By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

Washington Elementary could be the future home of Westside Alternative School and the Learning Center of Ellis County. At Monday’s Hays USD 489 Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Dean Katt told members he had recently met with the facilities needs committee.

“What we talked about with the committee is having the Learning Center and Westside move into Washington Elementary,” he said. “The proposal before that was abandoning that property.”

Westside and the Learning Center now are located at Rockwell Administration building, 323 W. 12th.  Katt said the committee also could suggest Rockwell, which also serves as USD 489’s central office, be moved to a building closer to the high school.

Katt told KAYS radio Tuesday morning the need for improvements is “dire,” but that “nothing is cut in stone.”

Katt said the facilities needs committee also is discussing ways to finance potential projects, and once a plan is agreed upon, an effort to educate the public will begin.

The facilities needs committee was formed more than a year ago to examine the district’s buildings and maintenance issues.

Katt commended the committee on their hard work and said the committee will have bring a proposal to the board soon.