As a community, our investments in Great Bend’s schools have created a legacy of excellence in education. With all of our buildings built in the 1950’s, the citizens of Great Bend established a strong foundation for future generations in our community. They provided vision, investments, and action we still benefit from today. Over time, infrastructure requires maintenance, educational means and methods change, and our buildings must be adapted to meet the concerns and opportunities of the 21^st century.

As a school district and community, we consider both the needs of our children today as well as the opportunity to secure quality education for future generations.

The 2019 Facilities Improvement Bond Question seeks to address the key elements below.

1. Safety & Security – Necessary renovations in all five elementary buildings, Washington Education Center, Great Bend Middle School, and Great Bend High School will ensure our students have a safe environment to learn, grow and thrive.

• Create secure main entrances at all eight school buildings
• Install intruder hardware on all classroom doors in all buildings
• Solve drop-off/pick-up problems at three elementary schools and Great Bend Middle School by relocating main entrances and parking lots

2. Early Childhood Education – Free preschool in neighborhood elementary schools is a critical step to establish a foundation for learning and development. By moving sixth-grade to Great Bend Middle School, we create capacity at all elementary buildings for early childhood education.

• Pre-K Playgrounds at all elementary buildings
• Move sixth-grade to Great Bend Middle School – a new addition at the GBMS site will be required. Renovations to the cafeteria, kitchen, existing classrooms and physical education facilities will be required.

3. Renovations, Enhancements, and Life Cycle Improvements – All facilities will receive necessary renovations to meet education, technology, and infrastructure demands.

• New playgrounds at all elementary buildings
• Washington Education Center – The 100 year old building will see major renovations. A portion of the building will be demolished and rebuilt to meet current needs. The site is home to Helping Hands Preschool, Barton County Special Services, Alternative Learning Center, Parent Teacher Resource Center, Parents as Teachers and more.
• Dedicated spaces for enrichment programs – orchestra, elementary art, wellness curriculum and more
• Address infrastructure, power supply, lighting, and aging systems
• Build new Transportation and Maintenance Building – USD 428’s maintenance and transportation departments support the district’s infrastructure, provide for the safety and security of our students, and support the life cycle operations of our district buildings. A new building will be constructed on the site of the District Education Center to house 15 existing employees in two departments (Maintenance & Transportation). The new building will house district vehicles and buses, and will include the only storm shelter on the DEC site.