MONROE — While other officials might talk of how important schools are to their communities, two key officials in this booming little city almost daily walk the walk.

        When he is not serving as Monroe mayor, Mike Morris can be found behind the wheel of a school bus transporting kindergarten through 12th-grade students thrice daily.

        At the same time, Steven Campbell might be found in his office working as Monroe Schools'director of facilities and operations or toiling at city hall as a new councilman.

        “Some cities and schools never talk to each other, but we have a very tight relationship,” said Mr. Campbell, who is the district's point man in construction of Monroe's new $29.6 million, K-12 campus planned to open in 2004. Monroe Local Schools was formed as a new district two years ago after voters backed a split from Middletown Schools.

        “Schools and cities are directly connected. The kids are the future and the schools are here to develop them and it's the city who benefits in the long run,” said the father of two of Monroe's 1,464 students. Mr. Campbell was appointed to fill an unexpired council term in 2001 and later in the fall won his first campaign for political office.

        While Mr. Campbell's expertise is in facilities and district operations, Mr. Morris' bus driving is the tip of an extensive background in transportation on a regional scale.

        Before retiring in 2000, the 51-year-old mayor held management positions with the Ohio Department of Transportation — the last position being as the department's liaison in planning roadway transportation with the Ohio-Kentucky—Indiana Regional Council of Governments and Miami Valley Planning.

        Monroe's central location along Interstate 75, evenly located between Cincinnati and Dayton, and its rapid growth — population has increased to more than 7,000, up from 3,400 in 1970 — makes transportation issues paramount for the city's expansion.

        Mr. Morris' daily school bus routes allow him to survey city streets and adjacent main roads such as Monroe's Ohio 63 and its interchange with I-75.

        “I see what's going on ... and I get to meet parents at bus stops who might never come to a city council meeting,” said Mr. Morris, who also has a child in Monroe schools.

        Having city and school leadership intertwined is an advantage for all city residents and aids in attracting commercial development, said Monroe City Manager Donald Whitman.

        “It brings the community closer together for the kids and that is the focus of the community. And schools are something companies always look at when deciding whether to move,” Mr. Whitman said.

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