Hesston USD 460

March 6, 2024

The construction project is moving along! The high school academic wing is closed in, the concrete structure of the weight room/storm shelter is complete, and steel is being erected for the new fine arts center/auditorium. Here's a "bird's eye" view!

December 4, 2023

Dirt and foundation work are in progress or complete for the high school academic wing, auditorium, and P.E. gym. Soon, you'll be able to see work "above ground!" See what's been happening here.

September 25, 2023

The construction project is underway! Since groundbreaking in June, a variety of demolition and infrastructure work has taken place to prepare for construction of new structures. Here's a quick look around!

May 16, 2022

The USD 460 Board of Education has established Tuesday, August 30 as the bond project election date.

We spent much of the late winter and early spring sharing details of our proposed bond project with the community. Due to pending legislation, our Board of Education determined that it was most appropriate to establish a bond election after July 1, however, the scope of the project remains unchanged.

You will find a one page summary of the bond project linked here.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me anytime with questions about the bond project or any other district-related matter.

Respectfully,

Ben Proctor, Superintendent

March 3, 2022

The Board of Education met on Tuesday, March 1, and at that meeting, new information was shared that has shifted our bond project timeline.

There is a bill in the legislature, Senate Bill 341, that could significantly impact our state aid percentage on the bond project. As written, this bill would increase the amount of funding from outside USD 460 by $12-$15 million, and would allow us to lessen our mill increase from 10.62 to around 3.0 mills. Importantly, the bill specifies that this change would apply to bond elections that are held after July 1, 2022.

If we proceed with an April 26 vote and this bill were to pass, it could have substantial negative implications for our local taxpayers, and our Board did not feel it was responsible to maintain that date for the election. Instead, the Board feels that setting an election date after July 1 is most appropriate. While we do not know if the Senate Bill 341 will become law, it is a possibility, so that is the reason we are now operating on a different timeline.

We will continue to provide ongoing updates and bond-related information and resources in the coming weeks and months. As always, please reach out anytime if you have questions or concerns about the bond project or any district-related matter.

Respectfully,

Ben Proctor, Superintendent

February 24, 2022

We are hosting a bond project informational session this evening at 7:00 pm in the HHS auditorium. We are also making this event available through a livestream, and you will find that link below:

Community Presentation Live Stream

The meeting this evening will be led by a group of students, staff, and community members as we share more specific information about the bond project and recommended improvements. We will discuss the topics below, and this will be a great time to ask questions.

Challenges with the current HHS academic area (Mr. Dahlsten)
Issues with the current fine arts facilities and weight room (Mrs. Funk, Mr. Graversen, Mr. Bauerle)
Student perspectives on having 5-8 and 9-12 students in the same building (Katie Kueker, Max Werner, and Jace Regier)
Staff perspectives on having 5-8 and 9-12 students in the same building (Mr. Rewerts, Mr. Graversen, Mr. Heinrichs, and Mr. Rhodes)
Community member perspectives from the Facilities Steering Committee (Derek Yoder, Jerry Mininger, and Jim Brenneman)

If you have questions or concerns about grades 5-8 being housed with grades 9-12, we strongly encourage you to attend this evening's session.

In addition, the high school and middle school will be open this evening from 5:00-7:00 pm for anyone who would like a tour of the buildings.

Respectfully,

Ben Proctor, Superintendent

February 21, 2022

We are hosting a bond project informational session this evening at 7:00 pm in the HHS auditorium. We are also making this event available through a livestream, and you will find that link below:

Community Informational Session Livestream

The meeting this evening, as well as the meeting on February 24 at 7:00 pm, will be led by a group of students, staff, and community members as we share more specific information about the bond project and recommended improvements. We will discuss the topics below, and this will be a great time to ask questions.

