Joplin Schools

Capital Improvements in Joplin Schools

Joplin Schools is committed to maintaining suitable educational, co-curricular, extracurricular, and working environments for all students and staff in support of academic and community excellence.

A person digs a hole in the ground with a shovel, while a sunset illuminates the sky.

Each year, projects are carefully planned and prioritized to ensure the safety and efficiency of our school facilities in support of student success. These projects are based on the ongoing need to address educational suitablity, program modernization, student demographics, and aging infrastructure. Projects are compiled to create a draft Capital Outlay Plan which must be approved annually by the Board of Education, and are built into our annual budget as an expectation that we will pursue continuous improvements for our students and staff while maintaining the many properties and campuses in our district.

Annual Capital Outlay Projects

- Asphalt/Concrete work at the Building & Grounds office, Franklin Technology Center, Jefferson Elementary, and the Transprotation office.
- ADA Modifications at Eastmorland Elementary, Junge Stadium, and Soaring Heights Elementary.
- Continuing asbestos abatement as part of the District 10 Year Compliance Plan.
- Athletics improvements at Joplin High School.
- New construction at the Building & Grounds office, Joplin High School, McKinley Elementary, Memorial Education Center, and Stapleton Elementary.
- New and replacement equipment at the Building & Grounds office, Food Services, Irving Elementary, North Middle School, and the Transportation Office.
- HVAC repair or replacement at the Building & Grounds office and Memorial Education Center.
- Continuation of the District’s ongoing Indoor Air Quality Project.
- Continuation of the District’s ongoing LED Lighting project, with work this year at East Middle School, Soaring Heights Elementary, and the Transportation office.
- District-wide Lead Testing measures.
- Remodels at the Food Services office, Franklin Technology Center, Joplin Early Childhood, Junge Stadium, Memorial Education Center, and North Middle School.
- Replace artificial surface on football field & Resurface Track at Joplin High School.
- Roof Replacement or repair at Eastmorland Elementary, Irving Elementary, Memorial Education Center, and the old bus garage.
- Safety and security improvements at Cecil Floyd Elementary, Dover Hill Elementary, Duenweg Education Center, East Middle School, Joplin Early Childhood, Jefferson Elementary, Joplin High School, McKinley Elementary, North Middle School, Royal Heights Elementary, Soaring Heights Elementary, South Middle School, Stapleton Elementary, and the Transportation office.
- Improvements to Busses and Fleet Vehicle Equipment.
- Windows, doors and locks upgrade or replacement at Memorial Education Center, Roi S. Wood, and Stapleton Elementary.
- ADA modifications at Cecil Floyd Elementary.
- Asbestos abatement as part of the District’s ongoing 10 Year Compliance Plan.
- Concrete/Asphalt projects at areas around the district, including East Middle School, Joplin Early Childhood, Junge Stadium, and McKinley Elementary.
- Athletics upgrades at Joplin High School and Junge Stadium.
- New school busses.
- District equipment purchases.
- Existing spaces remodeled at Duenweg Education Center, Eastmorland Elementary, Franklin Technology Center, Joplin High School, and Soaring Heights Elementary.
- HVAC replacement/repair/upgrades at East Middle School, Jefferson Elementary, and Joplin High School.
- A continuation of district work on the IAQ Trane upgrades.
- LED lighting upgrades at South Middle School.
- District-wide Lead Testing.
- New construction for Joplin High School Athletics and North Middle School.
- Replace artificial surface at Baseball field at Joplin High School.
- Roof replacements/repairs at Food Services and South Middle School.
- Safety & Security Projects at Cecil Floyd Elementary, East Middle School, Eastmorland Elementary, Joplin High School Athletics, North Middle School, South Middle School, Stapleton, and the Transportation office.
- Fleet Vehicle Equipment
- Windows, doors and locks upgrades at Cecil Floyd Elementary, Irving Elementary, and McKinley Elementary.
- ADA Modifications at Irving Elementary.
- Year 3 of a 10 year Asbestos Abatement Plan.
- Asphalt & Concrete work at Franklin Technology Center.
- Purchase of busses.
- Remodel of existing spaces at Cecil Floyd Elementary, East Middle School, North Middle School, Joplin High School, Duenweg Education Center, Franklin Technology Center, Kelsey Norman Elementary, Memorial Education Center, Soaring Heights Elementary, and South Middle School.
- Flooring at North Middle School and Food Services.
- HVAC replacement/repair/upgrade at East Middle School, Duenweg Education Center, and Memorial Education Center.
- IAQ Trane upgrades (step 1 of a 4 step process) at Jefferson Elementary, Kelsey Norman Elementary, Stapleton Elementary, Cecil Floyd Elementary, North Middle School, Memorial Education Center, Royal Heights Elementary, McKinley Elementary, Eastmorland Elementary, Duenweg Education Center, South Middle School, Soaring Heights Elementary, Joplin High School, Junge Stadium, Roi S. Wood, Bus Garage, and East Middle School.
- Inspection of District basketball goals and Columbia crack monitoring.
- LED lighting upgrades (year 4 of an 8 year plan) at Junge Stadium and North Middle School.
- Roof replacements/repairs at Stapleton Elementary and North Middle School.
- Safety equipment replacement at Building & Grounds, Transportation and Joplin High School.
- Security & Fire Alarms at Eastmorland Elementary and Joplin High School.
- Fleet vehicle replacement for Transportation, Building & Grounds, and Food Services.
- Turf replacement (year 1 of a 3 year cycle) at the Joplin High School Softball Field.
- Windows, doors and locks upgrades at Duenweg Education Center and Eastmorland Elementary.

Long Range Facility Committee Projects

The Long Range Facility Planning Committee is a group of community members, parents, city leaders, business owners, and Joplin Schools staff members who volunteered to evaluate district properties in order to create a Long Range Facility Plan to guide our Capital Projects for the next 5-15 years. The Committee began meeting in 2023 and has toured every district campus and facility, comparing educational suitability, program needs, student demographics, safety, and projected student enrollment data.

In January, 2025, the Committee recommended to the Board of Education a slate of projects to begin addressing the facility needs they considered to be of highest priority: those that addressed Suitable educational spaces for all students, Suitable Special Education spaces for intensive programs, and Early Childhood/PreK expansion. Those Phase 1 recommendations were approved by the Board of Education on January 7, 2025.