Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL) released a statement announcing a Department of Defense grant to rebuild Tinker PreK-8 School on MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.
The $86 million award will improve the quality of Tinker's campus and curricula and expand its capacity to accommodate the children of Air Force service members and ensure their education.
In her press release, Rep. Castor said, "I am grateful to the military families, leadership at MacDill, Hillsborough County Public Schools, and local advocates for working with me over the years to ensure that the Department of Defense (DoD) invests in students at MacDill."
Additionally, she emphasized, "Our service members and their families deserve access to high-quality, reliable child care and schools, and their kids deserve to learn in a safe and healthy environment. Unfortunately, in its current state, Tinker has challenges."
Rep. Castor explained that efforts to improve and expand the Tinker School have been ongoing for over a decade. In 2011, the facility ranked 118th out of 156 on the Department of Defense's Public Schools on Military Bases Installations priority funding list, jumping to 60th in 2018 thanks to sustained appeals and funding increases in the yearly National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
In 2022, the Tinker School finally secured a spot among the top 12 schools, thereby making the recent award of $86 million possible.
The grant comes just a few short weeks after Castor demanded Harbor Bay, MacDill's housing community, and the Michaels Organization, its building contractor, expedite housing repairs for residents in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
As the Florida Congresswoman's letter revealed, the hurricanes only shed light on a persistent delay and inadequacy of home repairs for Harbor Bay residents. During a town hall meeting with residents about rebuilding, "an overwhelming number of questions and concerns around housing were raised by members of the community but were met with little to no answers from Harbor Bay."
