By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The Hays USD 489 Board of Education will conduct the public hearing for its 2018-19 $48.7 million budget at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Rockwell Administration Center.

The budget includes a .767-mill levy decrease, which was the result of the end of a special mill levy of 0.646 mills for declining enrollment and an increase in assessed valuation.

The total mill levy for the school district will be 42.799 mills.

The school district also levies taxes for the Hays Recreation Commission. The rec commission’s general mill levy will stay at 3 mills, but its employee benefits and special liability levy will increase from 1.141 mills to 1.391 mills.

The school district has no control over the HRC levy.

Assessed valuation for the district increased by almost $1.3 million to more than $316 million. The districts bonded indebtedness also dropped by more than $1.3 million.

The State of Kansas passed a school funding plan that will increase school funding by more than $500 million statewide over the next five years.

Hays’ total state funding increase will be about $2.1 million. The district also is forecasting it will see a federal funding increase of $156,040. However, once the loss of the declining enrollment levy, which was a temporary program, is figured into the budget, the district will gain less than $1 million in additional revenue for the coming school year.

The board’s regular meeting will directly follow the budget hearing.

In other business, the board will:

• Vote on board president appointments

• Vote on negotiations with Service Employees International Union, which is also known as SEIU and represents the district’s custodians.

• Hear a report on projects that were completed this summer

• Review new crisis drill requirements

• Discuss board goals