By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
One big storm can justify the cost of insurance. The July 16 storm that hit Great Bend with large hail and high winds is proof of that. With multiple properties, USD 428 was hit particularly hard by the storm. Superintendent Khris Thexton reported at Monday's board of education meeting that the district had submitted approximately $1.2 million in claims from the storm. He was pleased then, that the district's property casualty insurance went up just 0.64 percent from last year.
"I was assuming we'd have quite a bit of an increase just because of that loss," he said. "There are a couple of things that changed. If you look at our deductibles, you can see how those have changed. They've gone up."
Most deductibles at least doubled, including wind and hail from $25,000 last year to $50,000 for the new year that begins July 1 and ends June 30, 2025. The water damage deductible also doubled from $25,000 to $50,000. Thexton emphasized that is per storm, not per building, but the coverage is still better than alternatives. Approximately two dozen districts have joined the Kansas Insurance Cooperative for Schools to keep prices relatively stable.
"The benefit of the pool is everybody gets their money together and helps bring that cost down," Thexton said. "The more people that are in it, the more coverage we have, the less you're likely to see large swings in costs for your property and casualty."
USD 428 paid $466,702 for coverage last year. That number moves to $469,701 this year. Nearly $400,000 of that total is property coverage, and another $32,000 is cyber liability.