By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Enrollment as of Monday at Hays USD 489 was within four students of last year, Superintendent Ron Wilson told the school board Monday.
Official enrollment won't be counted until Sept. 20, but the school district is maintaining at about 3,000 students.
The largest increase in the district was at the high school. It saw a small senior class graduate, but a large influx of freshmen.
Wilson described the school as packed to the gills with 964 students as of Monday.
Hays Middle School was steady with 725 students. There was a smaller than usual kindergarten enrollment this year, and the elementary schools have seen a slight dip as a whole, Wilson said.
The elementary schools had enrollments as follows as of Monday:
Roosevelt — 383
Lincoln — 198
O'Loughlin — 386
Wilson — 382
Wilson said the district is still enrolling students and some students will likely leave the district before the final count in September.
Budget
The district approved its budget for the 2022-23 school year Monday after brief revenue-neutral and budget public hearings.
Revenue neutral hearing are a relatively new part of the budgeting process.
The district's local option budget mill levy, also known as the LOB, went down slightly this year. The state mill levy and the district's capital outlay mill levy are set at specific mill rates.
The district's assessed valuation increased this years, so the district will be receiving additional revenue, even though taxes for non-bond expenses did not increase.
Sales tax
The district approved an agreement with the city to levy a half cent sales tax, which will help pay for the district's bond issue .
The city is set to approve the agreement in late September. The sales tax will go into effect Oct. 1.
Taxpayers will see the increase in their property taxes for the bond issue on their statements at the end of the year.
Naming of HHS driveways
The school board gave permission to the USD 489 Foundation for Education Excellence to auction naming rights for west driveways off of 13th Street and Canterbury to the high school parking lot at its annual auction.
The dinner and auction will be at 5 p.m. Oct. 29 in the Unrein Building at the Ellis County Fairgrounds.
Tickets are $65 per person or $500 for a table of eight. You can buy tickets at the USD 489 office or online.
Cover photo courtesy of Pixabay.