By CRISTINA JANNEY

Hays Post

The Hays USD 489 school board conducted a public budget hearing Thursday night, and approved its $47 million 2017-18 budget.

No members of the public spoke at the meeting.

The assessed valuation for the district increased by $14 million to $314.7 million for 2017-18, which means the district was able to reduce its local option budget mill levy by 0.11 mills for the coming year from 43.673 mills to 43.563 mills.

The capital mill levy remains at 8 mills with a total of $955,527 in the capital outlay fund, which includes carryover from last year. Not all of those funds are budgeted to spent in 2017-18.

About $520,000 has been budgeted to start repairs on the Hays High School HVAC system next summer. District officials estimate the entire project will cost $4 million to $5 million. The district hopes to start with the gym, wrestling area, lecture hall, library and offices, which  are not parts of a proposed $78.5 million bond issue to go to voters in November.

The district will be paying less on debt this year. The district owes $2.2 million, which is down from $3.6 million in 2016-17.

The district will receive about $1.9 million in additional funding in state aid this school year, thanks to additional funding approved by the Kansas Legislature this spring. Once the district accounts for losses in funding from other sources, the district will have about $1.4 million in additional funds to allocate.

The district plans to dedicate $743,275 to wage increases for teachers and staff. District officials said wages for both certified and classified staff have been lagging in recent years because of a lack of funding from the state.

The district is starting the year with $661,829 in reserves. However, Superintendent John Thissen has said the district needs to have more in reserve. The district would need about $2 million in reserve to meet expenses for one month.