The Warren County R-III School Board of Education accepted a bid from G.S. & S for the construction of the new elementary school on Oct. 10. 

The board accepted the bid after previously agreeing to spend no more than $10 million this calendar year in bond funds during their last school board meeting, which will help cover the cost of the project. 

The R-III board approved a total base bid and performance bond of $33,845,000. That cost came in well under the $45 million bond issue voters approved back in April, also known as Prop R3. The bid will also cover the polished concrete floor needed for construction. 

“We’re happy with it. We were expecting it to be $400 a square foot and it came in about $380 a square foot. We came under what we were expecting, so that’s a positive,” Warren County R-III Superintendent Dr. Gregg Klinginsmith said. 

The new elementary school will be constructed along Highway 47 a few miles north of Interstate 70 in Warrenton. Students currently attending Daniel Boone Elementary will be moved to the new school and the Early Childhood Center will be moved into Daniel Boone with additional updates. 

The bid will cover the cost for the first phase of the project. Phase 1 will build 24 classrooms. The second phase will add 13 classrooms, which will be done at a later date. The bids for the second phase will also be approved once the district knows their assessed value and cash flow in the years leading up to the completion of the project. 

With $11,155,000 leftover from the $45 million voter-approved bond measure, the district will explore ways to work with MoDOT on improving traffic flow near the new school.

“Our main goal is to maintain a no tax rate increase, so we just have to do it in phases,” Klinginsmith said. 

The district is still on track with their original construction and school opening plan. Construction is expected to start in the middle of November of this year and the school will be open for the 2027-28 school year.