For the fourth time in seven years, there is a new principal at Rudder High School.
The Bryan school board Monday without comment, unanimously supported the administration’s recommendation of moving the current principal at Stephen F. Austin Middle School.
Rachel Layton was an assistant principal at Rudder before moving to SFA three years ago.
Layton, who was one of Rudder’s original teachers when the campus opened, takes over for Mario Bye, who resigned for personal reasons after serving two years.
From Bryan ISD:
The Bryan ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved Rachel Layton as principal of James Earl Rudder High School at their board meeting on Monday, May 4.
Ms. Layton has worked in education for 20 years, all in Bryan ISD. She has served the last three years as principal of SFA Middle School and before that was one of the original teachers at Rudder High School when the school opened in 2007, and also served as an assistant principal and the associate principal.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to return to Rudder High School. I look forward to continuing the tradition of excellence that has been established at Rudder,” Layton said. “I also want to extend my deepest thanks to the staff and students of SFA Middle School. I am a better person and educator due to the relationships I formed at SFA. I am honored to be able to work with the exceptional Ranger staff in order to positively impact the Rudder students.”
Superintendent Dr. Christie Whitbeck is excited about the impact Layton will have at Rudder.
“Rachel Layton is Rudder High School! She was there from the beginning as a teacher, coach, Assistant Principal, and Associate Principal before serving as SFA Middle School principal these last three years,’ Whitbeck said. “I am very proud of her leadership and I think she will be a perfect fit to take this campus to the next level.”
About the Hire:
Rachel Layton received her Bachelor of Arts from York College in York, Nebraska, and her Master of Education Administration from Lamar University in Beaumont.
She began her career as a teacher and coach at Rayburn Middle School, then taught history for five years at Bryan High School along with serving as a junior varsity girls basketball coach and assistant softball coach. When Rudder High School opened in 2007, Layton began teaching history at the new high school along with coaching varsity softball and junior varsity basketball. After five years, she spent a year as a district-wide high school social studies specialist, before returning to Rudder as an assistant principal and then associate principal.
During Layton’s time as principal of SFA Middle School, she oversaw the opening of a new campus built as part of the 2014 bond. SFA also earned the prestigious National Institute of Stem Education (NISE) Certification, becoming the first middle school in the Brazos Valley and only the 21st in the country to earn this recognition for excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education.
Rachel is married to James Layton, who is employed at Fuel Cells Etc., specializing in electrochemical devices. They have two daughters, one is a freshman at Bryan High School, and the other a 6th-grade student at Rayburn Intermediate School.