BLOOMINGDALE – A familiar face will be roaming the hallways of Jefferson County Joint Vocational School once again as Andy Long returns this August.

Long, who previously served as a teacher and administrator at the site, will fill the new dean of students position when he begins on Aug. 1. He received a two-year contract during the April 21 JVS school board meeting and will oversee a combination of assistant principal and guidance duties while working with Principal Heather Hoover.

JVS Superintendent Ted Gorman said Long’s history with the school made him the perfect choice.

“The dean of students is both assistant principal and guidance counselor, so he will take on a combined role,” Gorman said. “He has a very good knowledge of the JVS building and career-technical education. I’m looking forward to having him on our team as we move our vocational school forward.”

Long graduated from Buckeye Local High School in 2003 and earned a bachelor’s degree in integrated social studies education from Ohio University in 2007, a master’s degree in school counseling from the University of West Alabama in 2017 and a certificate in educational leadership from Salem University in 2020. He was employed at the junior high for two years as a school counselor before heading to the JVS. He was part of JVS for seven years, beginning as a social studies teacher moving on to become assistant principal and principal, before heading back to his old stomping grounds to serve as Buckeye Local Jr. High School principal in 2025.

He said he was proud to be part of Buckeye Local and was looking forward to returning to the JVS.

“This was my first year as junior high principal,” he said. “I’m most excited about returning to career-technical education and the mission-driven work of the JVS. There’s something uniquely powerful about hands-on applied learning that gives students tangible, real-world skills they can use immediately.”

He noted his gratitude with Buckeye Local officials for the chance to serve in that district.

“I’m deeply grateful to Buckeye Local and Superintendent Coy Sudvary for the opportunity to be part of this community. This past year at BLJH has been tremendous and there’s been a lot of great things happening. I’ve been honored to be part of it.”

In other personnel matters, the board approved the re-employment of licensed staff, including Buddy Davis, Jennifer Davis, Wayne Harris, Fred Jones, Tamela Marshall, Todd Parker, Tammy Sismondo, and Dylan Stickler for four years; Melissa Zifzal for two years; and Carissa Hennen, Shaun Ford, Amy Rusnak, Caroline Schooler, Kaylee Schubenski, and Lillian Thrasher for one year. Classified staff were also approved, including Lou DeChristopher, Piper Eckenrode, Jon Eick, Lisa McFarland, Tammi Middleton, Richard Potts, Jamie Spencer, and Emily Waggoner for two years each.

Additionally, Mitchell Hukill was hired as a math instructor on a one-year limited contract while Keith Kaczor was named as substitute teacher for the 2025-26 school year and Shellie Henderson and Jamie Spencer were named substitutes on the 2026-2027 list. Officials also accepted the resignation of building cleaner Jessica Scheider, placed Dylan Stickler on a continuing contract, and gave Heather Hoover a supplemental contract as testing coordinator.