By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays school board will take up a $78.5 million proposed bond issue at its meeting Monday.
The bond is a sweeping plan to remodel or replace schools that are 60 to 90 years old.
The bond issue seeks to do the following:
• Build two new elementary schools to replace Wilson and O’Loughlin elementary schools. The new Wilson school will be built on the current Wilson property and new land would be sought for the second new elementary school. All three of the elementary schools will be able to accommodate four sections of each grade.
• Update Roosevelt Elementary School with a secured entrance, classroom renovations, added classrooms, storm shelter, new gymnasium and cafeteria/kitchen renovations. Roosevelt’s current storm shelter is in the basement, which makes in inaccessible for children or staff with disabilities.
• O’Loughlin would be repurposed to house the Early Childhood Center, Adult Learning Center and Westside School. A secured entrance, storm shelter and classrooms would be added as well as classroom renovations completed. The plans for O’Loughlin propose secure doors separating the different programs that would be located in the building.
• Hays Middle School renovations would include a secured entrance, additions to the cafeteria, kitchen renovations, and an additional gymnasium to provide adequate space for PE classes. As many as 130 students are being crammed into the gym space at HMS for PE classes currently.
• Update Hays High School with a secured entrance, storm shelter, classroom renovations, additional
classrooms, renovated Career Technical Education (CTE) and fine arts classrooms, new HVAC system, and a new auditorium to replace 12th Street Auditorium.
The Munjor building would go back to the Catholic Church. Washington and Lincoln schools would be repurposed.
The Westside and Rockwell properties would still continue to house administration and maintenance. Superintendent John Thissen has said the district wishes to use the bond money to focus on projects that directly affect students.
If the district determines it is more efficient to shutter Westside and Rockwell in favor of other locations, that will be considered at a later date.
Hays has no bond projects on the books currently and has not had since 1990, which puts it at the bottom of a list of like-sized school districts in the state.
It’s overall mill levy, 43.673 mills, is next to last on a similar list for overall mill levy.
Hays is considered a wealthy school district and receives no additional state aid. All the funds for the bond issue must come from local taxes.
The district’s plan seeks to lower the district’s capital outlay mill levy by 2 mills. The bond issue mill levy would be 11.43 mills over 30 years. This would be a net mill levy increase of 9.43 mills. The monthly cost to the owner of a $150,000 home would be $16.43.
Three groups came together to create the bond issue proposal, an executive team, made up of administrators; a staff planning team; and a community vision team made up of teachers, parents and members of the community.
In addition the district conducted a community survey and teacher in-service while developing the plan.
The district had a $94 million bond issue that failed in 2016 and has tried to address issues of trust and tax structure that were issues during that election.
The planning teams debated the need to build two new elementary schools. Much of this discussion centered around the cost of renovation compared to new construction, considering the age and value of the buildings.
A renovation of Wilson Elementary School would cost about $15.6 million, which is about 73 percent of the $21.4 million cost of constructing a new building.
If the bond issue is approved by the board on Monday, it could go on the ballot as soon as the general election on Nov. 7.
The board also will consider dropping the material/workbook fee for all students from $135 to $90 for the upcoming school year. The state has approved a budget that will increase funding to the state’s school districts, and USD 489 plans to use a portion of that money to offset the $90,000 reduction in fees.
In other business, the board will discuss:
• Board president appointments
• Filling the board vacancy left by the resignation of member Sarah Rankin
• Teacher negotiations
• Board goal setting
• Health insurance
• Pre-enrollment class projections
• Special meeting notices for the budget and budget hearing
• Copy paper bid
• Title VI-B budget approval and SPED update