HISTORICAL YEAR FOR LITTLE MIAMI SCHOOLS (cont.)

The Little Miami High School Women's Chorale and Select Mixed Choir both received "superior" ratings at the state competition — the first time that two groups from Little Miami qualified for state. The high school academic team won the league championship. Little Miami Junior High School was nationally recognized for achieving top honors on the Making Middle Grades Work assessment, and the research of two teachers was presented at a world conference.

The Little Miami Intermediate School media center was one of only 4,000 libraries across the country selected to receive a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association. Butlerville Elementary School celebrated its 70th anniversary, and a writing workshop at Maineville Elementary School had students teaching their families about the writing process. When a Morrow family suffered a tragedy, Little Miami students, staff and community members rallied together to help.

"Our faculty and staff are passionate about this district," Mr. Bennett explained. "They have always risen to the challenges and adapted to change." Athletics also enjoyed some great historical moments during the school year with a record number of participants. Thanks to a tremendous gift from the community, Little Miami's football and soccer stadium was renovated with an artificial turf field. The Lady Panthers tennis team won the league co-championship title — the Panthers' first ever girls tennis title. And for the first time in district history, members of the boys swim team placed at state level competition.

While Little Miami saw record enrollment growth — up to 4,225 from 3,900 the previous year, it also experienced some relief from overcrowding with the opening of a new addition at the high school and the creation of Salem Twp. Elementary School. "It was exciting to start up a new elementary school with talented staff who stepped up to the challenge of leaving their home schools and taking this journey with me," said Principal Debbi Contner. "Even though we as a district experienced disappointment at the ballot box, this year was great for me, being the principal of a new school in an old building where I graduated from high school. I am very proud of the Salem Elementary staff for getting this school off to a great start."

The pendulum will swing from one end to another next school year, as well. After the defeat of the May levy, district officials were forced to close two neighborhood elementary schools in order to open two more efficient buildings that will provide room for enrollment growth. The district says farewell to Morrow Elementary School and Butlerville Elementary School. At the same time, two new schools — Little Miami Junior High School and Little Miami Intermediate School — will open this fall.

"It has been a very tough decision to close these two beloved schools. We know there is great pride in both Butlerville Elementary and Morrow Elementary — they truly are at the heart of their communities," Mr. Bennett said. "At the same time, however, I also believe the community will be proud of these new facilities that truly balance excellence with value. Opening the new schools will provide much needed relief from our overcrowded buildings."

Little Miami spent the spring preparing to implement the most extensive cuts in district history — more than $5 million before the start of the 2009-2010 school year. In an attempt to stave off devastating cuts, the Board of Education placed two landmark issues before voters — a 1% earnings tax in November and a 9.95-mill property tax in May. Both were defeated.

A combination of state cuts and the collapse in the housing market have meant a significant decline in revenue. The district had already implemented approximately $2 million in cost reductions before the May ballot issue.

But even in the midst of financial woes, Little Miami received financial accolades when State Auditor Mary Taylor presented the district with the "Making Your Tax Dollars Count" award — an award given to less than five percent of all Ohio government agencies. "These are uncertain times for Little Miami, but there is also much to celebrate," Mr. Bennett said.