2009-2010 Budget General Information
USD #489

Introduction
The Hays Public School District continues to be a leader in education at the state and national levels because of its proven excellence.  Three areas of focus guide our schools and shape our district philosophy about what is best for children:

• Professional, caring staff
• Small class size; and
• Quality instruction time.

USD 489 students clearly benefit from these beliefs.  Our students consistently score above national norms on achievement and college placement tests.  Test scores for the 2008-09 school year show that once again, in all grade levels and in all subject areas, students in Hays Public Schools are outdistancing their peers on a national level. 

The Hays Public School system serves a 380 square-mile area of Ellis County.  About 2,800 students are enrolled in a high school, two middle schools, five elementary schools, and two alternative schools.  USD 489 is the sponsoring district for the Hays West Central Kansas Special Education Cooperative, with cooperating districts USD 388 Ellis; USD 395 LaCrosse; and USD 432 Victoria.  Service is also provided to any of the five private schools located within these boundaries.  In FY09 there were 850 students receiving special education services from approximately 200 staff members.  This requires a budget of about $7.9 million.

The Hays community plays a large role in the success of our students.  We are proud to say that our students continue to reap the benefits of a community that generously supports its public schools.

All schools are air-conditioned.  A major expansion program for new classrooms, improved facilities, and curricular enhancements has recently been completed.  Each school has a strong parent organization and a site council which provide leadership and support in all student-centered areas.

All elementary schools in Hays offer after-school childcare in the school setting for their students.  The children have the opportunity to expand their learning day in a warm, caring, well-supervised, fun environment.  Students can get help with their homework, play outside when weather permits, and learn life skills like cooking, arts and crafts.

The District also supports school readiness through programs such as Parents As Teachers, Head Start, Early Head Start, At-Risk preschool, and the Early Childhood Special Education Program.  The early childhood programs serve children in Ellis, Rooks, Rush, Russell, and Trego counties.  O’Loughlin Elementary, Lincoln Elementary and PATHS-Early Head Start operate Preschool programs that are self-funded through enrollment fees. 

All USD 489 schools are accredited by the State of Kansas.

Board Members

Under Kansas law, the board of education consists of seven members elected by the majority vote of the registered voters in the local school district.  School board elections are held in April of those years when a Board member’s term expires.  Candidates, who must be residents of the district, run for school board office without political affiliation.  Board members are elected to staggered terms of four years and members take office on July 1.  Board members serve without pay. 

The board of education is a policy-making body.  All actions must meet standards set by state and federal law, and regulations set by the State Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Education.  The authority of an individual board of education member is limited to participating in actions taken by the board of education as a whole when legally in session

To contact a board member, send a written communication to the Rockwell Administration Center, 323 West 12th St., Hays, KS  67601. 
Your communication will be forwarded to the board member designated.

The District’s Accomplishments and Challenges

Accomplishments:

