By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays USD 489 school board on Monday will discuss a timeline for its next bond attempt and the makeup of the committees who will help shape that bond.
The board has a regularly scheduled meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Rockwell Administration Center.
DLR, the district's architecture firm, is suggesting three committees to evaluate bond options. These include an executive team that would include administrators, a planning team, which would include teachers and staff and a vision team that would include community members.
DLR's timeline suggests these teams be formed between now and the end of June.
If the groups can come to a consensus by December, the school board would be asked to call an election for April 2022. If a consensus can't be reached, planning would continue with the hope of an election being set for September 2022.
The board has not decided what project the bond will include, nor has the board settled on a dollar amount for the bond issue.
USD 489 has not passed a bond in more than 30 years.
WeCan Center
The board also will consider a proposal to rent space at the Hadley Center for the Early Childhood Special Education and Hays High School Transition programs. The new space would be dubbed, the WeCan Center.
The only added costs would be rent, initial furnishing, and additional internet and phone costs. Additional costs would be covered by federal COVID relief funds for special education.
This location will allow the special education cooperative to expand services to make up for lost opportunities during the COVID pandemic.
Student fees
The school board will discuss student fees for the 2021-22 school year.
Proposed student fees 2021-22
Elementary — $90
Sixth grade —$177
Seventh grade — $192 (includes an exploratory tech fee)
Eighth grade — $177
High School — $196
Both school lunches and breakfasts will be free to all students thanks to funding from the United States Department of Agriculture.
Other items
The board also will:
• Hear a report from Lincoln Elementary School staff on its redesign project.
• Consider renewal of K-5 social studies textbooks.
• Consider a bid of almost $33,000 for Roosevelt Elementary School security cameras
• Discuss construction of a storage building at the Early Childhood Complex. This would free up classroom space. Grant funding is available for the project.
• Hear a report on the Kansas Department of Education audit