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Community group asks Rogers board to donate or lease Garfield school to city or local nonprofit
Summary
Garfield Scholars Academy CEO Joy Sawyer asked the board to negotiate a lease or donation of the Garfield school building so the local nonprofit can restore it for educational use; she said the board's prior condition barring school use could violate state law (ACA §6‑21‑816) and requested a committee meeting to negotiate terms.
Joy Sawyer, CEO and co‑founder of Garfield Scholars Academy, told the Rogers School District board on Thursday that her nonprofit is interested in the Garfield school campus and asked the district to reopen negotiations to lease or donate the building.
"Historically, Garfield has strongly supported Rogers Public Schools," Sawyer said, and her organization is prepared to restore the facility and work with local stakeholders. She said the board had previously negotiated a transfer of the building to the city of Garfield with a condition that it not be used as a school and that the condition would violate "ACA 6 21 8 16" as cited in her written remarks.
Sawyer said the nonprofit had learned of a $100,000 cash offer from a local benefactor that, to their knowledge, had not been formally rejected. She proposed that donating the property to the city would allow the city to pursue repairs and improvements (including through a Brownfield or similar study) while preserving Rogers Public Schools' right of first refusal if the city later chose to dispose of the property.
"If the Rogers Public Schools donates the property to the city of Garfield, then the city ... would be willing to make those improvements," Sawyer said. "If the city decides to ever get rid of the building, RPS has first right of refusal to regain the building and sell it with the improvements made at no charge."
The board president acknowledged the item had been discussed previously and said the board would consider the request and could place the matter on a future agenda. Sawyer asked the board to form a small committee to meet with her organization and said she hoped the transcript of her written letter would stand as an expression of interest in negotiating a lease or donation.
No formal board action was taken at the meeting; the president said the board would discuss the matter among members and could schedule it for a future meeting.
