By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays USD 489 school board approved a $799,728 purchase of a new English curriculum for kindergarten through 12th grades from Savvas Learning Company at its meeting Monday night.
The district has been saving money from fees in a reserve account for the anticipated purchase of this updated curriculum.
The cost includes both digital and print student materials, as well as teacher materials, for six years.
The district will implement the curriculum this fall.
Scoreboard advertising
The board approved marketing partnerships for advertising on the new Hays High School and Hays Middle School scoreboards.
The Hays Middle School scoreboards will have static advertising. Those signs were sold on 10-year contracts. The money from those ads was used to buy new wrestling mats for the middle school.
The new Hays High School will have video scoreboards on the football field and in the new competition gym. These scoreboards had opportunities for both static signs and digital advertising.
These contracts were sold for three years. Those funds will be placed in the district's capital outlay fund to cover the cost of the high school scoreboards.
Chris Hipp, USD 489 superintendent of business services, said once the scoreboard costs are recouped, advertising revenue will continue to be deposited in the capital outlay fund for future capital projects of the board's choosing.
All of the HMS scoreboard advertising has been sold, but some advertising packages for the Hays High scoreboards are still available, Ron Wilson, USD 489 superintendent, said.
Wilson also reported high winds recently damaged a soccer scoreboard. That scoreboard was installed about a year ago and was funded through donations.
The district will work with the sign and insurance companies to determine options for replacing or repairing the scoreboard, he said.
The board also approved capacity for the enrollment of nonresident students for the 2025-26 school year. This is required annually to meet state open enrollment rules.