Board Presented Petition to Reconsider School Closing Vote

The first school board meeting since the decision to close Highland Middle School was held Thursday night at Milford High School. This was also the first meeting with Charles Dittmar as board president, since the of Lisa Blackwell, who now serves as a board trustee.

Prior to the meeting, Dittmar was given a petition that asked the board to revote on whether to close . Dittmar said the petition looked to have around 400 signatures of support.

Dittmar explained that a revote could occur only if a board member who previously voted in favor of closing Highland Middle School made a motion to rescind that vote. He then asked the board if anyone wanted to make such a motion, but no one did. Board members Blackwell, John Knight and Sean Carlson were not present at the time. Carlson arrived later.

“This vote has been called twice now with the same result,” stated Dittmar. “This board will no longer revisit this issue.”

Some public comments expressed discontent with the decision to move beyond reconsideration because both Knight and Carlson, who voted in favor of closing HMS and therefore could have made the motion to rescind, were not present.

The rest of the evening featured some key highlights:

• The presentation of a transition plan that would explain the next steps in the middle school closing and reconfiguring process was not shown. The presentation had been scheduled for the evening but was postponed, at the urging of Dittmar, until all board members can be present and come to a resolution on any matters as a whole. He projects such a meeting to occur sometime at the end of March.
• A budget update and future projections presentation concerning the 2011 fiscal year revealed a preliminary estimated shortfall of $12.9 million. This is a reflection of the state-proposed $470 per-pupil cut, as well as retirement and health care costs. The final budget plan is set to be approved at the June 9 meeting.
• Superintendent Jackie Johnston addressed concerns about drainage issues at Oak Valley Middle School. She explained that there was an issue with one kitchen sink not working properly and having a tendency to back up. It was discovered that there was a dip in the line where sediment would gather. This was repaired during the 2010 winter break, with no further issues reported. She also assured that the land OVMS is built on was suitable and appropriate for building, with proper soil research having been done prior to construction. 

The following district accomplishments and administrative changes were recognized:

• Greg Morris, marketing and special events coordinator, was recognized as the 2010 Volunteer of the Year by the .
• Highland Middle School Assistant Principal Patrick Borg will become the assistant principal at Muir Middle School in the fall.
• Highland Middle School Principal Martin Lindberg will become the principal at Muir Middle School in the fall.
• Muir Middle School Principal Kevin McKenna will become the principal at Milford High School when current Principal Mike Krystyniak retires at the end of this school year.

The next Board of Education meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. April 21 at . A special meeting or board dialogue may be scheduled for the end of March.