The administration at Great Bend USD 428 has expressed interest in tearing down the oldest portion of the Washington Education Center, built in 1920. It’s a goal that’s been under consideration as far back as the last bond issue.
An architect has visited the site this year. Assistant Superintendent John Popp told the school board last week it would cost at least $3.5 million to raze the old part of the building while shoring up the newer portion that includes the PTRC (Parent Teacher Resource Center) on the southwest corner of the building and remodeling the rest of the newer section. The PTRC would also need access to restrooms.
“We’re not interested in spending that kind of money on that building,” he said.
Superintendent Khris Thexton agreed, saying the district has $6 million in its capital outlay fund and he doesn’t recommend spending more than half of those reserves on Washington.
Popp said the administration is trying to get another estimate on the cost to raze the old portion of the building with no remodeling. Even that may end up costing close to $1 million. The newer portion was previously used by Helping Hands Preschool. At this time, it is used for storage. The old part of the building contains the R.I.S.E. (Resilience, Inspire, Self Empowerment) students and TLC (Therapeutic Learning Classroom) students, who can move into the newer part.
Jacquie Disque, president of the school board, suggested they schedule a walk-through of the building as part of an upcoming meeting.
“We know the oldest portion of (Washington) just has to come down,” she said.
Safety Committee Update
In an unrelated item of business last week, Popp reported the district safety committee recently approved the incorporation of Standard Response Protocol (SRP) into the USD 428 Emergency Operations Plan. SRP is a nationally recognized procedure promoted by the “I Love U Guys” Foundation. The Safety Committee has formed subcommittees for Threat Assessments and Standard Reunification methods to review and incorporate into the SRP.
A poster lets students and teachers know what action to take in different situations.
If they are ordered to HOLD, students clear the hallways and remain in the room while adults close and lock the door and account for students and adults. A SECURE alert is similar, as students return to the inside of the building while staff bring everyone indoors, lock the outside doors and increase situational awareness. In both of these situations, students and adults do business as usual.
A LOCKDOWN has students move away from sight and maintain silence. Adults are to recover students from the hallway if possible, lock the classroom door, turn out the lights and prepare to evade or defend.
If there is a notice to EVACUATE, students are to leave stuff behind if required to, bringing their phones if possible, and follow instructions. Adults will lead students to the evacuation location and account for students and adults.
SHELTER calls for different safety strategies, depending on the type of hazard. These may include tornado, hazmat or earthquake. Presumably, students won’t have to worry about the final hazard on the poster; in case of tsunami, they are advised to “get to high ground.”
