By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The school board has put on hold a discussion about a donation from Golden Belt Bank for naming rights of the new Hays High football field.
The bank has offered a $200,000 donation for the naming rights.
The board discussed the donation at a retreat on Aug. 4.
Board vice president Ken Brooks made a motion to add the naming of the field to the Monday agenda. That motion failed to gain a majority on a vote of 3-3, with Brooks, Ruth Ruder and Meagan Zampieri-Lillpopp voting in favor. Board member Derek Yarmer was absent.
Board President Curt Vajnar said the naming of the field was set to be on the agenda, but he removed it. He rescheduled the discussion for the Oct. 27 board work session.
Ruder said she objected to the delay because the football season will be half over by that time, and the bank could rescind its offer.
Vajnar gave the following reasons for the delay:
• We should be in charge of naming, not reacting
• Can't find another high school in Kansas that has named its field
• We should decide what's to be named
• We should construct the contract, what the signage looks like, the length of the contract, how often and how they are messaged
• We should let all supporting businesses have an opportunity
Brooks said school board policy says that three board members can request a special board meeting.
Vajar said he would discuss moving the discussion up with Superintendent Ron Wilson.
"I think there are a lot more considerations than to say, yes, to the first one that comes along," Vajnar said.
Ruder said she thought the community has a right to know about the donation.
Board member Jayme Goetz said she thought naming rights should be considered a contract and not a donation.
Ruder said, "We just won the lottery, and you guys don't want to capitalize on it."
Vajnar said, "It's not the lottery.
During public comments, a woman said she did not support allowing name rights for the field.
She said allowing someone to pay to name the field is a slap in the face to all the people in the community who pay property taxes.
"It belongs to the town and the school, not to some business," she said. "You can only sell your soul so many times."
In other business, the board heard an update on the Hays High School project. The school will open on Wednesday. Upperclassmen toured the school on Monday, and lowerclassmen will tour the building today.
Although the school district has taken over the occupation of the school, some minor construction work is continuing, Wilson said. That will primarily be completed when school is not in session.
See more on the new school's opening on Wednesday's Hays Post.
The board also approved the removal of a requirement for students to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as FAFSA.