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In Brief . . .
Highland County School Board
¦ The Highland school board Monday appointed Caroline Botkin as assistant track coach, Kenny Hiner for softball coach and Susan Cornelius as a teacher's assistant, replacing Crystal Hill who resigned due to relocation outside the area. ¦ Parent Karla Obaugh asked for clarification on school administration membership in the Highland County Education Association. She said it should not be allowed because the HCEA acted as a union or worker advocacy group and that might pose a conflict of interest for supervisory personnel. Superintendent Gary Blair said he had no control over the HCEA or who could become a member. "I don't think we have any authority over that," he said. He emphasized the HCEA was not a collective bargaining organization and that no adversarial relationship existed between school administration and the HCEA. ¦ The board appointed board member Jim Blagg to head a subcommittee to reconsider the senior trip policy at Highland High School. The committee will have at least one faculty advisor and one sponsor in addition to parents and faculty, and is tasked with reassessing current policy and presenting a recommendation to the school board. Blagg will pick members (keeping the number small), organize meeting dates and determine a date to report his findings. The policy established last year changes the senior trip from a week-long excursion near the end of the senior year to roughly four overnight field trips spread out over the four years a class is at HHS. The policy also restricts the amount of money a class can spend on the trips. Parents and students objected to the new format, saying the school was penalizing students. "We don't want to make changes lightly, but there are reasons to look at it again," said chairman Kirk Billingsley. He gave Blagg additional guidance, saying liability issues should be considered and class trips should be curriculum-based. Member John Moyers Jr. said class trips were curriculum based when he attended HHS. He'd like class trips to once again focus on curriculum. Blagg agreed the trips should be a learning experience and not just a vacation. None of the parents or students at the meeting disagreed the trip should be educational as well as having a recreational component. They are basically asking the classes be given more freedom to decide the shape the trip should take and more control over how money is raised and spent for it. ¦ Highland Elementary School principal Teresa Blum said the Destination Imagination teams were practicing from 3:30-6 p.m. daily in preparation for the March 15 competition in Charlottesville. She asked students, teachers and the community to wear pink on March 14 in support of the DI students. Pink is their team color. ¦ Obaugh reported the shopping for school money programs at Kroger, Martin's and Food Lion was continuing to exceed last year's results. So far, Kroger has accumulated 71,615 points from 86 shoppers for HES, Martin's has $155.47 from 74 shoppers, and Food lion had 50 shoppers but had not yet given a tally of money earned. Obaugh said she would have two booths at Maple Festival to sign people up for Food Lion and Martin's. The current year's program cycle ends March 15. Blum added the box tops program netted $800 this year. ¦ The board approved the 2008-09 calendars. ¦ The board will have a budget work session at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 16 and a public hearing on the budget at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 19. The school board might postpone a vote on the budget until 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 26.
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