Two incumbent school board members are running unopposed in Highland’s School Board Election. Alan Barone and Heather Welch will appear on the absentee ballot. Registered voters of the District will automatically receive Absentee Ballots by mail. All ballots must be received by 5 pm on June 9.

Heather Welch grew up in Highland and graduated in the Class of 2000. She attended the University of Connecticut in Storrs, earning BA and Masters degrees in Accounting in 2004. She received her Certified Public Accountant designation in 2005 and moved back to Highland in 2007. She and her husband have three young children, with two in school, kindergarten and the 2nd grade.

In 2011 Welch served one year when a member stepped off the board but lost re-election in 2012. She returned to the fray and won seats in 2014 and 2017 and is presently seeking a third term this year.

Welch said she has always loved the Highland School District.

“My years going there served me very, very well,” she said. “I think going away to college you realize how special your community is, which is the reason we moved back.”

In addition Welch said her employer, Central Hudson, encourages community involvement and she gravitated toward serving on the school board.

Welch also volunteers as the Treasurer for the Highland United Soccer Club as well as the Highland Educational Foundation.

Welch said the district received less in Foundation Aid because of the pandemic.

Welch said the board decided this year to take less money from the Fund Balance; just a little more than $1 million, but in years past they have consistently appropriated about $1.5 million.

The district indicated that in order to keep the budget down and to meet the tax levy limit, reductions of $1.29 million were “unavoidable.” There were 11 retirements that provided some budget relief, with 6 positions to remain unfilled and 5 to be staffed with new hires at lower salary levels.

Welch said online learning has been challenging, “but really the goal is to figure out how we can operate in a safe and effective manner going forward in addition to being mindful of some of the construction funding that we are going to have that are not under our control. Certainly we’re going to have to figure out how to make them work.”

Welch said through this pandemic period with kids at home has, “proven that school is a lot more than just learning; it’s a community for these kids, it’s their environment that’s shaping really who they are, not only academically but as a person. I think that has become evident through the changes that have been made through distance learning.”

Welch said the decision to open school in September will place safety at the top of the list for the kids, staff, administration and the community. She said it is important, “to make sure that we are doing what we can to get back to a new normal but at the same time making sure that safety is in the forefront of that conversation.”

Welch said any additional budgetary cuts at this point are unknown, “just based on what is going to happen on a state and federal level.” She pointed out that in the past few budgetary cycles Highland has moved into a very good fiscal position, “and I wouldn’t say that we’re in an awful one now either, it’s just the unknown of whether they are going to cut federal funding because they need funding for somewhere else. It’s just the unknown of the funding that’s going to come our way overall.”

Welch said Highland is a great school district that attracts people to move here.

“I think the Highland family has always been strong and I can see certainly through this pandemic that the Highland community has remained strong,” she said. “I’m just excited and happy to be a part of it.”

Alan Barone is the current long-serving President of the Highland Board of Education. He is an Estimator and Project Manager by profession and has three children who have graduated from the district.

On the school district’s website Barone states that, “During the last several years my experience has been challenging and rewarding as I continue to strive to provide the best education possible for the children of Highland School District. I also enjoy working with a dedicated administration, teaching, and support staff to assure that goal is achieved within the means provided by the taxpayers.”

Barone did not respond to a request for a phone interview.