Department of Defense Awards $78 Million Grant to San Diego Unified School District for Chesterton Elementary School at Naval Base Point Loma, California

The Department of Defense announced today the award of a $78,188,733 grant, as the Federal share of a larger $97,735,917 project, from the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation to San Diego Unified School District to replace the current Chesterton Elementary School at Naval Base Point Loma, California.

The project will address facility capacity and condition deficiencies that placed Morris Hill Elementary School as the 45th school on the 2019 Deputy Secretary of Defense "Public Schools on Military Installations Priority List" (Priority List). Upon completion, Chesterton Elementary School will serve up to 611 students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

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 Chesterton 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 Base Point Loma, and enhances partnerships between the communities and the installation.