By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Parents of kindergarteners will not have to pay a kindergarten fee this fall.
The Hays school board heard a report on the change at its meeting Wednesday night.
The state had paid for only half day kindergarten, but the Hays School District offered full-day kindergarten.
USD 489 had charged a $150 fee to help pay for the other half day of instruction with the rest of the funds to support the program coming from the general fund.
The Kansas Legislature this year approved funding across the state for full-day kindergarten. As a part of that legislation, the state required Kansas districts to eliminate their kindergarten fees.
The Hays kindergarten fee accounted for about $21,000 but will be offset by the new funding from the state, said Tracy Kaiser, USD 489 director of finance.
The district is also considering reducing the workbook/material fee for all students from $135 to $90—a 33 percent decrease.
The decrease in the fee will equal about a $90,000 decrease in revenue but will be offset by an increase in per pupil funding from the state.
“I think that is great,” board president Lance Bickle said. “As we continue to get funding, we are going to try to continue to adjust those fees and move them in a downward direction a little bit at a time. But at least we are getting there.”
The Kansas Legislature passed a school funding formula that would increase the per pupil funding to $4,006. This could mean as much as $1 million in funds for the Hays district.
The increase in funds was due to a lawsuit by multiple school districts alleging funding to Kansas school districts was constitutionally inadequate. Read more here.
The Kansas Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case on July 18. Until that time, the Legislature’s 2017-2018 funding plan has been allowed to become law.
The school district is working on its budget now, and will have other suggestions of how to use the increase in funds at the board’s next meeting on July 24.
In other business, the board:
• Set the meeting dates for the board for 2017-2018.
• Heard a report on the mileage reimbursement rate, which will be equal to the state’s rate of 53.5 cents per mile
• Heard a report on a memorandum of understanding for Ellis County schools on cooperation with law enforcement
• Approved a bid for $61,500 from Brian’s Concrete Services of Hays for concrete replacement at Hays High School