Nettle Creek Schools Superintendent Emily Schaeffer brought optimism to the July 29 board meeting. After a spring reduction-in-force that required eliminating up to $900,000 in expenditures, Schaeffer was hopeful about the district’s financial future.
For the first six months of 2026, the district’s operations budget was out of the red at $883,176, a goal that Schaeffer said began before her tenure. With the spring cuts, she hopes for a higher amount than the projected $761,000 end-of-year balance. For the larger education fund, they’re hoping to best the $1.1M projected cash balance. It currently sits at $1.4M.
The fund is based on enrollment, which was around 1,071 as of July 24. Each student brings $7,345 to the education fund, a reduction of $58,700 based on current numbers. While she anticipates fluctuation, Schaeffer maintains there’s no need to panic as official counts are set on Oct. 1. She said leaders must be mindful and continue finding ways to produce better student experiences and opportunities.
Schaeffer highlighted changes in elementary school class sizes, which are tied to enrollment. Third and sixth graders have the most classes with four, while three first-grade sections will average 25 students.
Director of Learning Maria Tinkle added that preschool vouchers are still being submitted as the state sees 40,000 applications with only a few thousand granted. Vouchers are granted by family need and do not stay at the school if the student leaves the district.
District news
Nettle Creek Education Foundation and Communities in Schools offered popsicles and backpacks at Jubilee Days and began food collection for the Weekend Backpack Program this month. Donations are accepted Monday – Friday from 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at the admin office. The district seeks substitute bus drivers, on-call substitute teachers and a HJSHS food service worker while the Boys & Girls Club Hagerstown Unit pauses new memberships until it fills three positions. The class of 2027’s graduation date will shift to May 23, 2027.
Schaeffer and Business Manager Amber Rushton began preliminary work on the 2027 budget, anticipating rises in insurance costs and a 1% increase on top of employee contributions for retirement funds. Facility assessments conducted by architectural firm Garman Miller helped form plans for building and maintenance for the next decade.
Schaeffer praised the Nettle Creek Community Coalition for its July back-to-school event and the JSHS team for its back-to-school night, and she looked forward to HES’s night on Monday, Aug. 3. Teachers returned the same day with school starting on Aug. 4. The band’s Aug. 5 ice cream social previews its Aug. 7 Indiana State Fair Band Day show.
In board comments, member Julie Blaase encouraged all teachers to have a good year and Mike Banning highlighted the teacher introductions on social media.
Personnel Items
Two reduced teaching positions were reinstated. The district will retain one speech language pathologist and one head custodian with increased stipends and reevaluate after six months. A protocol for students’ first violation of the new cellphone policy was revised from parent retrieval to student pickup at the end of day.
A 10-cent lunch price increase, the 2027 budget calendar, three memorandums of understanding with Indiana University East, Centerstone and Girls Inc. of Wayne County, and a second reading of board policy updates were approved; the latter revisits verbiage around headphones usage under the new wireless communication device ban.
The next meeting is Wednesday, Aug. 12, at 6:30 p.m. in HES’s LGI room. The public may attend.
A version of this article appeared in the August 5 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