• USD #489 has been recognized by Governor Sebelius and Standard & Poor’s as one of 16 “Highly Resource-Effective” school districts in Kansas in 2006.
• Standard & Poor’s also identified USD #489 as one of 6 districts in the state of Kansas achieving an efficiency score exceeding 99% in their 2007 Kansas School Efficiency Study.
• Safe Schools grant:  RURAL, worth $2.5 million awarded to USD 489 in 1999.
• In conjunction with the RURAL grant, the Learning Center of Ellis County was established in June of 2000.  The Center was created for the purpose of enabling youth, young adults, and other residents of Ellis County and surrounding areas who have dropped out of school to complete their high school education.  Classes are free to all clients who enroll in a high school diploma program.
• Westside School was created in 1991 in conjunction with High Plains Mental Health Center and its cooperating agencies.  Westside helps students and their families in crisis.
• USD 489 students consistently score well above state and national norms on standardized tests.
• Completed construction which added four elementary classrooms in 2002.  A grant received by the Early Head Start program also allowed construction of two classrooms and a preschool area at Hays High school in 2000.
• USD 489 was again selected by SchoolMatch for their 11th annual school system “What Parents Want Award.”  Less than 15% of school systems nationally meet the criteria for this distinction.  The district also received this award in 1999.
• Hays High began broadcasting on its own news Channel 13 in 1999.
• Supports school readiness through programs such as Parents As Teachers, Head Start, At-Risk preschool, and the Early Childhood Special Education Program.  The Head Start program, established in 1991 serves children in Ellis, Rooks, Rush, Russell, and Trego counties.  O’Loughlin Elementary, Lincoln Elementary and PATHS-Early Head Start operate Preschool programs that are self-funded through enrollment fees. 
• In 2005 the district received a renewable Smart Start grant for $450,000 per year.  This grant will allow the district to open a new Head Start classroom both in the morning and afternoon, expand the home-based program to Rooks County, expand the Parents-As-Teachers Program, provide training for mental health issues, establish a car seat program with Hays Medical Center, and enhance childcare wages and incentives for providers.
• Established a Reading Recovery Program in 1997.
• Hays High School, in a cooperative effort with Fort Hays State University and Barton College Community College, offers concurrent credit to juniors and seniors at Hays High, giving students credit toward both a high school diploma and a college degree.
• USD 489 Foundation for Educational Excellence was created in 1987.  Through private, tax-deductible donations, the Foundation provides thousands of dollars for schools and students.
• District technology is leased on a four year cycle, which allows the district to maintain the latest in technology while getting the best price possible.  The Board of Education approved a $3.7 million lease purchase in the spring of 2007.
• USD 489 has initiated a 1 to 1 learning solution at HHS to create an environment for learning and achievement that meets the needs of today’s kids.  In partnership with Dell, we are putting a laptop computer into the hands of each and every high school student and teacher, 24/7, all on a wireless network connected to a central server.  This 1 to 1 learning solution will enable students and teachers to use state of the art technology to reinforce the fundamentals and develop 21st century learning skills.
• The BOE is providing laptop computers for the middle schools and elementary buildings.  Both students and staff will benefit from the latest technology available.  This will also allow state assessments to be taken online which provides immediate feedback as to how students have done. Also, every school in the district utilizes a wireless network.
• USD 489’s Board of Education has approved four no-fund warrant resolutions, allowing the district to buy new textbooks.
• KASB ranks USD 489’s certified staff 20 year earnings as 18th out of 295 districts, and USD 489’s base salary + fringe as 52nd of 295 districts in 2008-09.  Lack of adequate state funding is causing us to lose ground in this area (FY08 we were 7th in 20 year earnings and 6th in base salary + fringe).
• Of the 300 National Board Certified Teachers in the state of Kansas in 2008-09, Hays has 10 board certified teachers, 6th place statewide only to Blue Valley with 36, Wichita with 34, Olathe with 30, Manhattan with 23, and Topeka with 12.

Challenges:

• Increasing demand for classroom space, driven by a growing Special Education student population and more technology being utilized in classrooms, limits our flexibility to add additional classroom sections and give parents choices as to the school their child will attend.
• Capital Outlay Fund has taken on many General Fund expenditures as our enrollment declined, limiting our ability to adequately address building and transportation needs.
• The District’s athletic facilities are outdated and undersized and deteriorating.  
• State Health Insurance Premiums increased 12.4% over last year (additional $517,834).
• The Kansas Legislature’s refusal to adequately fund a constitutionally protected entity – education – has resulted in a general fund reduction of $1,065,000 below FY09’s funding.  Only the infusion of $784,000 in Federal ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) has kept the damage from being even greater. 

Reductions include:  Elimination of 27 positions (13 certified, 1 administrative, 13 classified, all through attrition); and an additional 14 summer school teaching positions from the elimination of summer school;  elimination of staff professional development funds, reduction of numerous supplemental duties, and elimination of out-of-district field trips.

The Kansas Legislature also severely cut Special Education funding, eliminated Capital Outlay state aid and Declining Enrollment state aid, prorated state aid for the Local Option Budget at 90%, reduced state aid for Driver’s Education, and eliminated the $1,000 state payment for National Board Certified teachers. 

At the same time the Kansas Legislature is making all of these drastic funding cuts, there has been no reduction in the level of academic accountability expected from school districts across the state.  We are still expected to meet all of the NCLB requirements, including progressively higher percentages making Adequate Yearly Progress.

If the Kansas Legislature continues down this path of cutting education funding, the harm to the children of Hays and Kansas will be irreparable.

2009-2010 Budget Profile | 2009-2010 Budget At-A-Glance | Summary of Expenditures