Highland County School Board Close Out Meeting Sees Another Retirement in the High School

At the close out school board meeting on June 27, the board voted to accept the retirement of long-time high school secretary Susan Murray and appointed three coaches to begin August 1, 2024. This includes Terry Bradley as head golf coach, Beth McGuire as varsity volleyball head coach, and Haley Terry as JV Volleyball head coach. 

No new teachers or administrative staff were hired leaving positions open for elementary administrator, special education teacher, 2nd grade teacher, secondary math teacher, high school secretary and middle school English teacher. Positions for bus driver and cafeteria worker are also open and being listed. One additional position was added Monday after the meeting to list the position of school counselor after the funds were approved in the 2024-25 budget by the Highland County Board of Supervisors. The board went into closed session under VA Code § 2.2-3711 A.1 to discuss personnel matters at the end of the meeting, but no decisions from this meeting were announced when the board came back from closed session to adjourn. 

Also during the meeting, the school board voted to approve a close out letter to the Highland County Board of Supervisors, it reads “The Highland County School Board voted at their closeout meeting on June 27, 2024, to transfer $24,107.64 from Instruction to Administration. The School Board approved, and we are requesting, that the budget surplus of $285,286.88 be placed into the school’s capital account for future projects including the renovation of a Highland High School restroom to become ADA compliant, upgrades to the HVAC controls in the High School and Elementary School, replacing equipment/apparatus on the Elementary School playground, fire system improvements, window upgrades, and paint/repair school buses.”

Board member Sherry Sullenberger made a motion to add to the letter that “we would like to replace the elementary school gym floor and the high school gym floor with the elementary school being first priority.” This passed unanimously. 

Also in the meeting, June minutes from previous Highland County School Board meetings were approved as well as payment of vendor bills. The board also voted to remove Nicole Cabral and  Elisabeth Chandler from the elementary school bank signature card and add Candace Lightner, the newly hired elementary secretary. Both School Board Clerk Tabitha Ulmer and Superintendent Dr. Drew Maerz will remain on the signature card.