Superintendent expects positive changes for Bright Local School District
By Rory Ryan
The Highland County Press
MOWRYSTOWN – A new school year is expected to bring a number of positive changes to the Bright Local School District, which spans from east to west across southern Highland County.
The district, formed in the mid-1960s, includes several former local schools and communities stretching from the Carmel community to west of Mowrystown.
New Superintendent Ted Downing is not a stranger to the district. He has served as teacher, coach, referee, principal, assistant principal, adjunct professor at Southern State Community College and, most recently, superintendent at Bridgeport Exempted Village School District in eastern Ohio. He brings 42 years of professional education experience to the district.
“I’m excited to be here and I look forward to the new school year,” Downing told The Highland County Press from his office at Whiteoak High School just prior to an Aug. 17 open house.
Also attending the news conference was Whiteoak High School Principal Mike Roades.
The administrators outlined several changes for the 2015-16 academic year.
“We think these are very positive changes,” Downing said.
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Among those changes:
• The district is waiving fees for the elementary school pupils.
• Music education is returning to Bright Elementary.
• The district is waiving “pay to play” for student-athletes in the high school and middle school.
• Integrated art with science and mathematics has been added.
• A new attendance policy allows for the same number of annual absences, but is less restrictive than the previous policy.
• Students placed on suspension also now have an opportunity to complete their academic work to receive at least a grade of 60, rather than an automatic zero for the quarter.
“The students will have more opportunities and the building principals will have more options (regarding discipline),” Downing said. “We are implementing a Saturday school, which is another option before a student faces suspension. I am very big on discipline.”
Downing and Roades also referenced a recent survey that was distributed throughout the district. The results of the survey indicated more communication was needed, they said.
“We have started a Parent Advisory Committee with parents who have a vested interest in the community,” Downing said. “I’ve also started a Superintendent’s Advisory Committee, with people like Roger West, Chuck Wait and others in the community.”
Another policy change this year will be a new “no contact” rule between parents and coaches at the conclusion of high school athletics. Downing said this policy was in place when he was at Eastern Brown and he implemented it at Bridgeport.
“Immediately after a heated contest is not the time to meet with the coach,” Downing said. “We all need to step back and let cooler heads prevail. Parents can contact the A.D. (John Combs) and schedule a time to meet.”
All coaches, student-athletes and the parents of student-athletes will be advised of this new policy prior to each sports season.
Roades discussed the district’s new textbook rotation where older texts for a specific curriculum can be replaced with more up-to-date books.
The principal noted several new staffing positions, including:
• Debbie Robertson is the new cafeteria supervisor.
• John Combs is the director of athletics and history teacher.
• Dorothy Countryman is the new English instructor.
• Steve Large is the credit recovery and in-school suspension administrator.
• Sandra Setty is a new intervention specialist.
• Rhianna Curtis is returning as the elementary school music instructor.
Busing and safety issues are always “big concerns” and are being addressed, Roades said.
The administrators and board are looking into the possibility of participating in ALICE training in a year or so. ALICE is an acronym for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate.
The ALICE training will include faculty, staff and students in a civilian-level emergency response training program. The district also will work in cooperation with the Mowrystown Police Department and local law enforcement. For more on the training program, go to http://www.alicetraining.com.
“There are a lot of positive things going on in the district,” Downing said. “With our board and staff working together, we’ll keep moving forward.”
"Contrary to some rumors, the district is alive and well and will be here for years to come," Downing said.
Bright Local Schools begin classes Aug. 19.