Highland board discusses first day, future projects

Highland Superintendent Ken Crawford praised the work of the principals, teachers, bus drivers, cooks and others on how the first day of school went.

'Today went extremely well, the couple of bumps were manageable,” Crawford said during the school board meeting Monday. 'I think we're all going to sleep pretty well.”

Crawford said the morning went well. He said everyone had a face covering and was calm, unlike a normal first day of school.

'It started out calm, and it stayed calm,” Crawford said.

Highland Elementary School Principal Jane O'Leary said the hardest part was at the end of the day figuring out busing and where students were supposed to go.

Crawford said when he walked by classrooms, everyone was wearing masks and shields.

Overall, Crawford said it felt like a normal day of school.

Highland Middle and High School Principal Angela Hazelett thanked the school board members for choosing the hybrid model.

'I think that has made this a whole lot more manageable than if we had everybody back,”Hazelett said.

Along with talking about the success of the first day, the school board discussed future project ideas to determine which ones are of the highest priority.

The discussion comes after completion of projects funded by a $3.7 million bond issue approved by voters a year ago. Those projects included new playground equipment at the elementary school, new heating and air conditioning at the middle school and high school and expansion of the high school music room.

A few of the items on the list of projects under consideration include adding more security cameras, changing the trophy cabinets, repaving parking lots and more.

Crawford said he wanted to get the board's opinion on which projects he should prioritize.

One of the items the school board decided to put toward the top is looking for some kind of covering on one of the roofs on the backside of the building.

Crawford said outside the backside of the kitchen, when it rains or ices it becomes slick there.

Board member decided to prioritize it because it is a safety issue.