HOISINGTON — Hoisington Middle School students will now join Hoisington High School students with an iPad to use of their own during the school day, beginning this fall.
HMS students will not be allowed to take their iPads home at night, but instead, will pick them up each morning and leave them at the end of the school day.
The USD 431 School Board voted this spring to adopt a one-to-one iPad program in the middle school. In addition, each grade at the elementary school level will have its own iPad cart. The school purchased 235 iPad 2s.
“We felt like its a better educational tool,” said Superintendent Bill Lowry. The district is considering moving to online textbooks.
With their own laptap, “they can create material,” said Lowry. When they share, they just do apps.
In other business at the regular school board meeting last week, the USD 431 School Board approved the budget for the upcoming school year. There will be a mill levy increase at .296 mills, which is less than three-tenths of a mill. The district’s assessed valuation has increased from $42,332732 to $45,634,503, which is helping to keep mill levy increases down.
The board approved a bid for cleaning and repair of the high school track for $57,850 from Midwest Tennis and Track. Board President Dean Stoskopf walked the track and told the board, “I was surprised how bad of shape it is in. It could potentially be a safety issue.”
The school received three bids for repair, which includes cleaning, filling cracks, top coating and painting lanes. Lowry said they expect it will prolong the life of the track by five years.
In final business, the board approved:
•Out-of-district attendance for 13 students. Most had already been attending Hoisington schools.
•Begin reviewing policy changes on communicable diseases, service animals, truancy, parental harassment and others.
•Approved the counseling contract with the Center for Counseling for 18 hours a week.