By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The end of the 2023-24 school year for Great Bend students is closer than usual. The USD 428 Board of Education approved several items during Thursday morning's special meeting, including a new calendar that includes 15 extra minutes a day for Great Bend students. The tradeoff is five fewer days in the school calendar for May 2024. Superintendent Khris Thexton outlined the changes.
"Students' last day will be the 16th instead of the 23rd," he said. "That did move graduation up to the 12th, which is Mother's Day, so we did have to adjust for Variety Show because usually, Variety Show is on Mother's Day weekend. We just adjusted those all up a week."
The changes will otherwise have no impact on after-school programming, which will be adjusted by 15 minutes, allowing for a later pickup for parents. High school start times will remain offset to allow for older siblings to drop off younger siblings at elementary schools.
"High school will be 8:05 to 3:20," said Thexton. "Middle School will be 8:05 to 3:25, and then elementary is 8:00 to 3:25."
Hoisington High School typically has the earliest graduation in Barton County, followed by Ellinwood High School's commencement on Mother's Day. Great Bend's 2023 graduation date was May 21.