By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The USD 388 Ellis Board of Education is again pursuing a bond issue to finance school improvements.

A $10 million bond issue proposal last year was voted down by the school district patrons.

Although “nobody wants to pay more in taxes, the community needs to understand how much education needs have changed,” believes USD 388 Superintendent Bob Young.

“We used to prepare kids to work in factories, to stand still and focus on one mundane task.  Today we’re trying to train our kids to be problem-solvers and to think on their feet. That requires a whole different skill set–no sitting in desks in neat rows and listening to the same teacher talk for seven hours,” Young said.

“It also requires different space needs. Community members need to get into the classrooms and see what’s being taught, how much education has changed:”

The list of improvements included in the bond issue is similar to last year’s, according to Young.

It includes more classrooms and office space for the junior high in the Ellis High School, payoff of the $1.5 million dollars in HVAC improvements, replacement of the HVAC in Washington Grade School, construction of a secondary gym and a new football field and track.

A new building was erected next to the high school earlier this year to house the wrestling and weight rooms. The $325,000 project was funded from the district’s capital outlay fund.  The local “Raise the Bar” fundraiser netted more than $86,000 for new weight room equipment.

Young said expects the amount of the proposed bond issue to be “up to $9 million.”

The school board will organize committees to begin getting information to the public.

The general election is November 4.