Challenges with the current HHS academic area (Mr. Dahlsten)
Issues with the current fine arts facilities and weight room (Mrs. Funk, Mr. Graversen, Mr. Bauerle)
Student perspectives on having 5-8 and 9-12 students in the same building (Katie Kueker, Max Werner, and Jace Regier)
Staff perspectives on having 5-8 and 9-12 students in the same building (Mr. Rewerts, Mr. Graversen, Mr. Heinrichs, and Mr. Rhodes)
Community member perspectives from the Facilities Steering Committee (Megan Smith, Jerry Mininger, and Jim Brenneman)

If you have questions or concerns about grades 5-8 being housed with grades 9-12, we strongly encourage you to attend this evening's session. If you are unable to attend tonight, we have another session scheduled for February 24 at 7:00 pm in the auditorium.

In addition, the high school and middle school will be open on the 21st and 24th from 5:00-7:00 pm for anyone who would like a tour of the academic areas of the buildings.

Respectfully,

Ben Proctor, Superintendent

February 17, 2022

Due to the impact of winter weather, we are going to reschedule tonight's bond project informational session. The new date will be Monday, February 21 at 7:00 pm in the HHS auditorium.

We will have our other bond project informational session on Thursday, February 24 at 7:00 pm in the HHS auditorium, as previously planned. These two sessions will be the same format and the same information will be presented at each.

Additionally, our high school and middle school will be open for tours from 5:00-7:00 pm on February 21 and 24 for anyone who wishes to see our facilities.

We hope you are able to make it to one of the meetings next week, and we will provide a livestream link on our website the day of each presentation. Please help us spread the word about the new meeting date on February 21 and the opportunity to tour buildings and ask questions about the bond project.

As always, please call or email anytime if you have questions or concerns about the bond project or any school district related matter. My email address is ben.proctor@usd460.org and our office number is 620-327-4931.

Respectfully,

Ben Proctor, Superintendent

February 14, 2022

We will host our next bond project community informational session on Thursday, February 17 at 7:00 pm in the high school auditorium. The meeting will also be livestreamed, and we will publish the link during the day of the 17th.

The meeting on the 17th will be led by a group of students, staff, and community members as we share more specific information about the bond project and recommended improvements. We will discuss the topics below, and this will be a great time to ask questions.

Challenges with the current HHS academic area (Mr. Dahlsten)
Issues with the current fine arts facilities and weight room (Mrs. Funk, Mr. Graversen, Mr. Bauerle)
Student perspectives on having 5-8 and 9-12 students in the same building (Katie Kueker, Max Werner, and Jace Regier)
Staff perspectives on having 5-8 and 9-12 students in the same building (Mr. Rewerts, Mr. Graversen, Mr. Heinrichs, and Mr. Rhodes)
Community member perspectives from the Facilities Steering Committee (Megan Smith, Jerry Mininger, and Jim Brenneman)

If you have questions or concerns about grades 5-8 being housed with grades 9-12, we strongly encourage you to attend the session on Thursday, February 17. If you are unable to attend on the 17th, we have another sessions scheduled for February 24 at 7:00 pm in the auditorium, as well.

In addition, the high school and middle school will be open on the 17th from 5:00-7:00 pm for anyone who would like a tour of the academic areas of the buildings.

Again, our next public informational session will be Thursday, February 17 at 7:00 pm in the high school auditorium. We hope to see you there. As always, do not hesitate to call or email if you have any questions or concerns about this topic or any other district related matter. My email is ben.proctor@usd460.org and our office number is 620-327-4931.

Respectfully,

Ben Proctor, Superintendent

February 7, 2022

This is a reminder that we will host our next Bond Project Informational Session on Monday, February 7 at 7:00 pm in our high school auditorium. You will find the link for the livestream and slideshow presentation by clicking below.

Community Informational Session Livestream

Bond Basics Slideshow

While the meeting this evening will be very similar to the one held on February 3, we have additional informational sessions scheduled for February 17 and February 24. Both of these sessions will focus on specific topics related to the bond project, including the idea of combining 5-8 and 9-12 grades in one building and the current state and future of the middle school. We will share more information on these two upcoming sessions as the dates get closer.

