Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Property Disposal topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District outlines process and limits for disposing of Countryside school property after 1950s-era deed
Summary
De Soto USD 232 staff reviewed legal steps required to dispose of the Countryside property, noting a 2023 state law that gives the Kansas legislature a right of first refusal and detailing deed and parcel history for the site near Panasonic.
District staff briefed the De Soto Board of Education on Feb. 3, 2025, about the legal steps required if the board later decides to dispose of the property known as Countryside, a 20-acre site south of K-10 near Lexington Avenue and the Panasonic campus.
Albie Kader and Superintendent Corey Gibson summarized the site—s two parcels: Parcel 1, which contains the Countryside building, is about 9.52 acres; Parcel 2, with no buildings, is about 10.5 acres. Kader said the building was constructed in 1953 and deeded to Common School District No. 31 on Oct. 20, 1952; Parcel 2 was deeded on April 22, 1960. The district acquired the property via unification into USD 232 in 1962.
Staff reviewed changes in state law enacted by House Substitute for Senate Bill 113 in February 2023 that require an additional procedure before a school district may sell or otherwise convey a building that previously served as an attendance center (kindergarten–12). Under that law the board would first adopt a resolution of intent to dispose of the building and must, within 30 days, notify the chief clerk of the Kansas House of Representatives and the secretary of the Senate. The legislature then has a defined window to adopt a concurrent resolution directing a state agency to acquire the property; if the legislature or the legislative coordinating council declines or sits on the notice, the board may eventually proceed with disposition after statutory waiting periods and any agency acquisition windows expire.
Kader emphasized procedural constraints: the board may not sell, gift, lease or take actions that would diminish the property—s value during the period of state consideration and agency acquisition. Staff also noted the features that make reuse as an elementary site challenging: proximity to heavy commercial traffic on Lexington/103rd near Panasonic, access roads that are not city streets (one is owned by Clearview Village), and the age and condition of the building (mothballed, used for storage).
Superintendent Gibson said legislators in the area have discussed the issue informally and that last year—s state budget language included an exclusion for Countryside in a prior context; staff cautioned that any legislative action would be a separate process. The briefing was informational; the board did not take action on disposition at the meeting.
