By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Three new Hays USD 489 school board members will take their seats in January.
The top three vote-getters in the election Tuesday will earn four-year terms. According to preliminary results, those candidates were Curt Vajnar (2,346 votes), Ken Brooks, (1,525 votes) and Meagan Zampieri-Lillpopp (1,217 votes).
However, fourth-place candidate Cathy Hopkins is only five votes behind Zampieri-Lillpopp with mail-in and contested ballots to still be considered during the canvas on Nov. 15. At that time, the election will be finalized.
Zampieri-Lillpopp said Tuesday night she hopes her narrow lead will hold through the canvas, but reserves any declaration of victory until all the votes are counted.
The Hays Post attempted to reach Hopkins Tuesday night for comment, but she didn't return a phone call.
All three of the top candidates after Tuesday night's preliminary results were released said they would prioritize passing a bond issue once they take their seats on the board.
The district hasn't passed a bond in 30 years. It has a committee made up of teachers, administrators, school board members and community members meeting regularly to try to develop a bond issue.
"I think getting a quality bond in front of the public and trying to get it passed is the foremost thing I would like see being done right away or within the first year," Vajnar said.
He said he prefers the elementary schools to continue to be community schools instead of closing schools and building additions to existing schools.
Vajnar said he would prefer a new elementary school be built in the area of the former Washington school or Lincoln if that school is closed.
"I think they're important to the community, and I think kids at that age need to belong to a small group or a family-kind of environment instead of a big hub where they're going to get lost," he said.
He said he would favor demolishing Lincoln Elementary School and building a new school on that site, but he acknowledged the cost may be too high for that option.
Brooks has been attending the bond committee meetings, as well as school board meetings, since he filed for election.
Brooks said he thought the district is going in the right direction in terms of the bond. He said the district should take advantage of historically low interest rates.
"It can't be a grab for everything," he said. "It has to be a realistic bond. It has to be one that is attainable. To get it to passed, we are really going to have show the need for it — to show how it's going to help our city in the long run."
To pass the bond, Vajnar said he thought the school board needs to be more transparent.
He would start with conducting all school board meetings and work sessions in the evenings so more people can attend them. One meeting a month is scheduled over the noon hour at one of the district's schools.
Vajnar said these sessions have included board action, which means the meetings need to be more accessible to the public. He said he was pleased the district listened when he and others requested that these sessions be made available on YouTube.
He also said he would like to see more unity in the board.
"I think they need to be viewed and seen and do their business as a single team — they're all for it and there isn't any contention or tension between board members that's being viewed currently. They're not all on the same team, and I think it's hard for the public."
Brooks said he would also like the board to consider lowering student fees. Brooks is now remarried, but was a single dad of three for years. He said paying the fees was tough for his family.
"I'm excited about this opportunity," he said. "I can't wait to help lead our schools, and I hope I do good for our community."
Zampieri-Lillpopp said if she is elected to the board, in addition to working toward passing a bond, she hopes to emphasize investment in the district's teachers.
"I hope we can support and maintain that support for teachers that has previously been in place at least, and actually get that back to pre-cut levels and even be forward-thinking," she said.
The Hays school board only has six members. Former member Nuchelle Chance resigned her seat because she moved out of the district.
Because of the timing of Chance's resignation, the board was not required to fill the position. However, the members voted to allow the top vote-getter in the election to take his or her seat early.
Vajnar said he did not know when this might happen. He said he would wait for word from the school district.
He added, "I just want to make Hays the best place for kids to go to school."
The board's next meeting/work session is set for Monday.