If you were unable to attend the meeting on February 3, we hope you will join us in the auditorium or tune into the livestream at 7:00 pm tonight.

Respectfully,

Ben Proctor, Superintendent

February 4, 2022

We host our second Bond Project Informational Session on Monday, February 7 at 7:00 pm in the high school auditorium. This informational session will be similar to the one that was held on February 3 and will provide basic information on the USD 460 bond project. You will find the slideshow for the presentation linked below.

Bond Basics Slideshow

We will also send out a link to livestream the session for those who are unable to attend in person. The link will be provided during the day on Monday.

Our intent is to continue hosting informational sessions throughout the month of February, and we will begin tailoring the information to specific topics and audiences related to various aspects of the bond project. We will provide more information on the upcoming informational sessions as they get closer, and current dates include:

Thursday, February 17 at 7:00 pm (HHS Auditorium)
Thursday, February 24 at 10:00 am **(at Hesston Area Senior Center)**
Thursday, February 24 at 7:00 pm (HHS Auditorium)

If you did not attend the meeting on February 3, we hope you are able to join us on Monday, February 7 at 7:00 pm in the auditorium.

As always, do not hesitate to call or email if you have any questions or need any additional information on any school district related matter. My email is ben.proctor@usd460.org and office number is 620-327-4931.

Respectfully,

Ben Proctor, Superintendent

February 3, 2022

We will host a Bond Project Informational Session tonight at 7:00 pm in the Hesston High School auditorium. We will also livestream the presentation at the link below:

Community Informational Session - Live Stream

This is the first in a series of opportunities for our school district to share basic information about our upcoming school bond election on April 26. Tonight, we will provide an overview of the process used to develop the bond, the current scope of the project, and a timeline moving forward. It will also be an opportunity to answer initial questions from the community.

We will host additional meetings throughout the month of February, and each will provide basic information about the school bond and will address specific aspects of the project, as well. We will livestream and record each meeting and post those recordings on our website.

You will find a slideshow for tonight's meeting linked here, and we will continue to update information within this presentation tool over the next few weeks.

Everyone in our community is invited to these sessions, and we hope you are able to join us this evening or at one of the dates and times listed below.

Thursday, February 3 at 7:00 pm (HHS Auditorium)
Monday, February 7 at 7:00 pm (HHS Auditorium)
Thursday, February 17 at 7:00 pm (HHS Auditorium)
Thursday, February 24 at 10:00 am **(at Hesston Area Senior Center)**
Thursday, February 24 at 7:00 pm (HHS Auditorium)

Respectfully,

Ben Proctor, Superintendent

January 28, 2022

For over a year, our school district has explored possible facility improvements, and that work culminated in Board of Education (BOE) action on December 17, 2021. At that meeting, the BOE approved a resolution that puts us on track for a school bond election on April 26, 2022. This is the result of months of work and collaboration among many different community groups and USD 460 staff, and includes significant improvements and changes across the district.

To inform the public on the details of the bond project, we will host a series of informational sessions throughout the month of February. Each meeting will be held in our Hesston High School Auditorium on the following dates:

Thursday, February 3 at 7:00 pm
Monday, February 7 at 7:00 pm
Thursday, February 17 at 7:00 pm
Thursday, February 24 at 10:00 am **(at Hesston Area Senior Center)**
Thursday, February 24 at 7:00 pm

Everyone in our community is invited to attend these sessions, and we will also make them available through a livestream. We will get more information to you soon on how to access the livestream.

Our goal is to provide the basics of the bond project and share how we believe these improvements will positively impact our students, staff, and community for many years to come. We will also be available to answer any and all questions you may have.

Please consider attending one of the sessions above, and as always do not hesitate to call or email if you have any questions or need any additional information on any school district related matter. My email is ben.proctor@usd460.org and office number is 620-327-4931.

Respectfully,

Ben Proctor, Superintendent