New school year begins.

Byline: Erica Erwin

Aug. 27--Rick Heasley was on a mission: Find the cheapest crayons in town.

After scouring several stores, Heasley, a fifth-grade teacher at Erie's Glenwood Elementary School, finally snapped up 60 Crayola boxes for 10 cents each -- a bargain, even if he had to make many trips to the checkout line because the back-to-school price allowed him to buy only three at a time.

Tonight, he expects that he'll sit down with his wife, Mindy, a first-grade teacher at Edison Elementary School, to make nametags for their students.

Time is short -- the new school year begins Monday -and the butterflies are fluttering.

"That first day, you're excited and nervous," Heasley said. "We have to be ready, because when kids come in there's no saying 'Wait another day.'" As the clock ticks down, here's a quick snapshot of what's new this year in school districts throughout the region: Conneaut School District -- Superintendent: Richard Rossi -- Number of students: 2,760 -- What's new: The Crawford County district is under the new leadership of Richard Rossi, former principal of Conneaut Lake Jr./Sr. High School and a veteran teacher and administrator. Rossi replaced former Superintendent Dick Astor, who retired June 30.

Rossi will oversee the $6 million renovation of Conneaut Valley Elementary School. Bids for the project will be awarded in November or December, Rossi said.

The district will also undergo an analysis of its technology needs this year, Rossi said.

Corry Area School District -- Superintendent: Brian Dougherty -- Number of students: 2,500 -- What's new: Construction is under way on the new $13 million Corry Area Elementary School, an 85,000-square-foot facility that will replace Wright Street and Concord elementary schools. The Wright Street school will be…