The Fair Grove Bank of Missouri was purchased by Fair Grove Schools, to generate additional classrooms for the elementary school, and create new office space for the Fair Grove administration; the purchase was finalized October 30, 2024.
The bank’s location is very helpful, with easy access to the elementary school. Superintendent Mike Bell stated, “The bank’s location at Main Street and Highway 125, and serves as a welcoming entry point to our school campus.”
The bank will be used for many beneficial things, especially for the elementary school. Bell explained, “… Primarily, this helps address the shortage of classroom space in our elementary building. By relocating the central office to this new space, we may be able to free up two additional classrooms in the elementary school, as some offices will move to the current central office in the middle school. This really helps students and staff by providing more space and better office arrangements.”
Clearing up space in the elementary school will help the class environment in a positive way. Cheryl Kepes, a member on the school board explained, “As district enrollment continues to steadily increase, the purchase of this property provides the district with the opportunity to free up much needed classroom space in the elementary school.” Kepes continued, “The district’s priority is to provide the best possible learning environment for students. Therefore maintaining reasonable class sizes and excellent student-to-teacher ratios are important components of reaching that objective.”
The bank will additionally be a designated spot for not just administration, but also important documents. Kepes explained, “The building will also be utilized for record storage. The vault in the building provides a safe, secure, and fireproof area to store student and district records and information.” Kepes also stated that the moving of files and records will provide more space in the district’s buildings, not just the elementary but also middle and high school.
The purchase of the bank building was not decided on its own. Mike Bell exclaimed, “The decision was ultimately made by our Board of Education, which took about a year to fully research and evaluate the property. The process included an analysis of the pros and cons, price negotiations, and property inspections before the final purchase.” The total cost of the bank building was $509,986.40.
With plans to generate elementary classrooms, office space, record storage, and maybe more, the purchase of the bank seems to be positive and helpful for teachers and students alike.
