Nonpartisan · Hays USD 489 Board of Education
Sources for Curt C. Vajnar
27 public sources used in researching this candidate. Every claim in the profile traces back to one or more of these URLs.
9
primary
18
secondary
Primary Records
9 sources- Open
Hays USD 489 / Diligent Community · 2026-05-19
Hays USD 489 public portal - Membersusd489.community.highbond.com
- Curt Vajnar is listed as Board President
- Curt Vajnar is listed among members for board retreat, regular meeting, special board meeting, and work session records
- The public Term field for Curt Vajnar is blank
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Hays USD 489 / Diligent Community · 2026-05-19
Regular Meeting - Jan. 19, 2026 - Minutesusd489.community.highbond.com
- Vajnar was elected BOE President 4-3
- Vajnar voted yes on returning $101,708.87 in Hays Middle School project contingencies/allowances to remaining bond projects
- Vajnar voted yes on tabling HVAC preventive-maintenance agreement updates until Feb. 9, 2026
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Hays USD 489 / Diligent Community · 2026-05-19
Special Board Meeting - Oct. 4, 2023 - Meeting outputusd489.community.highbond.com
- The Nabholz GMP contract motion passed
- Vajnar voted no on the Nabholz GMP contract
- USD 489 Oct. 4, 2023 meeting output: https://usd489.community.highbond.com/document/4829/File.html?handle=A0DFBF6EDEF046AC8AEE014F8DBA33CC
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Hays USD 489 / Diligent Community · 2026-05-19
Regular Meeting - Apr. 24, 2023 - Meeting outputusd489.community.highbond.com
- Personnel transactions passed
- Vajnar and Allen Park voted no on the personnel-transactions item
- USD 489 Apr. 24, 2023 meeting output: https://usd489.community.highbond.com/document/5247/File.html?handle=60377C16A47E41CD9EC1D888C53D7FBA
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Hays USD 489 / Diligent Community · 2026-05-19
Regular Meeting - Mar. 24, 2025 - Minutesusd489.community.highbond.com
- Motion to look into hiring a project manager for the remainder of the bond failed 3-4
- Vajnar voted yes on looking into hiring a project manager
- USD 489 Mar. 24, 2025 minutes attachment: https://usd489.community.highbond.com/document/58b62a8d-8fc5-4292-9392-8a873dcee103
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Hays USD 489 / Diligent Community · 2026-05-19
Regular Meeting - Aug. 18, 2025 - Minutesusd489.community.highbond.com
- Motion to add naming the HHS football field to the agenda failed 3-3
- Vajnar voted no on adding the naming item
- Vajnar seconded and voted yes on approving the agenda as presented
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Ellis County, Kansas · 2026-05-19
2025 City/School/Improvement District/Extension Candidate Filingsellisco.net
- Curt C. Vajnar is listed under USD 489 - 3 at-large positions
- Ellis County 2025 candidate filings: https://www.ellisco.net/DocumentCenter/View/5736/2025-Candidate-Filings
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Ellis County, Kansas · 2026-05-19
Notice of General School Election - Unified School District 489ellisco.net
- Nov. 4, 2025 general school election included USD 489 Board of Education member regular term, vote for three
- Curt C. Vajnar was listed as a candidate
- Ellis County 2025 USD 489 general school-election notice: https://www.ellisco.net/DocumentCenter/View/5814/Notice-of-Election-with-Names-489
- Curt C. Vajnar received 2,549 votes for USD 489 Board of Education member
- Ken Brooks and Craig Pallister each received 1,962 votes
- Vote for three regular-term USD 489 seats
Reporting and Public Context
18 sources- Vajnar described 31 years teaching in USD 489 and Kansas Teacher of the Year recognition
- Vajnar identified teacher shortages/retention, COVID learning loss, curriculum, facility quality, and educator classroom access as concerns
- Vajnar said his decision test was whether a decision is best for USD 489 students
- Vajnar said he ran again to keep good things going, finish improved facilities, and support teachers
- Vajnar discussed teacher pay, taxes, fixed-income residents, and class size as tradeoffs
- Vajnar said he helped push for the first SRO and would continue pushing for a second
- Forum coverage reports Vajnar supported a full-time grant writer
- Forum coverage reports Vajnar discussed sponsorships/naming rights
- Forum coverage reports Vajnar described district chain of command and board discussion among different perspectives
- Hays Post reported Vajnar and Allen Park objected to hiring the superintendent's wife through the personnel process
- The article framed the discussion as another debate over district nepotism policy
- Hays USD 489 BOE debates nepotism again
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Hays Post · 2026-05-19
Hays school board approves HHS, Roosevelt contract; discussion heatedhayspost.com
- Hays Post reported Vajnar's explanation for opposing the HHS/Roosevelt GMP contract
- Hays school board approves HHS, Roosevelt contract; discussion heated
- That support for facilities does not mean he treats construction decisions as automatic. In 2023, he voted against the guaranteed maximum price contract for Hays High and Roosevelt, saying he did not believe he had enou...
