WESTMINSTER : School to Be Sold to Fund Maintenance

The Westminster School District Board of Trustees has approved a plan to sell a recently closed school, a vacant portion of an open campus and also lease a third campus to generate income for badly needed maintenance projects districtwide.

The board voted on Thursday to sell Virginia K. Boos Elementary School as well as a portion of the joint Finley Elementary/Dr. Russell I. Johnson Middle School. Also, the board agreed to lease James Franklin Elementary School to help pay for $31 million worth of renovation projects at schools throughout the district.

The board’s decision followed recommendations made last month by the district’s Property Advisory Committee, a seven-member group comprised of parents, staff and community members.

The committee made its recommendations based on enrollment estimates that predicted modest growth for the district.

Several people attended the public hearing to urge the board not to sell the properties and to find an alternative for raising the money.

Trustee Ron Morgan said the district had exhausted every other avenue for raising funds. He said that voters have rejected bonds and assessment districts and state officials have choked off the flow of revenue to schools.

“We have done our homework. We have $31 million of facility needs that we could spend tomorrow just to get our schools up to snuff. We’re not getting the money from the state and we’re not getting it from the taxpayers. The only way we can get it is through our facilities,” he said.

Under the plan, Boos will be sold to developers for the construction of single-family homes, but only if developers agree to reserve a portion of the site as a park for the community.

Also, the vacant lot next to the Finley/Johnson campus will be sold only if developers work with residents and the local Little League sports program to ensure community access to the campus’ athletic fields, she said.