By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays school board will interview candidates to fill a vacant seat on the board during a meeting at 6:30 tonight at the Rockwell Administration Center.
The district has received six applications. They include Cathy Hopkins, former small business owner; Derek Yarmer, physician; Meagan Zampieri-Lillpopp, librarian; Curt Vajnar, business owner, farmer and former teacher; Timothy Kershner, Nex-Tech employee; and Chris McGowne, attorney.
The board seeks to fill the position vacated by NuChelle Chance, who has moved out of state.
The first five candidates' application letters can be viewed by clicking here. McGowne's letter can be seen at the end of this story.
The board will consider bids for replacement windows in three district facilities — O'Loughlin Elementary, Wilson Elementary and Rockwell. The work will be paid for using federal COVID relief funds.
The board will also consider approval of recommended Kansas Association of School Boards policies.
Chris McGowne application letter<br>
(Printed as submitted)
My name is Chris McGowne, and I am submitting my letter of interest for the open USD 489 board seat recently vacated by Nuchelle Chance. As someone who was born and raised in Hays, and attended USD 489 schools throughout my formative years, I truly appreciate what an amazing opportunity it would be to serve the community by sitting on this board. I fully understand what an enormous responsibility this board has in ensuring all the kids who attend schools within the district receive a fair, balanced, and thorough education.
In addition to graduating from USD 489 schools, my mother and father both taught at Hays High, and my grandmother has been a fixture in Hays elementary schools for over 6 decades, both as a full-time teacher as well as a substitute teacher. Their guidance and experience growing up were invaluable in shaping my world view, and their contribution to the education and well being of numerous kids over the years has provided me a valuable perspective in wanting to ensure that future generations are afforded the same opportunity I was.
My background entails working over the past 15 years in law and policy, ranging from a nopartisan job at the Colorado State Senate to recently moving back to Hays to start my own law firm. Indeed, a large part of the reason I moved back to Kansas was to ensure that our current and future generations are provided a quality education and an opportunity to succeed. I have seen firsthand how a public school system that does not value its students can harm the community at large, and my goal is to ensure that is not a scenario that plays out here in my hometown. I look forward to the opportunity to answer any question you may have, and wish each of you the very best.