrollment numbers have steadily increased.  We have climbed from 174 open-enrollment students in 2009, to the current school year’s number of 320.  Most of the school districts in Ohio have realized significant losses in enrollment over the last ten years, but Tri-Valley has been able to utilize open enrollment to offset what would have otherwise been a significant reduction in total enrollment.

Changes in the traffic flow patterns at Nashport Elementary have been a result of the current construction project. In order to alleviate backed up traffic on Creamery Road during drop-off and pick-up times, the driveway has been extended and widened to go around the entire Nashport campus. I am happy to report that this project has been a resounding success. We appreciate the patience of the Nashport Community as the project to add six additional classrooms continues to move forward as scheduled.

Looking forward to another great school year,

Mark K. Neal

Superintendent