PERRYVILLE — The floor plans for the proposed new Perryville High School building have officially been released.
(Red diagonal stripes shows Damaged High School footprint)
A school official stated, “While this project is long overdue, the tornado forced our school district to fast-track a vision for the future. The result? A safe and modern learning facility that brings all classes and activities UNDER ONE ROOF!”
The statement included the size of the proposed building.
Proposed New PHS: approximately 146,000 sq. ft.
Pre-Tornado PHS Spaces: approximately 144,257 sq. ft. total
High School: 121,255 sf
Old Vocational Building: 15,400 sf
Old Senior High Gym: 7,602 sf
“The proposed high school is only about 2,000 square feet larger than what they were using before. It’s not about making it massive—it’s about making it better, safer, and unified for our students,” the official added.
Voters will be asked to approve a modified Proposition KIDS ballot measure in the August 4 Primary Election.
The new Prop KIDS proposal will ask voters whether to allow the district to increase its operating levy by $0.2215 per $100 of assessed valuation, generating $35 million to build a new facility for Perryville High School. The PHS building suffered significant structural damage during a March 2025 tornado and students and staff have been displaced in temporary facilities for the last year.
The measure would raise the District’s operating levy ceiling to $3.4979 beginning in 2026, and it would be reduced by an estimated $.5440 when the temporary levy sunsets in 2046.
This modified version of Prop KIDS is a $0.1885 reduction from the proposed $0.41 increase that failed to pass during the April General Election.
“The voters spoke loud and clear in April. We knew we had to find a way to reduce the taxpayer ask, and that’s exactly what this proposal does” said board President Dominic Blythe. “We almost cut it in half.”
In addition to the $35 million from Prop KIDS, the district will apparently receive FEMA reimbursements to help fund the project.
Earlier this month, Perry County School District 32 received a long-awaited determination from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regarding its Public Assistance Grant application for tornado recovery at Perryville High School.
FEMA sent a letter to District 32 and Missouri’s State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) notifying that the damaged PHS building has qualified for “replacement” under the Public Assistance Grant.
The PHS building has met FEMA’s threshold for its “50 percent rule,” meaning the estimated cost to repair the damaged structure exceeds 50 percent of the estimated cost to replace the building. This determination will allow the District to request reimbursements based on estimated replacement costs rather than repair costs.
“This is the good news we have been waiting for,” said District 32 Superintendent Dr. Fara Jones. “This designation will allow us to receive a larger overall reimbursement from FEMA that we can invest in building a new permanent home for PHS.”
FEMA’s correspondence mentioned it is developing an estimate of eligible costs for the associated project, but did not give a timeline when that would be available. District 32 will communicate those estimates once they are received.
Any FEMA funding the District is awarded will not come in one lump sum. The District will receive gradual reimbursements after submitting documentation of expenditures throughout the construction process.
“The Board has been working diligently with our construction and finance partners on a new plan after our April ballot issue fell short,” Dr. Jones said. “This updated Prop K.I.D.S. proposal significantly reduces the ask from taxpayers while still ensuring we can build a quality high school that will serve Perry County families for years to come.”
The District will provide updates on the recovery project online at www.pcsd32.com/recovery