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Students present Hillman Outlets plan, ask board to designate checking account and approve system change
Summary
High school students described the Hillman Outlets student-run store, outlined plans to expand hours and membership, and requested a designated checking account and a switch to Square to unify online/in-store sales; the board approved the consent agenda that included the account designation.
Students in the Platteville School District presented an update on Hillman Outlets, a high school student-run apparel store, at the May 27 board meeting and asked the board to approve a designated checking account and a technology change to streamline sales.
"We basically run Hillman Outlets like a small business. We do everything ourselves," said Elena Hinchin, a senior on the store team. Students described designing and pressing apparel, fulfilling group orders, managing inventory and tagging, taking photographs for marketing, and running the store before and after school and during activities. Miss Meyer, the high school business and marketing teacher who introduced the team, said it is her first year and the student crew helped build the program.
The student team outlined goals for next year: expand the roster to eight members to increase coverage, open the store more frequently during activities, pursue more group orders, rearrange the workspace for better workflow, and replace the district’s current online sales setup with Square so the in-store and online systems share inventory and payment processing. "It will allow us to accept tap payments, which has been a high demand," the students said when describing the proposed change.
Board members asked practical questions about outreach and vendor arrangements. Students said they have worked with several vendors and take steps to ensure tax-exempt ordering for school-related purchases. When a board member asked whether Hillman Outlets could table at community events, the students replied that expanding outside school events is possible and would be considered as part of their outreach plans.
The checking-account designation for Hillman Outlets and the related account setup at Mount City Bank were included in the consent agenda; the board approved the consent agenda by voice vote. The superintendent/business office said the account would still be managed and accounted for by district staff even if students operate the store.
Next steps: Board staff will finalize the banking designation and the technology transition procedures; students and staff will continue planning to expand hours and community outreach.
