Greenfield School District puts students first

By Editor | June 2, 2026 |

By Carmen Ensinger

For several months, the Greenfield School District has been looking at ways to cut costs because money has become tight, but when it came down to students spending an inordinate amount of time on the bus to get to school, they chose to put the students’ needs first and not reduce the number of bus routes. The decision came at the May board meeting.
“We were considering reducing a bus route to try to save money and because we are having a hard time finding bus drivers,” Superintendent Andy Stumpf said. “But, the increase in time the students were going to have to be on the bus was too much so we’re going to try to stay with five bus routes. We just have to find bus drivers at this point.”
The board also approved a contract amendment for the renovation this summer that will take care of some health, life, safety violations that were discovered on the Health, Life, Safety Survey last year.
A Memorandum of Understanding with a mental health counselling organization working out of the ACE School in White Hall was approved.
“We had to approve this MOU in order for us to use their free services,” Stumpf said. “We are going to use Koen Counseling next year out of Jerseyville. They are going to provide social work minutes for students that need it for the 2026-27 school year.”
Ag teacher Beth Burrow got a grant to put solar out at the FFA farm.
“We are going to put a small array of solar panels out there to help reduce the cost of electricity used out there,” Stumpf said. “This would be at no cost to the district.”
A resolution to issue $400,000 in working cash bonds was approved.
“This is needed because not all of the proposed renovations fall under the Health, Life, Safety approval of the State,” Stumpf said. “So, we are approved to issue up to $400,000 to make sure we can finish out the projects that don’t fall under State approval.”
The board accepted the resignation of Nick Walker as High School Social Science teacher. Walker accepted the position as North Greene Elementary Principal about a month ago.
The board also accepted a change in the retirement date of High School Principal Beth Bettis from the end of 2027 to January of 2027.
In other action, the board:
■ Accepted the resignation of junior high head basketball coach Scott Plogger.
■ Accepted the resignation of high school boys’ assistant basketball coach Jordan Bowman.
■ Accepted retirement of Cheri Vinyard as a bus driver.
■ Hired Melinda Seaton as high school custodian/assistant maintenance.
■ Approved junior high assistant basketball volunteers – Luke Gillingham and Scott Plogger.
■ Approved high school boys’ basketball volunteers Jordan Bowman and Scott Plogger.