The Department of Defense announced today the award of a $78,011,069 grant from the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation to the Sierra Sands School District to replace the current Richmond Elementary School facility with a new school on Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake.
Upon completion, the new school will serve up to 505 students Pre-Kindergarten through fifth grade and address capacity and facility condition deficiencies that placed Richmond Elementary School as the 37th school on the 2019 Deputy Secretary of Defense "Public Schools on Military Installations Priority List" (Priority List).
Funding for this grant is provided under the Department's Public Schools on Military Installations Program. In making these funds available, the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation must give priority consideration to military installations that have schools with the most serious capacity and facility condition deficiencies, as determined by the Priority List.
A multi-disciplined Federal Evaluation Team, with representatives from the Assistant Secretaries of the Air Force, Army, and Navy and the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, reviewed the school project to ensure the award appropriately addresses the noted capacity and facility condition deficiencies.
In correcting the identified facility condition and capacity issues at Richmond Elementary School, this grant keeps faith with service members, improves the quality of education for defense-connected students, aids in the recruitment and retention of vital skills at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, and enhances partnerships between the communities and the installation.