Residents of the Bluffton school district received the Bluffton school summer newsletter this week. The newsletter is posted at the bottom of this story. Greg Denecker, superintendent, provides the following school district update as the first day of school is Monday.
By Greg Denecker, superintendent
We are looking forward to the start of a fantastic school year. On Aug. 28, we will welcome approximately 1,200 students into our district.
Five first grade sections
Due to the large kindergarten class from last year and the class still having strong numbers in first grade, we will have five sections of first grade this year. Megan Quinton, our new first grade teacher, takes the classroom that was held by Jeff Richards, who moved to 5th grade. He takes over for Julie Inniger, who has moved to third grade due to the retirement of Ann Kingsley.
• In addition to Megan, three other new staff members have joined the district.
• Elizabeth Smith will be the high school guidance counselor following the retirement of Gordon Shivley.
• Kate Bauer, high school English teacher, takes over for a long-term substitute that was in this position last year.
• Addie Kiene will fill a new intervention specialist position at the high school. Addie’s role will be to help students in her program grow academically each year and gain valuable employment skills on a daily basis. We welcome each of these new staff members and look forward to working with them for many years to come.
State Report Card
Years ago, the summer newsletter would include the 2016-2017 Local State Report Card results; however, these scores have not been released as of this printing. When the report cards are released, though, we are confident our scores will be strong as compared to other districts throughout the state of Ohio.
Based on reports from the Cleveland.com website, which calculates all report card grades into an average for each Ohio district, our report card from the 2015-2016 school year ranks us 30th in the state. With that being said, the state has raised the achievement level bar in the state on achievement tests, which, therefore, is lowering the grade of all districts in general.
The Ohio Department of Education and the state legislature are looking for different ways to change the local state report card. In the past several years, our district has consistently scored in the top 5-8% of all school districts in performance index.
As these results are released statewide, we are hopeful that our rankings in the state will be very similar. Regardless, our staff will continue to work to bring the best possible education to every student in our district and give the personal touch to help every child succeed.
Carry-over just under $4.5 million
The financial report shows our general fund carry-over balance of just under $4.5 million for the 2017 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 plus an increase in both the state and local revenue.
Our district spends over $2,700 less than state average spending per pupil, but achievement levels show the district consistently performs near the top in the state. Due to our high performance level at a low cost, a researcher from Kent State University has contacted us and will be conducting a site visit to gain a better understanding of how we perform at a high level with low expenditures.
While I do not think there is any magical formula, I firmly believe our success as a district relates to our students, parents, staff, and community; all work well together to help our students achieve. We will continue to look for ways to be fiscally responsible to you, our community, while still providing our students with an excellent education.
Many permanent improvement projects were completed over the course of the past year, and those are listed in this newsletter.
In the spring, our district was given the opportunity to buy two properties adjacent to our elementary school building. In order to expand the playground for our elementary students and to give a green space area for our students to play on a daily basis, we decided to purchase both properties on 120 and 124 North Lawn Avenue.
Looking to the future, nobody knows whether our district will grow or remain about the same, as has been the case over the past 20 years. However, if our district would ever need to expand our elementary school due to increased student enrollment, we now have the space to build on the current site.
Recycling paper, metal, cardboard and plastic
For many years we have been recycling paper; starting this school year we will recycle not only paper but also metal, cardboard, and plastic. This recycling program is the same as that utilized for Bluffton residents. This mixed recycling allows everything to go into one container without the need for separation. We want to engage our students in this program to make it a huge success.
Senior Citizen breakfast performances are held each month. We look forward to seeing those of you who have patronized these performances in the past and welcome any newcomers who may join us in this monthly entertainment and fellowship.
Thank you for attending these performances and thanks to our sponsors -- Citizens National Bank, First National Bank, Sprunger Insurance, Lewis Family McDonald’s, Senior Citizen Center, and Mennonite Home Communities -- for donating the free breakfast each month.
We look forward to the privilege and opportunity of educating 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.
