JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) – Federal officials have issued final denials of appeals by the Joplin School District for $67 million in reimbursements from the 2011 tornado that devastated the city.
Ron Lankford, the school’s district interim chief financial officer, says district preparations will mean the financial impact from the denial is significantly less than $67 million.
The Joplin Globe reports the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the last of seven second-attempt appeals from Joplin about two weeks ago.
Lankford says the district did its planning to repair or replace buildings damaged in the tornado without counting on the FEMA money. He says other funds and the district’s insurance settlements will reduce the cost of the projects to about $3 million to $4 million.
The district had hoped to use the FEMA money to pay down its debt.
