TROY — The Troy City Schools opened their doors to more than 4,000 students Wednesday for the first day of the 2022-23 school year.

“I think there’s always an excitement in the air for the first day of school,” Troy City Schools Superintendent Chris Piper said. “The kids are excited to be back and see their friends again, while the teachers and other staff members are always happy to see the kids. We are fortunate to have so many dedicated professionals throughout our district. I think we all feel very fortunate to get the opportunity to work with the kids in this community.”

One of the biggest changes in the district this year is the merger of the Kyle and Forest Elementary School districts. Students who live either in the Kyle or Forest area in grades K-2 all will attend Kyle, while students in grades 3-5 in either of those two areas will all attend Forest this year.

“It’s only the first day, but from what we’ve already seen, this is going to be a positive experience for students and staff members at both schools,” Piper said. “This change made a lot of sense for a number of different reasons. It will increase teacher collaboration among grade levels, which is always a good thing for students. This will also allow us to provide better services to both our gifted and special needs students in both schools.

“Also, while this was not the primary motivating force behind this reconfiguration, it will allow the district to save money. We are always cognizant of our taxpayers and if it is ever possible to cut costs while increasing the quality of education – we will endeavor to do so.”

For the most part, Piper said, things went smoothly Wednesday. There have been some transportation difficulties, due in large part due to busing software, but students who needed transportation to school all got where they needed to go.

“We know that has been a source of frustration for parents the past few days, and for that we apologize,” Piper said. “We had some problems with the bus route software we use, but we are working through those problems and are confident we will get those worked out very soon. We appreciate everyone’s patience; we will continue to safely transport their children to school every day.”

Piper said he’s looking forward to the 2022-23 school year.

“As a district, we are entering this year with a positive outlook and a great deal of hope for what the year will bring,” he said. “We have great people in place, and they will continue to help students dream big, work hard and succeed.”

The writer is a contributor of the Miami Valley Today.