HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson USD 308 School Board heard a report yesterday evening on a new Heartland Credit Union branch that will be constructed at Hutchinson High School.

The facility will be built inside B Hall on the interior of the HHS campus in an open area near the library. Final plans will be drawn up this spring with construction work done over the summer, Travis Riebel, director of career and technical education for the district, said. HCU officials hope students from the Hutchinson Career and Technical Education Academy will be able to build some of the teller stations for the branch from drawings the credit union owns.

The goal is for the branch to be operational when school starts in August.

Financial facilities across the country are partnering with local schools to place small branches in high schools. HHS staff members saw one in operation at Haysville Campus High School and were impressed.

Student interns will have the opportunity to apply to work in the facility and get real-world experience alongside a teacher and an HCU staff person. The branch fits well with business management and business finance pathways at Hutchinson Career and Technical Education Academy, Riebel said. The facility will also be an opportunity for the International Baccalaureate Programme Career Pathway students in business.

There will be some student-specific differences between the school branch and a regular branch. One difference is that students will not be able to overdraft debit cards issued at the branch.

Actual hours of operation have not been set, but students and staff will have the opportunity to open accounts and make basic transactions at the HCU branch. Because of its location, the credit union will not be open to the general public.