The Department of Defense announced today the award of a $57,701,575 grant as the Federal share of a larger $72,126,969 project to North Chicago School District 187, from the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation that replaces Forrestal Elementary School at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois.
The project will address facility capacity and condition deficiencies that placed Forrestal Elementary School as the 68th school on the 2019 Deputy Secretary of Defense "Public Schools on Military Installations Priority List" (Priority List). Upon completion, 580 kindergarten through fifth grade students will be supported through the project.
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, 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 Forrestal 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 Station Great Lakes, and enhances partnerships between the communities and the installation.