Highland school board adds new member after one resigns
By Brittany Blackwell
Reporter • The Highland School District Board of Education has welcomed a new member since May to fill a vacancy following a recent resignation.
Kathryn Comish has accepted the invitation to join the school board following Chris Goodwin’s resignation. Superintendent Mike Sutton and Board President Aaron Schuster received Goodwin’s resignation letter on May 3, one day before the rescheduled May 4 board meeting.
“After careful consideration, I’ve decided to step down due to significant personal and professional obligations, as I am no longer able to dedicate the time and attention necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of this role to the standard it deserves,” the letter read.
Sutton told the Times-Tribune that he appreciates Goodwin’s service to the district.
“Board members are not compensated and only do it as a service to our students, community and district. Chris served on the board from April of 2023 to present and showed true dedication to our community,” he said.
Schuster explained that Goodwin was a valued colleague and will be missed.
“Financially, he helped keep us in line,” he said. “His background in finance was a good help for us for budgeting reasons.”
During the May 4 meeting, Sutton told the board that, under the law, a replacement must be appointed within 30 days, and the regional superintendent, currently Robert Werden, has the authority to make a decision if the board fails to do so within that timeframe.
To fill the vacancy, board members considered candidates from the most recent election for their demonstrated interest in serving and selected Comish, the highest vote-getter who was not elected. She was present at the June 22 board meeting.
“Kathryn Comish will also be a valuable member of our board of education,” Sutton told the Times-Tribune. “She received the next highest number of votes in the last election and will hit the ground running with enthusiasm as she becomes familiar with the district processes.”
Schuster told the Times-Tribune that he considered the selection process transparent and objective.
“Kathryn is pretty active in a lot of different community events, too, so she’ll be a good resource for the school board. She also has a background in education. We’re excited to work with her,” he said.
Sutton presented alternative options, such as posting the vacancy and accepting letters of interest from community members before conducting interviews, but noted that this process can be time-consuming.
“We’ve done that before,” Sutton said. “It’s very political, if you will, because they’re not having to go through the election cycle to get the petitions turned in and go through the process of being elected.”
Questions arose regarding township representation and eligibility. It was confirmed that appointing Comish of Helvetia would not create representation issues, and she is eligible to serve the remainder of Goodwin’s term, which expires in April 2027. She will also be eligible to run for election when the seat is next on the ballot.
Under state law, no more than three board members from any single congressional township may serve on the board at the same time to prevent board concentration in any one specific area. Highland School District spans several townships in Madison and Bond counties, with board members representing Helvetia, Saline, Leef and Alhambra.
If Comish did not accept, the board agreed to extend an offer to the next-highest vote-getter among unelected candidates, such as Jeffrey Schaible, who has previously served on the board.
