By Greg Denecker
Bluffton school superintendent
– The summer newsletter is attached
at the bottom of this story –
We are excited to be welcoming over 1,200 students into our district on the first day of school, whether in person or in our remote learning platform.

Our goal is always to provide high quality education—no matter what the platform; this is a point of pride in our district and in our community.  To that end, we will be adjusting the school week to accommodate the dual platform approach:
• students will attend school four days per week (Monday through Thursday),
• and on Fridays, all students will learn remotely.

Our teachers will continue to be physically at the school Monday through Friday. However, designating Friday as an asynchronous remote learning day will allow teachers the opportunity to provide more targeted instruction to those who may need extra help.

Additionally, teachers will be working on recordings, lesson plans, Zooming with students who have questions or require additional assistance, and posting assignments for the week to come.  

We realize this schedule will put a burden on some families, and we apologize for that.  However, we believe this is the best way for us to provide instruction at a high level in both platforms.  

We will evaluate this arrangement at the end of the first nine weeks (Oct. 30) and decide if we will continue with this weekly schedule for the rest of the semester. 

New staff
Several new staff members are joining the district this year.  Sarah Jebsen, who finished last school year as our school nurse, will continue in that role. She replaced Joyce Suter who was our nurse for over 26 years.  
 

Madeline Goecke is a new kindergarten teacher for this year, and Abby Diller is new to the 4th grade. Due to the large 4th-grade numbers, the addition of another 4th-grade teacher was necessary.  

Diana Kiser will be a new language arts teacher, and Paul Utendorf is the new math teacher at the middle school.  These new hires are the result of two staff members departing at the end of last year.  

Our two librarian aides, Rhonda Wenger (HS) and Cheryl Morris (MS), retired this summer; new this year in that capacity are Amanda Hohenbrink at the high school and Jamie Shaw at the middle school.  Erika McCrory will replace Jamie's aide position in the middle school.  

Our new middle school custodian is Megan Morris.  Robin Miller and Missy Ritter retired from the middle school cafeteria, and their replacements are Rachel Mathewson and Julie Wolfe.  

It is with great disappointment that we announce the cancellation, for this school year, of the monthly senior citizen breakfast performances.  While we still would like to see everyone each month for these great events, we believe it is wise not to congregate in large numbers at this time.

Thank you to the following sponsors who so generously provided last year’s breakfasts: Citizens National Bank, First National Bank, Sprunger Insurance, Ellerbrock Spine and Soft Tissue,  Lewis Family McDonald’s, Blanchard Valley Hospital, Senior Citizen Center and Mennonite Home Communities. We look forward to bringing these events back in the 2021-2022 school year.

School finances
The financial report shows our general fund carry-over balance of just over $6.7 million for the 2020 fiscal year.  We have been able to achieve financial stability due to the cost-saving measures that have been put in place over the last several years.  

Our district spends less than the state average per pupil, but achievement levels for the district remain consistently near the top in the state. This could not be achieved without the support of parents, students, staff, and community. Everyone plays an important role in helping each of our students succeed.  

While our carry-over balance is healthy, we are trying to be prepared for whenever there is a downturn in the economy.  Should there be a cut to our state funding, our goal is to continue to operate near the same capacity of staff, without having to return to our taxpayers for more funding.  

We will continue to look for ways to be fiscally responsible to you, our community, while still providing our students with an excellent education.

Our professional staff development this year will focus on providing the very best content delivery both in person and in remote learning.  We are trying to take what we do on a daily basis in the classroom and transfer that to the remote learners at home.  Please contact us if there are any problems with the delivery of this content, whether that is in person or remotely. 

Permanent improvement projects
The permanent improvement projects, listed below, were completed over the course of the past year.  Available funds allow our district to make repairs and improvements to our facilities for students and the community.  While our buildings are not new, we believe the updates and upkeep on each of our facilities make for an excellent learning environment.  

As a reminder, when school begins, please be careful around all our school buildings.  Please watch closely at all intersections around our district and proceed with caution, both as a driver and as a pedestrian.    

We look forward to the privilege and opportunity to educate the students in our district this year.  Thank you for your continued support of Bluffton Exempted Village Schools and the students we serve.  

If you ever have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to stop in or call me at 419-358-5901.