The Department of Defense’s Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation has awarded Yuma Elementary School District One a grant of $8,030,235. This funding represents the federal share of a $10,037,794 project to build a new James D. Price Elementary School at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.
The initiative aims to resolve issues related to facility capacity and condition at the current school. In 2019, James D. Price Elementary was ranked #35 on the Deputy Secretary of Defense’s "Public Schools on Military Installations Priority List," which highlights schools with significant deficiencies. The new facility will serve 125 students from kindergarten through fifth grade.
The grant is part of the Department’s Public Schools on Military Installations Program. The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation prioritizes funding for military installations with schools facing the most severe challenges in capacity and condition, as identified by the Priority List.
A Federal Evaluation Team that included representatives from the Assistant Secretaries of the Air Force, Army, Navy, and the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation reviewed the project to ensure it addresses these deficiencies.
"In correcting the identified facility condition and capacity issues at the James D. Price 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 Yuma Proving Ground, and enhances partnerships between the community and the installation," according to a statement released by officials.
