For many years, the Roslyn Public Schools has periodically invited local realtors to come to one of our schools and meet with school officials. Today, October 9, we hosted a breakfast for them at the Roslyn Middle School.

These meetings are important for a number of reasons. For the district, they provide an opportunity to provide up-to-date information to the real estate agents about the Roslyn Public Schools. As we know, the quality of the schools is the main reason why families with young children choose to move to our community. A real estate agent is often the first person within the community with whom homebuyers communicate. It is therefore very important that accurate and current information be available to them.

The district also benefits from the experience the realtors have in observing general population trends. This is of critical importance to the district as we continue to experience a period of rising student enrollment. We use a number of methods to try to anticipate future enrollments so that we can plan for appropriate levels of staffing and size of facilities. A mail-in census form sent to all residents early in 2003 was a major part of that ongoing endeavor.

Realtors are also an important part of enrollment forecasting. Home sales are closely linked to changes in the student population, and realtors are able to tell us about the real estate market in Roslyn and provide a sense of where it is going in the near future. All indicators are that our rate of growth is beginning to slow, as demonstrated in a kindergarten class this year that is somewhat smaller than classes of recent years. However, this is an area that needs continual study, and our realtor friends help to keep us informed about changing demographics.

For the realtors, meeting with school officials, including members of the Board of Education, central office administrators, principals and directors, enables them to become more familiar with our school district. We held this year's meeting at the Roslyn Middle School to allow them to see the recently renovated facility, nearly all of them visiting the building for the first time since it was expanded over the last two years.

Knowing the schools and the principals, for example, can be very useful when speaking with a family who wants to know more about the district. This establishes a partnership which benefits everyone involved: the realtor has more specific details with which it can promote the advantages of living in the community; the principal may have an opportunity to present the school to the parents, and the homebuyer has more information on which to base a decision about where to live.

It is also of great value for the school district to establish contacts with members of our business community. This is just one of dozens of examples of how the outreach efforts of the school district have led to positive and productive relationships with local businesses. When we work together, everyone wins.