BUTLER, Ind. (WANE) -- DeKalb County Eastern Community School District (CSD) is working to establish a strategic plan that aims to better the district in several ways. The committee behind the strategic plan, which is comprised of 17 members who range from parents to school staff members and business leaders -- is currently narrowing down a list of core pillars it hopes will exemplify the future direction of the school district. Superintendent Ryan Abbott said one of the keys aspects that will help the district offer positive experiences for students and staff is being able to grow and increase student enrollment. "Education is a competitive environment, and we want to make sure that we're offering those experiences, and we do want to grow," Abbott said. "We're very proud of what we are and who we are, so I think the idea of growing and being attractive to others is important, but also staying true to our roots and being proud of what we're doing here in DeKalb Eastern is huge." Abbott said the school district currently sits at an average daily membership (ADM) count of just over 1,200 students across its three schools: Butler Elementary School, Riverdale Elementary School and Eastside Jr/Sr High School. Between the three schools -- excluding the local education agency the district collaborates with -- DeKalb Eastern CSD has seen that number fluctuate by roughly eight students in recent years. While that number may seem miniscule, the absence of eight students adds up to thousands of dollars worth of state funding the school district will no longer receive. "Roughly, our state tuition funding is about $7,139 per student, and those tuition payments are made semiannually," Abbott said. While Abbott said DeKalb Eastern CSD has not seen any issues regarding a lack of state tuition funding, but he also wants the district to be ready for any future changes in enrollment. "You have to look at your class size, what student-to-teacher ratio we're comfortable with ... I think you have to look at non-certified staff too [and] are we having the support in our classrooms that are going to then in turn create some success for our students and give them opportunities to succeed," Abbott said. "Obviously, what type of courses we can offer to that level, too. We want to offer calculus. We want to offer the AP courses, so we do need to know that sometimes you're stretched thin because of those ADM and education dollars. But, we do want to make sure that it's that constant balance of here's the money we're bringing in in opposed to we need to offer as much as we can for the students we have here." Abbott said one way the district can bring in more students is to highlight the benefits within the district and spread that message to a wider audience. "We've had a tremendous amount of success in multiple programs that we're very proud of in our district, but we've probably done a less-than-effective job of telling anybody about those ... knowing we're in the rural eastern part of the county, I think we do have to tell our own story." Abbott said the committee hopes to submit a final version of the strategic plan to the school board by March 2025