- Hays Post reported the failed bond-project-manager vote and quoted Vajnar/others on fiscal accountability, trust, and timing
- Hays USD 489 board votes not to add another manager for bond work
- 2025 bond management: Vajnar supported looking into another bond-project manager, joining the losing side of a 3-4 vote, while Hays Post also reported his view that hiring one was late in the process. Source: [Hays Post...
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Tiger Media Network · 2026-05-19
USD 489 receives offer for football field naming rightstigermedianet.com
- Tiger Media Network reported Golden Belt Bank offered to buy naming rights for the new Hays High football field
- Tiger reported Vajnar said he removed and rescheduled the offer for later discussion
- Tiger quoted Vajnar saying the district should be in charge of naming and supporting businesses should have an opportunity
- Hays Post reported additional naming-rights discussion and postponement
- Hays Post attributed comments to Vajnar about facility names belonging to Hays citizens, offer value, and maintenance earmarking
- 2025 naming-rights policy: Vajnar argued facility names belong to Hays citizens, said the offer was not enough for a 10-year term, and favored earmarking naming-rights revenue for field maintenance. Source: [Hays Post,....
- Hays Post reported Vajnar was re-elected and described him as current president
- Hays Post reported unofficial 2,531 vote total, which conflicts with official Ellis County 2,549 total
- His reelection result reinforces the local profile. Hays Post reported that Vajnar, the current board president, was re-elected in 2025 with 2,531 votes, the highest total in the USD 489 race, and that all three winning...
- Curt Vajnar of USD 489 Hays is listed among 1999 Kansas Master Teachers
- Emporia State 1999 Kansas Master Teacher archive: https://www.emporia.edu/teachers-college/about-college/honors-awards/kansas-master-teacher-award-home/previous-winners/kansas-master-teacher-award-1999/
- Emporia State - 1999 Kansas Master Teacher Award Winners
- On curriculum and assessment, his visible comments favor practical learning. Hays Post reported in 2024 that a graduation-policy revision was tabled because Vajnar wanted a list of electives that would meet a new STEM r...
- 2024 iPad/graduation policy: Hays Post reported a graduation-policy revision was tabled because Vajnar wanted a list of electives that would meet the new STEM requirement. Source: [Hays Post, Mar. 5, 2024](https://haysp...
- Hays Post - K-5 iPad purchase and STEM elective question
- HaysPost USD 489 Candidate Profile: Curt Vajnar
- Teacher of the Month: Vajnar says goodbye to HHS
- Hays Post - Teacher of the Month: Vajnar says goodbye to HHS
- Hays USD 489 trending higher on math, English tests
- 2025 assessment discussion: As board president, Vajnar said he hoped curriculum would focus on real-world math rather than teaching to the test. Source: Hays Post, Nov. 14, 2025.
- Hays Post - USD 489 trending higher on math and English tests
- Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish
- The reviewed public record did not identify a direct public statement confirming Curt Vajnar's current church home. A Knights of Columbus newsletter tied to Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Hays lists "Curt C. Vajnar"...
- I still did not find a direct public statement that confirms Vajnar's current church home. The best available faith clue remains the Knights of Columbus newsletter tie to Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Hays, with th...
- The Golden Belt Bank naming-rights debate is the clearest example of his sponsorship philosophy. Vajnar delayed action on the $200,000 offer for the Hays High football field, arguing the district should decide what is n...
- 2025 naming rights: Vajnar delayed the Golden Belt Bank naming-rights discussion, saying the district should be in charge of naming rather than reacting and should give supporting businesses an opportunity. Sources: [Ha...
- Hays Post - football-field naming-rights discussion paused
- Hays Post - 2025 election results
- 2025 sponsorship committee: Hays Post reported Vajnar said committee members suggested three- to five-year sponsorship contracts rather than lifetime contracts. Source: Hays Post, Oct. 31, 2025
- Hays Post - facility sponsorships delayed until spring
