School leaders will take new roles within the district, beginning with the 2022-23 school year.

Dr. Brett Coffman will be the new middle school principal. Coffman replaces Ben Rubey, who has been named the new Career Center director. Rubey replaces Dr. Mark Bullimore, who has been hired as the district’s new director of communications.

Coffman was serving as an assistant principal at the high school. He has a 28-year career in education, spending much of it in the Raytown and Liberty school districts as a middle school and high school teacher, and an assistant principal. Coffman also spent three years in the Regional Professional Development Center at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, developing teachers all over the state.

As middle school principal, Coffman plans to focus on student achievement, increasing opportunities for students to develop leadership skills and lay a path to be successful in high school, he said. He also said he’s excited to work with the teachers, students and staff at the middle school and continue to serve Excelsior Springs.

“Middle school is a critical time in a child’s development,” Coffman said. “It is so important to create a safe environment, free from bullying and ridicule, so that all students may explore courses with confidence and curiosity.”

Rubey has been with the Excelsior Springs School District for the past 19 years. His roles have included middle school teacher, basketball and football coach, middle school activities director, middle school assistant principal and middle school principal.

As Career Center director, Rubey plans to cultivate a culture of collaboration and collegiality and deliver on a commitment to providing all students a first-class, 21st-century learning experience, he said.

Rubey is excited for the opportunity to create and maintain a building atmosphere that encourages and supports the growth of staff, students and faculty, he said.

“My experiences have led me to an uncompromising view that all students can learn, given a positive learning atmosphere that expects exploration and develops student confidence,” Rubey said. “It is my belief that an educator’s mission is to make school enjoyable, exciting, rigorous and connected to life experience. We can do that here at the Career Center.”

Bullimore’s career with the district spans 17 years. Throughout those years, he has served as an elementary and high school teacher, head soccer coach, high school assistant principal, middle school principal, and most recently, as the career center director.

In the newly created position of director of communications, Bullimore will help shape the narrative about the school district, align communications and community relations to the district’s comprehensive school improvement plan, serve as a liaison for school and community businesses, and provide pertinent counsel for Superintendent Travis Hux and other district leaders.

“Excelsior Springs is home, and I am thrilled to be joining this team. My goal is to share the districts’ story with our community and continue to build the relationships needed with our students, parents and businesses,” Bullimore said. “I am really looking forward to helping highlight the amazing things happening in our schools.”