The Department of Defense has announced the award of a $57,701,575 grant to North Chicago School District 187. This grant, provided by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, forms part of a larger $72,126,969 project aimed at replacing Forrestal Elementary School located at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois.
The initiative seeks to 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." Upon completion, the project will support 580 kindergarten through fifth grade students.
Funding for this grant comes under the Department's Public Schools on Military Installations Program. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation prioritizes military installations with schools facing severe capacity and facility condition deficiencies based on the Priority List.
A Federal Evaluation Team comprising representatives from the Assistant Secretaries of the Air Force, Army, Navy, and the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation reviewed the school project. Their assessment ensured that the award adequately addresses noted capacity and facility condition issues.
In addressing these issues at Forrestal Elementary School, this grant aims to uphold commitments to service members. It also seeks to improve educational quality for defense-connected students, assist in recruiting and retaining essential skills at Naval Station Great Lakes, and enhance community-installation partnerships.
