During the August 26 Kent School Board meeting, the Kent School District (KSD) Maintenance, Custodial, Grounds, and Facilities staff were awarded special recognition for their efforts over the 2026 summer. Spencer Pan, Senior Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives & Operations for KSD, presented numerous accomplishments to the Board, all of which were carried out to ensure KSD schools were clean, safe, operational, and ready for students and staff on the first day of school. Highlights comprised of major improvement projects across the district, classroom reconfigurations, HVAC replacements, life-safety system maintenance, irrigation system improvements, water-quality work, and extensive custodial preparation, including washing thousands of windows, detailing hundreds of restrooms, and cleaning one million square feet of carpet.

All told, Maintenance, Custodial, Grounds, and Facilities staff, completed nearly 350 work orders in approximately two months. Pan commended the team’s quick responsiveness to equipment and operational needs throughout the summer, even during periods of exceptionally high demand, as well as their overall commitment to reducing costs, coordination, and problem-solving. “They complete remarkable volumes of work under often immovable time constraints,” he said. “Their skills and commitment during this past summer is reflected in how prepared our physical spaces and classrooms are for our staff to teach and our students to learn.”

203 maintenance and custodial team members serve the Kent School District, which educates over 25 thousand students who attend its 44 schools and academies. KSD welcomed students back to classrooms for the 2026-27 school year on August 26.