The first article in the Bluffton Exempted Village Schools 2025-2026 Summer District Newsletter is featured below. The entire newsletter, which is mailed to residents, is attached below.

By Greg Denecker
Bluffton Exempted Village Schools Superintendent

The first part of this summer newsletter provides context for the Bluffton Exempted Village School purchase of property across from the elementary school on Vine Street. As you know, Bluffton Exempted Village Schools is a landlocked district in the middle of town. This presents both benefits and challenges. A benefit is that our school helps to promote a vibrant community within downtown Bluffton. Before and after school, students can be seen walking uptown or being picked up by their parents in the downtown area, which contributes to a sense of oneness between the school and downtown.

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On the other hand, a challenge of being located in town is that space for student outdoor activities and sports practices is limited. To that point, the Bluffton School Athletic Council has frequently voiced concerns about having enough practice areas, and this is where the purchase of property on Vine Street becomes relevant. The property will provide adequate space to create an artificial turf field extending from the current grass playground across Vine Street onto the purchased property. A turf field of this size will enable our elementary students to have a place to run and play almost year-round, rain or shine. After the school hours, a schedule will be maintained for outdoor sports teams, grades 7-12, and the marching band for utilizing the area.

As available, the space will then be open for use by youth football, soccer, baseball, softball, and others. The goal is to utilize the area to its fullest potential. In addition to providing needed recreational and athletic use, the property would expand the district’s physical footprint in Bluffton and allow for building opportunities in the future if the student population increases. Our enrollment of around 1200 students has stayed very steady over the past 30 years.

However, heightened interest in the Bluffton community and its housing market plus new construction of properties in the area signal the potential for increased enrollment.

We are excited to get the 2025-2026 school year started by welcoming almost 1200 students into our district for the first day of school.

We are pleased to announce some great new staff members for this school year, and they are excited to become part of the Pirate family. Eric Garmatter will be a new bus driver and Audrey Childs will be joining our MS cafeteria staff. In the elementary school, we welcome first-grade teacher Jessica Parke and third- grade teacher Katie Slaughterbeck. Three new teachers at the middle school are Kristen White (Intervention Specialist), Krista Schomaeker (6th grade Language Arts), and Amy Gratz (Art). At the high school, Will Nichols will be the new intervention specialist; Mallory Hefner will teach anatomy and biology and lead a group to the Bahamas next summer for Ocean Focus. We welcome each new staff member to the Pirate staff and look forward to working with them for many years to come.

The financial report on this page shows our general fund information for the 2025 fiscal year. We have been able to achieve financial stability due to the cost-saving measures that have been put in place over many years. Our district spends $4,000 less than the state average per pupil, but achievement levels for the district consistently rank in the top 10% of all districts in the state. This could not be achieved without the support from our parents, students, staff, and community; everyone plays an important role in helping each student succeed. We will continue to look for ways to be fiscally responsible to you, our community, while still providing our students with an excellent education.

We want all our students to have a positive experience in our district. Please reach out to your teacher, principal, or me if you ever have a concern about your child. We believe our staff is very caring and nurturing to all our students, and all of us want what is best for each child.

We look forward to educating the students in our district this year. This is a wonderful privilege and opportunity. 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.