WEST CHESTER TWP. - When classes resume today at the Lakota Local Schools, it will be another year of milestones for this growing Butler County district.

        Consider:

        • Lakota will have more than 1,000 teachers, media specialists, counselors and nurses. It's the first time the district has surpassed the 1,000 mark in professional staff.

        • When bus drivers, cooks, secretaries, aides, mechanics, maintenance workers and other support staff are added, the figure hits 2,000, making the Lakota Local Schools the largest employer in the district. The next largest employer is the Buschman Co., a 871-employee West Chester Township firm that designs and manufactures conveyor systems for retail distribution markets.

        • They will be working with 15,882 students that have registered so far, an increase of 406 from last year's official enrollment of 15,476. Lakota remains the largest suburban district in Ohio, and the eighth-largest overall in the state.

        Those students plus about 1,600 who are bused to 48 private schools, will be transported on 172 separate bus routes - an increase of eight over last year, said Larry Lane, transportation director. The buses will travel more than 12,000 miles a day, using 3,400 gallons of fuel, Mr. Lane said. By the end of the school year the fleet will have traveled 2.1 million miles.

        David Greenburg, director of personnel and student services, said the district anticipated growth of about 500 students, “but we haven't hit that yet. We can absorb more kids this year than last year and are in better shape class-sizewise.”

        This year the district hired 114 new teachers, including 35 new positions, to accommodate the district's growing student population. It is down slightly from the 45 new positions a year ago. But fewer teachers resigned or retired.

        “We're being pretty conservative because we know the levy has to last through the opening of the new (elementary and junior) schools next year,” Mr. Greenburg said.

        Nevertheless, class size will decline slightly this year, most notably in the primary grades. Kindergarten classes will average 20 or fewer students and first-graders will be in classes of no larger than 21 or 22 students. Each elementary school will average 23-25 per class.

        Besides slightly fewer students per class, students will see improvements in many schools that have received new windows, air conditioning and other improvements. Classroom additions at the two high schools will be finished, and Union Elementary School's cafeteria has a new floor and serving tables. Hopewell Elementary has new booths and an expanding dining area. Both Hopewell elementary and junior schools have remodeled kitchens.

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