The Highland School Board will make a final decision regarding the potential closure of Ainsworth Elementary at their February 13th meeting, but at their most recent meeting they received additional information about some options and additional costs. Superintendent Chris Armstrong provided a report on the cost estimates for repair work on the building. According to Armstrong, it would cost at least $30,000 to repair the roof, or $90,000 to replace it. Additionally, the building needs upgrades to its heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, as well as upgrades to the lights and internet. All total, it would cost approximately $500,000 to cover the work that needs to be done.

Conversely, Armstrong says it would cost an additional $5,000 a year to bus all the students to Riverside Elementary, and they would have to add a shuttle. The board is still exploring other options for cost saving that wouldn’t involve the closure of Ainsworth Elementary. Armstrong says the board asked him to explore the possibility of grade centers. He explains, “In other words, move all our 4th and 5th graders in the district, and they would attend at Ainsworth, and then all our pre-K through 3rd graders would all attend at Riverside Elementary. If we would do grade centers, we would have four empty rooms at our Riverside attendance center. We’d have three empty rooms at our Ainsworth attendance center. The board’s just going to have to decide fiscally and educationally what’s going to be best for our students.” Armstrong is unsure what the board will ultimately decide at the February 13th meeting, but he’s confident they’ve been given all the information they need to make a decision.