The first semester of the 2012-2013 school year has been a very successful one for the Ross Local School District. Our staff has continued to provide a high quality education for each and every student. Our staff has also continued to work diligently on the changes mandated by the Ohio General Assembly and the Ohio Department of Education. These include new standards in English, math, social studies and science; new state assessments; a new teacher evaluation system; and a new principal evaluation system.

School funding continues to present a challenge to our district. The two-year budget proposal unveiled by Governor Kasich this month calls for no increase in state revenue for our district over the next two years. This is a concern since we have been operating the district with a cut in state revenue over the past four years. To continue operating without deficit spending, the district has reduced expenditures by 2.5 million dollars over the past four years, our staff has taken salary and step freezes, and health care concessions have been made by all employees. Further cuts in expenditures will necessitate cuts in programs that have helped this district attain its Excellent With Distinction rating.