By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Hays USD 489 discussed an agreement Monday with Fort Hays State University on a program that will help Hays teachers earn master’s degrees.
Under the program, USD 489 would pay about a third of the cost of the graduate courses, FHSU would pay about a third, and teachers would be responsible for the remaining third. This equals about $75 per credit hour for each entity. Virtual students would pay slightly more. One graduate level course can cost a student $800 without this type of program.
Martin Straub, Hays High School principal, said the program would help fill voids left by qualified teachers who retire or leave the district. It will be not only good for teachers, but students will benefit from learning from more qualified teacher who armed with better content, he said.
“About a year and a half ago we started taking about what we could do at the high school and in USD 489 at all levels to give an incentive to teachers to become highly qualified in their content and strengthen their own teaching standards,” he said.
The program could also help the district increase its concurrent credit courses (those courses, which students earn both high school and college credit), Straub said. The high school would like to add concurrent credit courses for ag sciences, sociology and add back credit for Chemistry II.
Board member Paul Adams said students who have taken concurrent credit courses are more likely to complete higher education goals, which would help the district with its new state accreditation goals.
The program could help the district attract new teachers and retain qualified staff as well as fill spots for specialists, such as counselors, special education teachers and reading specialists at the elementary level.
To qualify, teachers must be full-time, approved by the district and seeking a graduate degree through FHSU or up to 18 graduate credit hours in a high-needs area, as designated by the district. Teachers must apply and be accepted to the FHSU Graduate School.
Students enrolled in the program are responsible for all fees not paid for through the program and must successfully complete the courses in which they are enrolled. The program can’t be used in combination with other FHSU scholarship programs.
The school board is set to give final approval to the program later this month.
Joey Linn, FHSU vice president of student affairs, said the college hopes to extend the program countywide to Ellis, Victoria and the local Catholic school system.
“We have a very strong university and a very strong school district, and we need to work together more and more and more,” Linn said.
In other business, the board:
• Heard a finance report. The district is 6 percent under budget for the school year.
• Approved transferring about $22,400 from the No Fund Warrant account to the Capital Outlay Fund and closing the No Fund Warrant account.
• Heard a report on the classified handbook
• Heard a report on special education