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Garfield Scholars Academy urges district to reconsider disposition of Garfield School building
Summary
Garfield Scholars Academy representatives asked the board to revisit negotiations over the former Garfield School building, raised a statutory concern and proposed leasing or donation options, according to a public comment at the Rogers board meeting.
Representatives of Garfield Scholars Academy told the Rogers Public Schools Board on Tuesday that they are interested in using the former Garfield School facility and urged the district to reopen negotiations after the City of Garfield ended talks with the district.
Joy Sawyer, CEO and cofounder of Garfield Scholars Academy, told the board her group had been told the district had negotiated a possible transfer to the city with conditions that the building not be used as a school. “This condition violated ACA 6-21-816,” Sawyer said, and provided a written letter to the board outlining legal concerns and proposing alternatives including donation or lease arrangements.
Sawyer said local stakeholders expressed a desire to see the building continue to be used as a school and that a local benefactor had offered $100,000 in cash for the property; she said that offer had not been formally rejected but that the benefactor wanted a firm price. She asked the district to consider donating the property to the City of Garfield so the city could pursue Brownfield or other improvement funding and return an improved facility to the district with first-right-of-refusal provisions, or to enter direct lease negotiations with Garfield Scholars Academy.
Board chair interrupted at the end of the allotted public-comment period but said the board would discuss the matter internally and could place it on a future agenda. No board action was taken during the meeting.
District officials said they would consider the letter and that interested board members could meet with the group or the city to discuss next steps; the board did not set a specific follow-up date during the meeting.
