Dear Husky Friends & Family,
This is my 19th year at the helm of Northwestern Local School District – leading our students, staff, and school district of excellence for many years. With 22 years of school superintendent experience, 29 years as a school administrator, and 34 years in education I have the knowledge and experience to continue leading our extraordinary administrative team, teachers, and staff forward with an unyielding focus on our students! I am proud to be a positive influence in our students’ lives and to be associated with so many great people. I have been blessed to reman in a position of successfully leading our school district success, continued K-12 STEM Designation, and creating our STEM Preschool program several years ago, and am excited to further pursue our excellence in serving our students, employees, and community to the best of our ability so we continue to Lead the Pack and remain the pro exemplar rural school district in Ohio which so many others strive to emulate!
I am excited about the over $1,000,000 in grants written and awarded to Northwestern over the past year, which enable us to continue educating and developing our students safely, securely, effectively, and efficiently. Going after and securing such funds, as well as sharing costs with other entities in partnerships, maintaining fiscal responsibility, practicality, frugality, and making smart leadership decisions has not only resulted in stretching our tax dollars and keeping our taxes in check! This has also led to our community being able to keep more of our own dollars in our pockets as taxpayers. Northwestern currently has the largest financial carryover balance in the history of the district! The grant funds and other efforts mentioned previously have certainly contributed to this, but also has provided us the opportunity to pay-off our OSFC school building project in spring, 2021 - 3.5 years early and more recently, in July, 2023, for our recent decision to end the collection of the .5 mil facilities maintenance levy!
We remain determined to yield success for our students. Yet, we balance this with common sense and a return to normalcy. Our students have held their own academically through some very challenging times in recent years and will continue to do so. Together, over the years, we have all weathered many storms and overcome many obstacles which we have encountered. We continue to do what we have done best and consistently here at Northwestern, “prepare our students today for tomorrow’s opportunities!”
We are all about rigor, relevancy, and relationships. With the exhausting planning and continuous planning and preparation throughout the summer for this school year we have been moving forward collectively with our focus on student success, high achievement, and creating ever more opportunities for our students. We continually develop relationships, provide supports, and foster authentic learning growth through individualized instruction, problem-based learning and project-based learning, development of fundamental skills centered around literacy, and providing the student counseling, academic and socio-emotional supports to ensure the success of every student!
I am so very proud of our community, of our faculty, staff, administration, and outstanding Board of Education! I am proud of the academic and social success of our students. I am proud of the innovative and progressive, project-based and research-based programs & instruction we have here at Northwestern. I am proud of the fantastic school culture and climate we have throughout each of our buildings. A huge “Thank You!” to our parents and community who support the development of our children; to our faculty, staff, and administration for our ongoing collective efforts each day, and to our five Board of Education Members for your leadership and direction. Our community-based, business, post-secondary partners as well as the support of our parents are instrumental to the continued success of our students! Together we can continue to achieve so very much!
We are all about excellence and increasing expectations at Northwestern. Within our Northwestern family we will continue to adapt and to focus on the needs of our students and develop the necessary 21st Century skills and mindsets toward future success and prepare our leaders of tomorrow. We will continue to prepare our students today for tomorrow’s opportunities!
I am always willing to listen to ideas, questions, and concerns from students, parents, and anyone in our community. It is only by asking, sharing, and participating that we can continue our important work. Please do not hesitate to contact me for any reason and “thank you” for your ongoing support. Here is to our Northwestern Huskies continuing to lead the pack! Let’s have the time of our lives as we traverse this 2023-2024 school year!
Cell: 330-317-5175
Work: 419-846-3151
e-mail: [email protected]
Jeffrey N. Layton, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Northwestern Local Schools