By KARI BLURTON
Hays Posts

Starting next school year, all schools in Hays USD 489 except Hays High School will begin a new schedule, as school will start three minutes eariler than usual and end two minutes later adding five minutes to the school day.

The time changes provide six days in which students will be released from school at 1 p.m.

Sarah Wasinger, Hays USD 489 assistant to the superintendent and board clerk, said the change will result provide teachers with a requested increase in collaboration time between staff, especially in light of the USD 489’s decision to finance 2,100 iPads for grades K-8.

“(The teachers) will be able to collaborate at grade levels, at school levels as things come up they need help on,” Wasinger said. “The technology initiative is going to be a really key (topic) to give teachers extra time early on to really get an idea on how that technology will best serve them in the classroom and how to teach students how to use (iPads) as a proper tool in the classroom as well.”

Wasinger stressed teachers will be working the same number of hours despite the change.

The dates of early release have not been determined.

Corrected, 11:30 a.m. April 22