The Highland School Board met June 12. Photo by Sam McIntosh.

The Highland School Board is considering what to do with the Ainsworth Elementary building since it will no longer hold classes for the district.

At Monday’s meeting, Ainsworth Mayor Troy McCarthy spoke to the board, “We don’t want to lose the school, we want to keep it in the town. We don’t want a developer to come in, buy it, tear it down, and turn it into apartments. We want to keep the school, there’s a lot of history in the school, the gymnasium should be a landmark if it isn’t. It’s part of our community.” McCarthy gave two proposals to the council, first to purchase the ball fields, and secondly the building and grounds for a $1 each.

The board hadn’t determined a selling price for the building, but Superintendent Chris Armstrong had mentioned during previous discussions with the City of Ainsworth that a public entity can give away property to another public entity for a $1. Board members Lois Schneider and Nate Robinson both commented on their apprehension to sell the building for a $1. Schneider asked about the fair market value of the building, whether it would be in the district’s best financial interest to sell the building for $1. The board discussed how they haven’t held a public hearing for ideas of what the district should do with the school. The board motioned to set a public hearing about the Ainsworth School at their next meeting July 10.