Once a teacher, always a teacher. Brad Ray is resigning his position as superintendent of East Grand School District at the end of the school year to return to the classroom.

When he accepted his first administrative job in 2004, Ray says he knew he would return to teaching before he retired. More than two decades have passed since he took a job as an assistant principal at a middle school, and he still hopes to end his career working hands-on with kids.

For the Rays, teaching is a family affair. Brad’s wife, Christina, spent her career in academia and is currently a fifth grade teacher at Granby Elementary School. All three of their children, now adults, have taken up teaching as a profession.

“Thanksgiving, around the table, they all talk about kids, and I get a little jealous every now and then,” Ray said.

Ray accepted the position as East Grand Superintendent in 2022 after spending four years as superintendent of the Garfield County School District. Last year, Ray negotiated with the school board to take two years off of his contract, which would have extended into 2027. At a Sept. 2 school board meeting, he announced his resignation, effective June 30, 2026.

Ray highlighted both significant challenges and successes during his three-year term serving East Grand schools. One project he found particularly rewarding was his acquisition of three selective Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) Grants from the Colorado Department of Education for multiple developments in the district, including the new Granby Elementary School building completed in 2024 and upgrades to dated infrastructure in the middle and high school.

“I’m proud that we made good, long term decisions around what we did and why we did it, Ray said. “And some of those things people will never see. Like, nobody gets really excited about a new boiler, but ours were dated and they needed repairs.”

Outdoor facilities were also completed and maintained under his oversight, including two new turf fields at Middle Park High School which will be used for baseball and softball. Ray said he is optimistic the turf will save water and time for the school maintenance department, which currently consists of just two people: one full-time employee and a director. On occasion, he has even pitched in on repair projects to relieve the understaffed department.

“I wear a lot of different hats and do a lot of different things,” Ray said. “And I would like to say that I don’t think there’s one job in this place I wouldn’t be willing to do.”

While proud of the district’s school improvements, Ray noted that his successor will have to address many of the same complex issues he navigated during his tenure. He pointed to gaps in the district’s academic performance, with non-native English speakers and students with adaptive learning programs often struggling to meet state standards.

“We could do a lot better there,” he said. “And our students who have individualized education programs and learning disabilities, we could probably do better there.”

Ensuring foundational literacy in young students, retaining staff members and continuing community partnerships are additional issues he hopes will be addressed by the future superintendent and the district Strategic Plan Advisory Committee.

“We have these subcategories that we don’t hide from,” he said. “We’ve got some things happening that the next superintendent needs to understand.”

Recently, Ray also reflected on Grand County’s above-average chronic absenteeism.

“I think we’ll see a focus on (attendance rates),” Ray said. “And I think we have to figure out the why, before we figure out how to fix it.”

At a state level, changing education models are affecting the way school districts operate. The Rules for the Administration of the Public School Finance Act (1 CCR 301-39) changes were adopted by the State Board of Education in March 2024, leading the Colorado Department of Education to explore online learning programs.

An online learning option is in the exploratory stages for East Grand. Led by Colorado teachers, the program would give students flexibility while also maintaining check-ins between students and instructors to keep their relationship in tact.

While other Colorado school districts have already opted in to the new platform, Ray said he is approaching the emerging model with caution by monitoring its implementation in other districts and evaluating how the program would serve the needs of Grand County students.

The East Grand School Board is tasked with selecting the next superintendent. Due to a school board election set to occur on Nov. 4, Ray said the search for his replacement will likely begin once the new members are in place.

After his resignation from superintendent, Ray plans to return to the classroom to bring full circle an education career that began decades ago.