Several Hillsboro FFA students attended Monday’s school board meeting to ask the administration to replace FFA teacher Libby McNeal, who is resigning effective March 22.

Six of the FFA members addressed the board, while others were attendance. Their primary concern was that McNeal’s position be filled so that the FFA program would not be left with just one instructor, because the program is too large for that.

Emmy Yochum, the FFA vice president, said 164 Hillsboro students are enrolled in the FFA program this year, and that the program is anticipates having 184 students next school year. For comparison, she said that McClain High School has 136 FFA students with two instructors, Fairfield has 130 FFA students with two instructors, and Lynchburg-Clay has 80 FFA students with one instructor.

Hillsboro had two instructors until McNeal submitted her resignation.

“Downsizing the program to one teacher would be a big hit,” Yochum said.

She said McNeal also taught two middle classes and asked where those students would go without her. She said lots of juniors and seniors leave school after morning classes for jobs and for other reasons, but don’t return. However, she said, FFA juniors and seniors return to school specifically for their agriculture classes.

“They come back because of their love and dedication to FFA,” she said.

After the six students’ presentation, school board president Bill Myers said, “Very well done. We will definitely talk about that and get back to you.”

Superintendent Tim Davis said that for the remainder of the current school year a substitute will be used to fill McNeal’s position. He said a decision on the position for next year has not been made. He said that within the last couple weeks an opportunity became available for McNeal that was not with another school district and that she decided to take it.

“Mrs. McNeal is an awesome teacher,” Davis said after the meeting. “As with any position, we’ll look at the numbers and what’s going on and use that to influence how we move forward. Our FFA program is top-notch and we having amazing kids involved in it.”

Board member Tom Milbery said he grew up in the city and had misconceived stereotypes about FFA when he came to Hillsboro as a teacher in 1983. He said that was until he heard an FFA student deliver one of the most well-spoken presentations he had heard a student give.

“You folks in FFA, as you did so well tonight, have just done fantastic throughout the years, and I wish you the best,” Milbery.

In his report to the board, Davis said bleachers for the new baseball and softball fields at the school were supposed to arrive Tuesday, and that the benches, dugouts and scoreboard are already on hand or should arrive soon. He said the school has already hosted two baseball scrimmages and that the new fields should be ready for the regular season.

The superintendent said Hillsboro students will not be going outside on “Eclipse Day,” but the district will use the day as an educational experience. He said high school and middle school students will already be out for the day at the time of the eclipse and that the school’s younger students will follow the eclipse on classroom smart boards.

In other news, the board approved preschool tuition fees for the 2024-25 school year. The standard monthly tuition will be $100 per month (September through May) for families above the 200% poverty guidelines. Eligibility for free tuition is determined when a family is 200% below the poverty guidelines.

The board approved a change in the deadline for open enrollment from Sept. 30 to Aug. 1. Davis said that will allow the district to know how many students are going to be in each grade level and classroom before the school year begins.

A contract with Prodigy Building Solutions was approved for repairs to areas of the flat roof at the elementary school that have not already been repaired. Davis said the district hoped to wait a little longer to make the repairs, but that there is water getting into the building. He said the building is 22 to 23 years old and that once the repairs are made the roof will be completely revamped.

The board approved a GPD Employees’ Foundation Grant of $5,888 to purchase a special mobility chair.

The board accepted a donation of $569 for the Hillsboro Alumni Fund. Davis said the HHS class of 1951 collected money for reunions each year, but decided to discontinue the reunions and donated the leftover funds to the school district.

Other donations accepted included: an anonymous $5 to be used where needed, an anonymous $500 to be used where needed, $100 from First State Bank for Wildcat shirts, $100 from Howland Asphalt for the prom, from Merchants National Bank $850 for Wildcat shirts and $500 to the junior class for the 2025 prom, $210 from Ponderosa for Wildcat shirts and $432 from The Porch for Wildcat shirts.

The Wildcats are a basketball team from the Highland County Board of DD that will play a game March 28 at HHS against faculty and students. Davis said Hillsboro students had chances to buy shirts in support of the Wildcats and that the entire student body in grades 7-12 will be at the game with festivities beginning around noon. The high school band and cheerleaders will also take part.

The board approved out-of-state field trips for the high school science class to Newport, Kentucky on April 5 and for a five-person middle school robotics team that qualified for a world competition April 27 to May 1 in Dallas, Texas.

Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522.