Knob Noster Public Schools has received $21 million from the the Department of War Education Activity, it announced Friday, Aug. 21.
The district says the funding will be used to support its Timely Facility Investment 4 Total Force Integration (TFI 4 TFI) initiative.
Part of the grant will be used to assist for the completion of specific academic and workforce components of the new Knob Noster High School Innovation Campus, which is slated to welcome students Tuesday, Sept. 8.
“This award is also an extraordinary example of what can happen when a community is willing to invest in itself,” the district said in a statement. “Our Board of Education and community stepped forward first. The district purchased the property, completed design and engineering, secured local funding, completed environmental requirements and moved construction forward.”
Specific items within the criteria, the district says, include academic classrooms, laboratories, career and technical education spaces, advanced manufacturing and robotics facilities, and JROTC training areas.
The opening of the new Knob Noster High School makes way for the plan to renovate and repurpose the old high school into Knob Noster Middle School and change the current Knob Noster Middle School into an intermediate school, reducing overcrowding at Knob Noster Elementary and Whiteman Elementary. It will also increase the capacity of the Little Wingmen Preschool program from 150 to 300 students.
The district says the adjustments help it prepare for the future arrival of the B-21 mission to Whiteman Air Force Base, and the future of the 442d Fighter Wing, which Congressman Mark Alford recently announced is the sole candidate for the proposed Air Force Reserve Command F-15E Strike Eagle mission.
The district, which currently serves more than 2,100 students, anticipates a 50% increase in enrollment over the next decade, matching the trend it saw in the previous 10 years. It says 66% of its current student body is military connected.
“The Knob Noster Board of Education understood the urgency of our needs and our responsibility to support the students and families we serve while continuing to support our installation.” The district said. “We demonstrated our commitment, assumed our share of the responsibility, and asked the federal government to join us as a partner. That request was honored, and today that partnership has been realized in a new and significant way.”
The district has now received approximately $33 million in grants from the Department of War Education Activity over the last decade.
“We want to express our sincere, heartfelt appreciation to the Department of War Education Activity and their leadership who recognized the importance and value of this project,” the district said. “We simply cannot begin to express our appreciation to our partners in DoWEA and in the DoW who continue to place their trust and support with us.”
Knob Noster plans to host a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new high school during homecoming week, which is slated for Sept. 28 through Oct. 3.
“We also want to thank our Board of Education, staff, families, community members, Whiteman Air Force Base leadership, elected officials, project partners, and the many individuals who advocated for Knob Noster Public Schools,” the district said. “The ongoing investment in our school district is the result of years of aligning trust and common purpose among key partners and uniting a Total Force to the vision of what is possible for our students.”
