Kemper County School District breaks ground on new elementary school

DE KALB, Miss. (WTOK) - One local school held a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday for its new building.

In De Kalb, the Kemper County School District broke ground on its new elementary school building.

Dr. Jerri Cawthorn, the prinicpal of Kemper County Lower Elementary, was excited about the new layout of the school.

“The design of the school is really good because it will bring east and west together. It will bring K through sixth back together again under one roof and I think that it is just better financially for our community and our school system,” said Dr. Cawthorn.

Hilute Hudson, the Kemper County Superintendent, said the kids work really hard during the school year and they want to give them a building that represents that work ethic.

“The project has been in the making a long time. It’s morphed. At one point it was going to be a high school, but as we started to look at finances, doing what’s best for the district and the taxpayers it became that an elementary would be a more suitable project. The community spoke and they were in agreement. They passed a 12-million-dollar bond for this project. As well as us going out, finding some other funds so we are really proud to be able to build a 24-million-dollar school and only passing the bond for 12 million,” said Superintendent Hudson.

One of the school board members, Rontal Jenkins, said this is a huge investment not only for the school but also for the community as a whole.

“As your school system goes so goes your community. The better your school system, the better your community is going to be, the more job opportunities will be able to come into your community. So, we are investing in our kids, which is also an investment in our community in the long term,” said Jenkins.

School leaders said the new school will be able to house up to 750 students and the expected completion date is December of 2023 with a move-in date set for January 2024.

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