Board discusses sale or lease of school pools with City of Savannah; aims for Jenkins use by summer 2026

District staff told the Board of Public Education on June 4 that the City of Savannah is open to a long-term collaboration to operate several school pools and that the district is negotiating intergovernmental-agreement language with city attorneys.

Miss Davidson, who gave the pool update, said city leaders discussed either a sale of the pool properties or a lease under which the city would operate and manage programming. She said the next steps are to work through intergovernmental agreements with attorneys, and staff are aiming for student use of Jenkins Pool in the summer of 2026 while pursuing repairs to Brock and Haven to make them operable for that same summer.

Key details and fiscal considerations

Davidson said Jenkins Pool currently has water in it and that filters and plaster work have been completed; the site still requires health-department certification and additional security measures before public use. She said city staff suggested the city could potentially operate the pools faster than the district can; the district will present conservative timelines but noted an earlier opening (as soon as August) might be possible if certifications and operations are completed.

District staff said a sale would remove recurring maintenance costs from the district but would require one-time repairs to render Brock and Haven operable; staff said the city is open to a property swap as an alternative to a cash sale and that any transfer would comply with legal requirements (including the option of nominal consideration if required by law). If the district were to lease sites to the city, staff noted an estimated potential annual insurance increase of about $68,000.

Board questions and community concerns

Board members pressed staff on security and historical preservation. Doctor Brinkman asked whether the district must retain ownership of the land and whether it could transfer the parcel entirely to the city; Davidson said legal pros and cons exist and that transfers would be based on whatever legal requirement applies. Multiple board members urged staff to preserve historical context at pool sites — for example, plaques or interpretive materials describing the sites’ local significance — and to consider academic uses such as CTAE programs and underwater robotics when structuring agreements.

Schumann site

Staff said they anticipate closing and possibly repurposing the Schumann site; when asked by board members, staff recommended pausing any demolition or filling action until the property’s future use is determined since the parcel may be suitable for affordable housing or CTAE-related activities.

What was decided

No formal vote was taken. Staff were directed to continue negotiating intergovernmental agreement language with city attorneys, to pursue property-swap options, to assess security and health-certification steps needed for Jenkins and the other pools, and to revisit Schumann only after clarifying future property plans.

Ending

Board members expressed support for the collaborative approach and asked staff to include protections for student access, public safety measures for unsecured pools and historical recognition at sites as part of any agreement with the city.