Overview
- The board voted 6-2 to let the superintendent and legal staff begin exploratory negotiations with the city, with no properties transferred at this stage.
- Roughly 20 long-vacant district buildings are under consideration, with the city’s property assessment valuing the portfolio at about $80 million and the final list still unsettled.
- The authorization applies only to currently vacant sites, and any agreement must return to the board for approval after bond, legal, and revenue reviews.
- District leaders frame potential conveyances as a cost-saving measure as the system contends with a significant budget gap referenced by members at about $300 million.
- Some members and community speakers pressed for financial compensation and openness to other buyers, noting West Oak Lane Charter’s interest in Ada H. H. Lewis Middle School following renewed scrutiny of the site.