By Andy Sevilla

Students at Hays and Lehman high schools want broader class offerings, more shopping destinations, eateries and jobs in Kyle, according to a survey conducted by the Kyle Area Youth Advisory Council (KAYAC) The results were presented at Monday’s Hays CISD school board meeting.

Hays students seem interested in city officials attracting employers to Kyle that will hire high school-aged prospects, all the while encouraging Hays CISD officials to look into offering money management courses at school.

“When students are starting jobs, they are starting to get checks and cash, and a lot of them don’t know what to do,” Tarrah Friesenhahn, Hays High senior and KAYAC chair, told Hays Trustees at a school board meeting Monday. “So they have strongly suggested to have a money management class to help guide them in the right direction…”

Friesenhahn said the lessons learned in money management classes could then be implemented as students begin taking care of their own finances and heading off to college.

Among other courses students would like to see offered, the top five included computer classes, voter education, money management, taxes and driver education, the survey results show.

“I’m glad that y’all are asking for more computer classes and voter education and especially money management,” Trustee Sandra Bryant said. 

On the money management side, Bryant said that while economics is offered to seniors, officials should probably look into other offerings for underclassmen.

Trustee Marty Kanetzky said that while some computer courses are already offered at Hays CISD, officials could look into courses that delve into money management, taxes and voter education. Also, she said, economics courses don’t typically concentrate on family and personal finances, and other related courses should be explored.

The student survey results included 1,323 answers from Lehman students and 1,165 from Hays High students. 

“Our vision for the survey was to collect the opinions of the youth in relation to Kyle … and to make us better able to advise the city council on the youth perspective,” James Collins, Hays High School senior and KAYAC liaison to the Kyle council, told the trustees.

A majority of students also expressed interest in more public sports facilities in the city, as well as a need in more places to study outside of school, use of other modes of transportation, more trees or green-space, and retail stores, according to the results.

The top five stores and restaurants students would like to see in Kyle, included Taco Cabana, Pluckers, Taco Bell, a mall and Olive Garden, the results showed.

Other top five businesses students want in the city include a movie theater, mall, recreation center, bowling alley and mass transit busses.

Bryant pointed out that a movie theater is close to opening in Kyle, and that attraction, which took a number one spot in a student survey list, could soon be crossed off the list. 

EVO Kyle is scheduled to open on Nov. 21. That entertainment complex includes a movie theater with 11 screens, a bowling alley, arcade, bar and a restaurant.