BROWNSTOWN
A member of the Brownstown Central Community School Corp. board of trustees will retain his position for another four years.
The Brownstown Town Council unanimously chose to retain Scott Shade during a meeting earlier this week. He initially joined the board in 2013 after being appointed by the council to fill the spot left open by the death of longtime board member Jack Montgomery.
Since then, Shade has worked with other board members and administrators to make technology and security improvements at each of the corporation’s three schools.
His term expires at the end of this month, but he told the five-member council he wants to continue being a part of moving Brownstown schools in a positive direction.
The council delayed its appointment to give others a chance to apply for the spot on the board. Sam Markel was the other applicant.
“It’s an honor to represent this area and the community, and I’ll do my best to try to take us to that next level,” Shade said after the meeting.
“The area schools are advancing, and the fact is we’ve got to stay up with them,” he said. “I’m excited to be able to help. The next four years, we can do a lot to change the face of the schools and lay the foundation for this town, really.”
Of the 289 Indiana school corporations governed by school boards, 12 are appointed and two are hybrid, meaning some members are elected and some are appointed, according to the Indiana School Boards Association.
Brownstown Central has two members appointed by the town council, and five are appointed by township trustees.
Shade was appointed after Montgomery, who was president at the time, died in January 2013. In June 2015, the council reappointed school board President Mary Ann Spray to another four years.
Shade has worked at Aisin Drivetrain Inc. in Crothersville since 1998 and currently serves as vice president.
He said his industrial experience brings a different angle to the school board.
“I’ve been able to bring that other voice, ‘Hey, what if you thought about it this way or thought about it that way?’” he said.
“My background is detail, detail, detail and being organized, so I think I’ve been able to help in that way.”
Shade also is familiar with the education field because his father was a teacher at Pike High School for 37 years and coached for 25 of those years, and his mother is in her 37th year as the deputy treasurer for the Brownsburg school district. Also, his wife, Jennifer, is the varsity volleyball coach at Brownstown.
“It’s interesting, and it’s important to me,” he said of being a part of the inner workings of the school corporation. “My kids are through school now, but I imagine I’ll have some grandkids coming up, so it will be important to me to help lay that foundation.”
Shade said the corporation has a good group of administrators and school board members who have worked to do the right thing and continue to do so.
For example, the schools had a lot of outdated equipment, and corporation leaders have made upgrades in recent years while staying within budget and not increasing taxes.
Work inside and outside the schools needs to continue, and Shade said he feels like the corporation has people in place to see it through.
“This is an important time, I think, for not only the school system, but for the town as we turn the page in this generation and look forward,” he said. “We want people to be able to drive by Brownstown schools and say, ‘Hey, I want to go to that school.’”
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Name: Scott Shade
Age: 50
Hometown: Brownsburg
Residence: Brownstown
Education: Brownsburg High School (1984); Purdue University (bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering technology, 1990)
Occupation: Worked at Aisin Drivetrain Inc. in Crothersville since 1998, currently serving as vice president
Family: Wife, Jennifer Shade; children, Abbi Shade and Jacoby Shade
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