Geary County USD 475 Superintendent, Dr. Reginald Eggleston, says safety and security are priorities this school year as usual, but in light of recent events nationally, he wants everyone to make it their personal responsibility, too.
Eggleston, who joined KMAN’s In Focus Wednesday, reminds that all should show and wear ID, and make sure doors are secure. He says everyone needs to exercise heightened awareness of little things because that can add up to make school safer and more secure. He also recommends parents go to USD475.org to opt-in for text alerts to receive emergency and other notifications.
This year, enrollment appears to be up, but final figures aren’t available until mid September. Eggleston highlighted the figures so far: USD 475 has 17 schools, more than 7,000 students, and over 1,200 employees. He says the district is growing and they hope their enrollment continues to grow every year. He wants people to know that they try to implement good programs, and remain relevant, so parents and the community will see that USD 475 is a good school district to be a part of.
That is a couple of the programs offered. Half of the district’s students are military dependents. The Purple Star designation keeps the district aware of deployments, and training cycles that cause parents to come and go. This can impact students, so USD 475 makes sure that they feel safe, comforted, know there’s adults who care about them, and have resources available.
Eggleston noted that the district will meet at Washington Elementary School at 6 p.m. on September 6 to hear objections of taxpayers related to the proposed $205 million budget and amount of tax to be levied.
The proposed tax rate increased one-twentieth of a percent for the 2022-23 school year thanks to a significant boost in federal funding. Last year, USD 475 received $28.7 million in federal funding due to its ties to Fort Riley and the military community. That funding was almost double for the current fiscal year at $47.4 million. Eggleston says it’s important the district utilize as much of that funding as possible to help out taxpayers.
