Superintendent and high-school leaders outline redesign and hybrid block schedule for Brown County High School

At a Feb. 3, 2025 Brown County School Corporation board meeting, the superintendent and high-school administrators presented a proposed high-school redesign that pairs new statewide diploma requirements with a district-created hybrid block schedule meant to increase student engagement and career readiness.

Mr. Shiromann, the lead presenter, said the state revised diploma rules for current eighth graders to emphasize three areas students must meet for graduation: credit accumulation, demonstration of competencies and employability skills. "It is our goal to get them equally as prepared for what they choose to do," he said, arguing the new model broadens 'college' to mean any postsecondary path, including apprenticeships and technical programs.

The district plans to require 42 credits for graduates under the new diploma and to embed work-based learning and 'seals' (honor and employment seals) in the graduation pathway. Mr. Shiromann described a minimum of 75 hours of work-based learning as part of a seal and said the district expects every student to be able to earn at least one seal.

To deliver those experiences, the administration proposed a hybrid block schedule: students would take four 87-minute classes on Monday/Thursday and another four on Tuesday/Friday, with Wednesday reserved for a single-day meeting with every teacher and for off-campus, real-world work-based learning for eligible juniors and seniors. "On Wednesday, they don't have to be in this building if they are doing that real world work based learning experience," Mr. Shiromann said, describing a model that could allow seniors to shadow or work extended shifts with community partners.

The plan adds a district-designed, four-year course called Eagle Seminar to help students document and defend their learning journeys, explore strengths and interests (RIASEC), and earn credit through portfolio and communications work. Administrators said the course can be coded for graduation credit (for example, PCC in freshmen year or communications in senior year).

Board members sought clarifications about eligibility (administrators said primarily juniors and seniors will access off-campus placements, with a small number of sophomores considered case-by-case), impacts on shared middle-school staff and how teachers will be supported to plan longer instruction blocks. Mr. Steele and other staff noted the district already provides earlier career exposure (computer-science and finance at middle grades) and is building schedules so shared staff can coordinate across buildings.

The administration said teachers will receive training for the longer 87-minute instructional blocks and emphasized the district will pilot and support staff through the transition. The board was told the team will present materials and recommended actions at the Feb. 18 meeting and that formal approvals would appear on the March agenda if the board elects to move forward.

The presentation tied the redesign to wider concerns raised by the state — employers seeking applied skills as well as academic knowledge, student disengagement and the need for flexible pathways — and framed the district's approach as a tailored effort for Brown County students.