Niles schools gets preliminary rating of ‘effective’

NILES — A preliminary Ohio Department of Education audit has designated the Niles School District as “effective.”

The rating is one step below the top designation of excellent. The final official audit is to be released Wednesday.

Superintendent Rocco Adduci emphasized that the figures and designations are only preliminary. Adduci said the district still requires substantial improvement academically.

“We’ve moved up a few notches, but we’re not where we need to be,” the superintendent said at tonight’s meeting.

Niles schools have been under the state’s Continuous Improvement Program since 2005 because of low testing scores. Since then, a 30-member committee consisting of representatives from the schools and the state has been working on improving academic results.

The committee had urged creation of a curriculum director position as essential for getting the district out from under continuous improvement designation. Robert Marino Jr., former middle school principal and president of Niles City Council, was appointed to the position in June.

For the complete story, see Friday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.