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Vidor ISD receives $1M grant from Rebuild Texas Fund to help with Oak Forest Elementary

The grant money will go toward the rebuilding of Oak Forest Elementary and maintaining the portable buildings.

VIDOR, Texas — A million dollar grant will help Vidor Independent School District continue in recovering from Tropical Storm Harvey.

Students from Vidor Middle School and Oak Forest Elementary are still in portable buildings after the storm damaged school buildings. 

RELATED: Students and staff at Oak Forest Elementary ready for their temporary campus

The grant is coming from Rebuild Texas Fund, an organization that helps communities in Texas rebuild after Harvey. The group focuses on small communities.

The grant money will go toward the rebuilding of Oak Forest Elementary and maintaining the portable buildings. Students, faculty and staff will be in the portable buildings for at least two more years.

"Finding out we got this additional money is very exciting," said Carolyn Wedgeworth, Oak Forest Elementary Principal.

RELATED: Pair of Vidor students have Harvey damaged wheelchairs replaced by donor, district

RELATED: Mormon Helping Hands brings thousands of volunteers for Harvey cleanup

Wedgeworth's first year leading the school did not go as planned due to Harvey.

Lexi White is a former student of Oak Forest Elementary. She is excited the school where her younger brother attends will be rebuilt.

"It's really good because I want him to go to an actual school instead of just portables," said White.

RELATED: Vidor ISD begins demolition to rebuild elementary school nearly two years after Harvey

If you ask her siblings, who are currently enrolled in the schools that are in portable buildings, they'll tell you it's not so bad.

Lexi's sister said they get to play games and her brother Nic enjoys the rest area on the playground.

"Fema is paying for 90 percent of the rebuild but we still have the other 10 percent we have to fund. So we can now apply the funds from Rebuild Texas to the rebuild," said Sally Andrews, Coordinator of Communications at Vidor ISD.

When the new Oak Forest Elementary is rebuilt, there will be a larger library, larger classrooms, and a stage in the cafeteria for school productions.

We do not know what the design of the new school will look like. That is currently being worked on by an architect. Before it is revealed, it will need to be approved by FEMA, the superintendent and school board.

RELATED: Pair of Vidor students have Harvey damaged wheelchairs replaced by donor, district

RELATED: Mormon Helping Hands brings thousands of volunteers for Harvey cleanup

At this time, Vidor ISD is waiting to see how much it will cost to rebuild the middle school, which also flooded. FEMA will be funding 90 percent of that project as well. 

Once FEMA lets the district know how much they will pay, plans will begin on tearing down the middle school.

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