RIVERSIDE

Aaron Friederich, a Vice President in commercial lending at GreenState Credit Union and a volunteer assistant football coach at Highland High School, has been appointed to the Highland Community School Board.

Friederich was appointed by the Board at a special meeting Monday that included interviews with three other applicants in an open meeting.

“I’ve got education in my family,” Friederich, a University of Iowa graduate, told The News.

His mother was a teacher at Forest City, where he grew up, and his brother, Ryan, is a current teacher in computer science at Forest City.

Friederich was appointed to the District 3 seat held by Monica Jepson ahead of three other candidates: David Hickenbottom, Highland High School alum Erik Kallaus, and Matt Young, a sergeant in the Iowa City Police Department who lives in rural Riverside.

The candidate field of four drew strong responses from the Board, especially considering that the last local election featured all unopposed races.

“This is massively unusual,” Schools Superintendent Ken Crawford said.

“It’s not the last we see of you, no matter what,” said Dan Ruth, Board Vice President.

Friederich brings a background in finance to the Board at a time when the district is hoping to soon put in place a $15 million facilities improvement plan.

He and his wife moved with their three children to rural Riverside two years ago. Friederich was a high school quarterback at Forest City who once passed for a school-record 361 yards in one game.

The seat Friederich was appointed to is among those that will be up for election next November.

Bond Appeal in Court

Legal processes are continuing with an appeal that was filed with a district court in Washington to challenge a vote in November that passed a $15 million bond referendum for Highland Community Schools. The problem was, the referendum included nearly 100 votes from a small portion of Washington County residents who weren’t entitled to vote because they don’t live in Highland’s school district.

Attorneys for the district are filing responses to seven points in the appeal.

After that, a district judge will either determine a trial to be held in the case or make a ruling without a trial.

No matter the decision, it still could wind up with the Iowa Supreme Court, Crawford said.

The delays have caused frustration among School Board members.

“I just struggle with the fact that we did everything we were supposed to do,” said Ruth, who has served on the Schools Facility Committee.

“This is a handful of people that are dragging us through the mud,” Board member Rachel Longbine said.

The bond money, if it survives the appeal, is planned to finance a number of improvements at Highland High School and Junior High School, and Highland Elementary, including an additional indoor facility that would be used for athletic and special events. Plans also call for more classrooms at Highland Elementary and expanded locker rooms at the high school.

Four-Day Talk

Surveys about Highland’s four-day week included responses showing more than 82% of parents and 88% of teachers supporting the move this year in terms of “overall support.”

“I was pleasantly surprised with everything,” Board President Nate Robinson said. “I’m pretty happy with that.”

One of the major issues entering the four-day plan was child care and meal plans on the Fridays where there is no school. The surveys showed that more than 90% of families had solved those issues.

“I thought that was a big number,” Crawford said.

For students, 100% preferred the four-day week.

“There’s a handful of things we need to work on,” Ruth said.

But then, Longbine responded, “We weren’t perfect before we went to four days.”

Board members were pleased with the number of surveys that were returned: 103 by teachers, 75 by students and 50 by teachers.

“That’s awesome,” Longbine said.

Next Meeting

The board will hold its next formal meeting at 5 p.m. March 10.