By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Ellinwood’s After Harvest Festival is in the books. Great Bend’s Party in the Park took place this weekend. Now, all eyes are back on the upcoming 2026-27 school year. For USD 428 Great Bend Public Schools, the first day of school is Aug. 19 for Pre-K through sixth grade, seventh, and ninth graders. The rest of the district begins on Aug. 20. Superintendent Khris Thexton, back on 1590 KVGB/95.5 FM’s “Room 428” program, said there are no summer breaks when dealing with approximately 2,800 students and 625 staff members.
“We’re the biggest employer in Barton County,” Thexton said. “We keep a lot of people busy, and we do that just because we have a lot of kids to take care of.”
Classes ended May 13 last spring. That meant a few months off for the district’s students, but not so much for district staff who continued working behind the scenes to ensure the buildings are ready for students and staff for the new school year.
“Every surface of our buildings has to be cleaned,” Thexton said. “We’re looking at, I think it’s 600,000 square feet of cleaning that has to be done by our custodial staff. Every building has to be touched with a deep cleaning so that kids come back ready go on Aug. 19. On top of that, all of our grounds people have about 50 acres they have to take care, just mowing on a regular basis.”
Approximately 35 new teachers across the district reported last Thursday and will work through this Wednesday. Returning teachers head back to class on Aug. 13-14. The goal is a smooth transition for students on the opening day of school.