Neosho School Board settles with insurance company for tornado damage to Goodman elementary

March 03--NEOSHO, Mo. -- The Neosho Board of Education and its insurance carrier have reached agreement on a settlement that will be used to rebuild Goodman Elementary School, which was destroyed by an EF2 tornado in April 2017.

The insurance carrier, Missouri United School Insurance Council, will reimburse the district $10.7 million, which will cover the cost of a new elementary school and its contents, said Superintendent Dan Decker during a board meeting Thursday.

Decker recommended to the board that it plan a budget of $10.5 million to replace the school, using the $200,000 difference for any unforeseen expenses during construction.

"We're really excited and optimistic about the progress that we've made. We hope to break ground in the next couple weeks. ... The people of Goodman will start seeing construction soon," said Steve Douglas, board president.

The final settlement will include an initial $3 million payment that the district received shortly after the tornado as upfront money intended to help with any immediate expenses.

Last fall, the district hired Branco Enterprises, Neosho, as its construction management company and Sapp Design Associates Architects and Toth & Associates for the engineering work.

Goodman Principal Samantha Hamilton said they have been working closely with all of the parties involved as they plan to rebuild the school

"(Branco and Sapp) have been very good at listening at our requests and desires," she said.

The board is also negotiating a $1.6 million settlement with its insurance company for building code upgrades as they replace the school, although that will not prevent the project from going forward, said Meagan Spangler, district spokesperson.

A groundbreaking will be held later this spring.

The school is expected to be completed by the summer of 2019, giving students and teachers some time to move back in for the beginning of the school year.

"We're ready to get back home and get back to our community," Hamilton said.

School officials hope to build a 55,000-square-foot structure to house the prekindergarten through fourth-grade elementary school.

The district also is waiting on approval of a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to build a gymnasium that would double as a storm shelter and could accommodate approximately 700 to 800 people, including residents.

Earlier this year, U.S. Sens. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo., joined in support of a request for FEMA funding for Goodman and two other school districts in the region that have been hit by tornadoes. The other two communities are Miller and Sparta.

Temporary home

The Neosho School District has temporarily made room for the 42 staff members and 330 pupils who attended the Goodman Elementary School at the Neosho Middle School.

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