By CRISTINA JANNEY

Hays Post

The Hays USD 489 school board will vote on a draft of its 2018-19 budget at its meeting tonight.

The board will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the Toepfer Room of the Rockwell Administration Center.

The board will set the budget for publication and is anticipated to have a public budget hearing at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 20 at the Rockwell Administration Center, 323 W. 12th St.

Once the budget has been published, the district can decrease the amount spent, but can’t increase the amount spent without republication of the budget.

The budget process was delayed this year because the state was waiting on a Kansas Supreme Court ruling on the adequacy of state funding. The court ruled the Legislature has not provided enough money to public schools, but has given the state another year to increase funding.

Because of this delay, the USD 489 budget was not yet available to the public as of this publication of this story.

The board is also set to review enrollment data and vote on an agreement with Fort Hays State University on the use of Lewis Field.

This is an update to previously reported information regarding the structural damage to St. Mary’s School in Ellis, KS, following the storm on July 25th, 2018.

Previously, following a building assessment by a structural engineer on St. Mary’s school, it was reported that the building would be unsafe for students for the 2018-2019 school year due to significant damage to the east wall of the school’s gymnasium and the gymnasium roof. At that time school staff began to explore options to include securing mobile classrooms for students with the intention to start school as scheduled on August 23rd, 2018.

During the time that information was being received on the logistics of mobile classrooms, Father Dana Clark met with a design engineer and an architect who have surveyed the building damage. After this assessment, the structural engineer, design engineer, and architect have met and determined that the damaged gymnasium wall can be structurally supported with temporary bracing, which will allow the remainder of the school to be safe for students to attend class this year.

In light of the recent developments, Father Dana Clark, Principal April Pfeifer, and St. Mary’s School Council have determined the need to push back the first day of school to September 10th, 2018. This will allow time for a contractor to brace the damaged wall, as well as secure the damaged roof of the gymnasium to make the school building safe for students. Additionally, this will allow time to repair the damage which occurred inside the classrooms so that they will be ready for students when they arrive for the first day of school. Should these repairs be completed ahead of schedule, parents will be notified in advance if St. Mary’s is able to start school prior to September 10th, 2018.

St. Mary’s School continues to appreciate all those who have helped with the current situation we face ahead. Volunteers are still needed to prepare the school for the upcoming repairs. Volunteers are asked to check in at the school no earlier than 9am.

Monetary donations to assist with the replacement of damaged school supplies continue to be accepted and can be sent to Equity Bank, Attn: St. Mary’s, PO Box 255, Ellis, KS 67637.

Updates will continue to be posted to the St. Mary’s Catholic School K-6 or St. Mary’s Church Ellis, KS Facebook pages.

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OFFICE OF REP. MARSHALL

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This month Congressman Marshall will be traveling 2,500 miles across the Big First District hosting community coffees. Thursday, Aug. 9, Rep. Marshall will begin his Community Coffee Tour in Meade County. He will make 19 stops, finishing in Lincoln County on Sept. 1.

“I was elected to be the First District’s microphone in Washington,” Rep. Marshall said. “I look forward to being back in Kansas this month where I can sit down with constituents and hear their stories and better learn what issues are most important to them. We have accomplished a lot this year, but there is more work to be done.”

These community coffees are open to the public, and we hope to see you there!

The Heartland Community Foundation, which serves Ellis, Rooks and Trego Counties, has relocated to an office suite at the Chestnut Building in downtown Hays. The foundation joins two other nonprofits in the building, which is located at 1200 Main St.

Also relocating to the Chestnut Building is the Downtown Hays Development Corporation. “We welcome you to stop in and enjoy a cup of coffee while we show off our beautiful new space located right on the first floor,” said DHDC Executive Director Sara Bloom.

HCF was previously housed in the Hays Welcome Center, 2700 Vine. DHDC was located in the 100 block of West 12th, just a block west of its new locale.

“It is going to be a dynamic environment full of nonprofit synergy,” added HCF Executive Director Sandy Jacobs.

With assets totaling more than $3.1 million, the community foundation helps donors pursue their charitable interests and supports local organizations through its competitive grants program. During the 2018 fiscal year, HCF awarded $353,581 in competitive grants among the three counties in its service area. Applications for the upcoming fall grant cycle will open on September 15.

Learn more about the Heartland Community Foundation at www.heartlandcommunityfoundation.org.

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DGHF

LOGAN – Within each of our communities and counties there is an endless list of wants and needs. We strategize, set priorities and start work on having our projects come to life. But along the way we get slowed down by the need to raise funds.

To learn more about raising funds, in particular crowd funding and capital campaigns, plan to participate in a free one-hour webinar hosted by the Dane G. Hansen Foundation and K-State Research and Extension on Tuesday, August 14, at 6:30 p.m.

Josie Hammer with JenRuss Freelance will be sharing information on crowd funding and Betty Johnson, of Betty Johnson & Associates and Nancy Wolff, of the Harvey Nonprofit Development, will share on capital campaigns.

To register for “Crown Funding and Capital Campaigns” email Nadine Sigle at [email protected]. Upon registration a link will be sent. The webinar will be recorded and stored on the Dane G. Hansen website under the Northwest Initiatives tab.

For further details please contact Sigle.