By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays school board is set to vote on the purchase of new iPads for elementary school students during its meeting tonight.
The board will begin with a short budget hearing at 6:30 p.m. The district needs to approve an increase in the budget of about $403,000 for at-risk funding and professional development.
This is a routine procedures many districts do at the end of the fiscal year and will not result in any tax increase.
The regular board meeting will take place immediately following the budget hearing and will be broadcast via Zoom.
The board is set to vote on purchase of iPads for students in grades K-5.
Apple has offered a no-interest lease agreement for 1,50o iPads and cases. The lease would cost $360 per iPad and case for a total lease of $540,000 over four years.
The board is also set to vote on an increase in the assessment for the West Central Kansas Special Education Cooperative
The co-op will need an additional 10 percent in funding for operations next year.
The co-op is estimating a need for an additional $225,000 in assessments from the member districts. Hays has the majority of students served by the co-op and would pay the bulk of the increase — $171,000.
The board is also set to vote on renewal of software for the Learning Center at a cost of a total of $75,000 for a three-year contract.
The board will also hear reports on several capital improvement projects — the HVAC replacement at Roosevelt Elementary School, phone system replacement at Hays High School, replacement of staff computer at HHS and bids for door-lock replacements.