Recent contributions to Great Bend USD 428 include a pavilion from the GBHS Athletic Boosters for Memorial Stadium and money from First Presbyterian Church to buy clothing for children. The contributions were accepted by the school board when it met Monday.
The Great Bend High School Athletic Booster Club is donating a pavilion and all associated costs to be placed near the Booster Club shed on the northeast side of Memorial Stadium. It will be used at events such as the booster tailgate parties that often involve setting up a tent. The example photo shared at the school board meeting featured a concrete slab and four corner pillars holding a red roof. The estimated cost of the project is $34,000.
The First Presbyterian Church Mission Committee has donated $100 to each of the five elementary schools – Eisenhower, Jefferson, Lincoln, Park and Riley, and to the Little Panthers Preschool. The money is designated “for student clothing as needed.”
Other contributions approved Monday were Strawbridge Reward Incentives. Strawbridge provides elementary school photos. The amount donated for each school was:
Eisenhower - $589.82
Lincoln - $604.14
Park - $481.04
Riley - $695.68
Little Panthers Preschool - $819.25
BOE meeting at a glance
Here’s a quick look at Monday’s Great Bend USD 428 Board of Education meeting.
• Vocal Music Coordinator/Choir Director Susan Stambaugh thanked the board for approving trips to Washington, D.C., every other year since 1995. The board approved the D.C.trip for the A Capella Choir during the 2026 Spring Break. Fundraisers pay for the trip.
• Director of Grounds and Transportation Cody Schmidt provided the monthly director’s report. A different department director gives a report each month during the school year.
• The board received the latest version of the District Needs Assessment as reported by Assistant Superintendent JoAnn Blevins. No action was required.
• Assistant Superintendent John Popp reviewed the budget. The board approved publication of two legal notices in the Great Bend Tribune. One will be its notice that the district plans to exceed the Revenue Neutral Rate with its 2025-2026 budget. The other is the published budget.
• Popp recommended, and the board agreed, to continue to receive financial auditing from the same firm, rather than bidding the contract out again.
• Assistant Superintendent Blevins shared the professional development goals for the new school year and summarized the past year’s accomplishments. She also summarized the curriculum adoption focus. This year, USD 428 will implement the new K-12 science curriculum and the Character Strong curriculum for PreK-12 Healthy Living.
• The District Safety Committee developed USD 428’s new Emergency Operations Plan that includes the Standard Response Protocol. Students, staff and parents will learn the new protocol, which includes a new definition for the term “lockdown.”
• Assistant Superintendent Popp shared the plan for capital outlay expenditures and provided an update on recent projects.
• Popp and Blevins addressed the recent offer from the City of Great Bend to lease part of its Front Door community center to house the Parent-Teacher Resource Center. Research shows the facility is too small for that purpose. Nothing needs to be done at present as the PTRC can stay where it is for now.
• Superintendent Khris Thexton reported on various topics, including personnel. They have found a long-term substitute to teach high-school English. The only other unfilled position is for a Journalism/Audio Video instructor. At a previous meeting, administrators said they don’t expect to fill that position this year.
Thexton also reported on the latest grants and contributions, which were approved.
