GREETINGS! School year 2007-08 will be an exciting year for the Edgewood Community. We continue to be presented with the challenges of growth. Consultants to the district have conducted months of study, the study culminating in a community forum. The forum was extremely well attended. Input from the forum is leading us in a direction for further discussion that will take place in the fall.

The final report card from the Ohio Department of Education is not yet in, we cannot say, but it appears we again have made progress toward our goal of being rated an excellent school. In our athletic programs we have completed our first year in our new league, the Fort Ancient Valley Conference. We are proud to say we won FAVC titles in football, cross-country and basketball. Our music programs both instrumental and vocal, continue to be award winning and we expect that tradition to continue.

Our Strategic Plan, implemented two years ago, continues to guide us as we plan each year. The plan has three focus areas;

1) Meeting the challenges presented by growth and our economic environment to continue to provide the best education for our children,

2) Provide a comprehensive program to meet the needs of each individual student, and

3) Allocate resources to provide the optimal learning environment for all students.

This year we will be further developing curriculum that exceeds state standards, establishing a staff development program that supports effective instructional practices and seeking solutions for instructional issues that arise due to growth.

Our technology plan is an integral part of our Strategic Plan. Parents of our elementary students have experienced wonderful changes in their students' access to technology. Teachers have been undergoing training and are again this summer. They will continue to receive support throughout the school year so that our students can make full use of the mobile computer labs available to all elementary students.

Another piece of the Strategic Plan is our continued involvement with legislators to develop an equitable plan for school funding. Some state legislators have acknowledged the funding system, by design, forces growing schools to go to the voters every three years. The excessive burden of school taxes must be removed from property owners and the elderly. I was fortunate to be part of a team of county superintendents who presented to members of the Coalition for Ohio Fair Schools in Columbus, the results of a county wide survey. The survey results showed valuable information, which gave the coalition direction for a new system that provides fair and equitable funding for all students in the State of Ohio. Petitions are currently circulating around the state to get this new amendment on the ballot in November

The staff at Edgewood appreciates all the support we receive from our community. We are blessed to live in such a great community that cares about their schools. Your input is vital to our improvement, and we encourage you to be involved. Community support is the number one key to an excellent school district.

Sincerely