By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The USD 489 school board is set to take the next steps in the Oak Park Complex project at its meeting Monday night.

The board will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Rockwell Administration Center.

The petition period for the financing on the project ended without a protest petition being filed. The board is set to sign the lease agreement on the project Monday.

The school district will purchase the complex on 13th Street for about $2 million to be paid off $217,000 per year for 10 years. The school district has received a $1.47 million federal grant to renovate the complex for use by the Early Childhood Education program.

The aging Washington school and Munjor building, where ECC is now housed, will be closed.

HaysMed, the owner of the largest portion of complex, has agreed to donate $500,000 of the purchase price of the complex back to the school district for use in the renovations.

The board is also set to sign contracts with DLR Group and Nabholz Construction for the work on the renovation project.

The board will also discuss the possible sale of the Washington school property on Monday.

The federal grant requires the renovation work on the project be complete by June 30. The renovated center is set to open to students in the fall.

The school board has been split on its support of the project, with board members Greg Schwartz, Lance Bickle and Mandy Fox, consistently voting against the project.

Superintendent search
The school board will meet with a representative from the Kansas Association of School Boards to discuss the superintendent search.

Superintendent John Thissen gave his letter of resignation to the board on Oct. 19. He will finish out his current contract, which runs through June 30.

The board is set to interview candidates in late January or early February.

The board is also set to hear an audit report and a report from Hays High Principal Martin Straub on HHS curriculum guide revisions.