We aren’t mad.
We’re disappointed.
Perhaps a parent, friend, or significant other has said those words to you at some point after making an unwise decision. Being on the receiving end of disappointment is a humbling experience.
This week there are a lot of folks in Highlands who are disappointed in the Macon County Board of Commissioners and Macon County Public Schools.
After two years of work getting a potential building expansion at Highlands School off the ground in order to accommodate additional Pre-K classrooms, the project was shuttered by a pair of votes from the two boards in February.
First, the county board of commissioners voted to nullify a contract with LS3P for architectural services related to the Highlands School expansion. The county has already paid LS3P more than $35,000, which it will not recoup.
The reason for canceling the contract was given by county commission chair Paul Higdon as a change in recommendations from the liaison committee to the school system. The liaison committee chose five other projects to prioritize – Macon Middle School vent pipes, Nantahala School wastewater treatment plant, Highlands Middle School renovations, repairing the Macon Middle School running track, and building a new Franklin High School.
There is no doubt those five projects also need to be done. Halting the Highlands Pre-K expansion is not the fault of those other capital needs or the students/faculty they may potentially benefit.
But it’s still incredibly disappointing.
Last week the school board voted 3-2 to take the Pre-K project off its capital outlay request. Highlands’ school board representative Hilary Wilkes, who fought to keep the project moving forward, and board member Stephanie Laseter voted to keep the project on the list, but were out-voted by Jim Breedlove, Diedre Breeden and Melissa Evans.
Childcare for kids too young for kindergarten has been listed among Highlands’ greatest needs for more than a decade. Recently the Highlands Community Child Development Center opened the doors on a second location at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, which is already at capacity, as is the Gordon Center.
The school board and the county commissioners had a chance to make a positive difference and instead chose to go five other directions with their support.
To the disappointment of many.