By Matt Hoover
USD 475 Communications Coordinator
-- On Monday night, a Purple Star Certificate of Recognition was awarded to the H.D. Karns Alternative School, Fort Riley Middle School, Junction City Middle School and Junction City High School for demonstrating a major commitment to supporting students and their families connected to the United States military.
Additionally, Dr. Reginald Eggleston, USD 475 Superintendent of Schools, announced that the Kansas State Department of Education and Kansas Military Child Education Council recently stated that USD 475 was re-certified as a Kansas Purple Star School District for the next three years. By being re-certified, USD 475 is now officially recognized as a Kansas Purple Star School District for the school years of 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29.
Students and staff from the Junction City High School Media Design and Communications Pathway shared with the Geary County Schools USD 475’s Board of Education how the program has impacted their lives and learning, positively. This pathway houses the Junction City High School J-Store, live stream, yearbook and several other entities.
--Academic Spotlight Junction City High School, Fort Riley Middle School, Junction City Middle School and the H.D. Karns Alternative School presented to the Geary County Schools USD 475 Board of Education the results of their most recent Kansas State Assessments. Junction City High School Highlights • JCHS has seen a gain in ELA and Math from 2023-24 to 2024-25. They have also posted a 91.7% graduation rate, which is higher than the state average of 90.5 percent.
Fort Riley Middle Sch Highlights • Fort Riley Middle School saw an almost 19 percent gain in science as well as a 17.57 percent gain in ELA in 2024-25. Junction City Middle School Highlights
Junction City Middle School has not only seen a gain in both ELA and science, but also math from 2023-24 to 2024-25. H.D. Karns Alternative School Highlights •
H.D. Karns has seen a significant increase in the number of early graduates during the 2025-26 school year.
--The Board of Education approved their Negotiation Team, which consists of three Board members, the Superintendent, the Associate Superintendent, the Executive Director of Personnel Services, and David Cunningham.
--Dr. Eggleston, USD 475 Superintendent of Schools, and Ardena Carlyon, USD 475 Manager of Finance, continued to review the district’s budget for the 2026-27 school year with the Board of Education. This review is a significant step in the district’s ongoing efforts to ensure that its financial planning is thorough, transparent and aligned with its strategic goals. Additionally, Tim Winter, USD 475 Executive Director of Personnel Services, discussed and provided an update on USD 475’s health insurance renewal.
--Chris Bogenhagen, Junction City High School Athletic Director, provided the USD 475 Board of Education with Junction City High School’s drug testing data for 2025-26 school year. •
--On Monday, the USD 475 Board of Education approved the Public Notice of Hearing for closing a school building for the H.D. Karns building as well as Grandview Elementary. The board will have a public hearing at Grandview Elementary on Monday, May 11 at 6 p.m. The regular board meeting at the Devin Center was moved to Tuesday, May 12 at 6 p.m. •
The Board selected Flagstar Bank to finance the lease/purchase HVAC project at Fort Riley Middle School. The lease purchase financing amount will be financed over a five-year term at an interest rate of 3.80 percent. In addition, the financing can be prepaid at any time without penalty.