Board members press staff to review closed-school properties as potential one-time revenue source

A board member asked the budget briefing team to identify recurring costs of three closed properties and said proceeds from a sale could be redirected to student programs, prompting a discussion of capital constraints and the limits of one-time money.

At the meeting, a board member said a quick tally of costs for Hawthorne, Jackson and Benyon showed roughly $383,000 per year in carrying costs (water, sewer, garbage, utilities) and suggested the three properties could potentially be worth about $5 million if sold. The speaker urged the district to "let properties go, when they are costing us money and not an investment in our students."

Staff response and caveats: Alan confirmed the rough carrying-cost estimates and added the district incurred property-liability costs for the vacant buildings; he cautioned the $5 million estimate was not market-validated and said sale proceeds would generally be restricted to capital uses. "If I was to get $5,000,000 in capital money, I can only spend that on capital needs that are one-time costs," a board member reminded colleagues.

Why it matters: Board members and staff agreed that one-time capital from property sales cannot legally be used to support recurring personnel or program costs. Several members expressed concern the district may be carrying unused assets while ongoing services face pressure from state funding changes.

Next steps: Staff said they will continue to validate property values and liability costs and that the finance committee will consider how one-time resources could be used appropriately. The RFP process for an unrelated procurement was also reported as nearing vendor selection by the end of the month.