School board approves reduced listing price for surplus building after tight votes

The Conneaut School District Board of Directors voted March 11 to approve a reduced listing price for a surplus district building after extended debate over whether to remove a set price and allow administrators to accept negotiable offers.

Board members debated two competing strategies: one, to follow the new realtor’s recommendation and lower the listed price (a motion the board ultimately approved), and two, to remove the concrete listing price and instead list the property as “price negotiable” to invite offers and maintain negotiating flexibility. Board member Burnham proposed the amendment to remove the listed price and allow administration to entertain offers; the amendment failed on a close roll call.

Why it mattered: supporters of removing a set listing price argued that “price negotiable” would revive buyer interest and avoid anchoring offers too low. Opponents said the realtor’s recommendation to reduce the price to $1,750,000 reflected market realities and that the district was spending roughly $120,000 a year to hold the building; they said quicker progress toward a sale would limit ongoing carrying costs.

“I would ask that the amendment read as follows… that we allow administration to have price negotiable,” a board member urged during debate. Another board member said, “If this reenergizes activity, I support that,” noting the district’s expense to maintain the building.

Board members also raised the scale of past investments in the facility. One speaker said taxpayers and the state had invested about $25,000,000 in the building, cautioning against appearing to abandon that investment when deciding sale strategy; other members replied those were past decisions and emphasized the immediate fiscal impact of the annual holding cost.

The motion to remove the set listing price and accept negotiable offers failed on the amendment vote (chair announced a 5–4 result). The board then voted to approve the reduced sale price (roll-call vote recorded; motion carried). The board also asked the district solicitor to review the prior listing contract after a member asked whether the previous real estate agent might have any legal remedy.

What’s next: the district will proceed under the board’s approved sale strategy and follow up on any legal questions the solicitor identifies. The board also requested continued realtor reports on activity and signaled it will monitor carrying costs while the property remains on the market.

Quotes used in this article come from participants recorded on the public meeting transcript and are attributed to board members and staff who spoke at the meeting.