The Symmes Valley Local School District is proof that success is about how you use what you’ve got.

The small, rural school district in Willow Wood was recently recognized for its efforts to operate efficiently by an organization aptly called Ohio Education Matters.

The study, titled Ohio Smart Schools, studied the state’s school systems for nine months and pinpointed 135 districts throughout the state that spent efficiently in areas of administration, food service, transportation and building maintenance and operations.

Adding to this honor is the fact that the district also had to meet a variety of performance and academic standards to even be considered for this recognition.

So it is not an issue where academics are suffering to preserve the bottom line.

We applaud the school district, superintendent Jeff Saunders and all the administrators for their work to make the most of the resources that are available.

During these challenging economic times, when state funding for education is dwindling and likely to take an even bigger hit in coming days, it is more important than ever to operate efficiently and make every penny count.

Taxpayers in the Symmes Valley district should be proud of the results. Other school districts in our county should use this as a model for success and think “outside the box” when it comes to providing a top-notch education at the lowest expense.

That may require local educators to do their homework this summer, but there are likely a number of lessons to be learned.