Exciting news is coming to the St. Elizabeth R-IV School District! On Tuesday, March 12, 2024, Superintendent Doug Kempker received official word from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) that their application was formally approved and will be funded.
St. Elizabeth will receive a sub-grant award that will fully obligate $2,250,000 of federal funds and $750,000 of non-federal match funds, totaling $3,000,000. The school district has been anticipating this grant and financially planning for this addition for the last several years.
In addition to the grant, the St. Elizabeth R-IV school district will ask voters to approve a $0.99 operational tax levy in April. If approved, the district would combine the federal funds with local tax revenue to construct a FEMA safe room that will double as a regulation-size gymnasium. Should this measure pass by voters, it would be the first major construction product since the 1999-2000 school year. That year, the district constructed a new cafeteria and added a stage to the existing gym built in 1968.