The Southern Ohio Educational Service Center (SOESC) announced Tuesday the employment of the Director of Highland County ACCESS, a new initiative that will provide coordinated educational opportunities for both youth and adult students to improve the Highland County workforce.

Tim Dettwiller, who is currently completing his term as superintendent of the Fairfield Local Schools, will be assigned this new role in Highland County.

Dettwiller has worked in education for 22 years and has served as the Fairfield Local Schools superintendent since 2018. As director of ACCESS, Dettwiller will begin his assignment in July 2022.

ACCESS stands for the Alignment of Community Connections for Employer and Student Success. This work will be managed by the Highland County Workforce Leadership Council, which is made up of many organizations within the community. Those primarily are the city of Greenfield; Southern State Community College; Highland County Economic Development Office; Highland County Community Action Organization; GRIT (Growing, Rural, Independence, Together) Program; Highland County Chamber of Commerce; and Highland County schools.

All partners are working together for one common goal — to provide and coordinate educational opportunities for both youth and adult students to improve the Highland County workforce.

The ACCESS program will be administered by the Highland County Workforce Leadership Council. The Southern Ohio Educational Service Center (SOESC) will act as a fiscal agent for the ACCESS director position as they will employ the director. Members of the council will fund the new director position.

The SOESC provides specialized academic and support services to 12 school districts in Adams, Clinton, Fayette and Highland counties. The school districts receive services from school improvement consultants, gifted and special education consultants, speech pathologists, psychologists, and special education teachers.

Submitted by the Southern Ohio Educational Service Center.