One of three ballot questions Concord voters will encounter in the booth asks whether the school district should sell the Eastman School, a former elementary school in East Concord.
Here’s what voters will see on the ballot:
Shall the Concord School District authorize the Concord School Board to market and sell the Eastman School property located at 15 Shawmut Street, Concord, NH, in such manner (whether by bid, auction or broker listing) and on such terms, conditions, and price as it deems in the best interest of the District, with said sale subject to the District’s compliance with the statutory right of first refusal provision pertaining to charter schools in RSA 194:61?
What does it mean to vote ‘yes’?
A positive vote means the voter approves of the district putting the school and its 4.6 acres on the market and completing a sale. Voters will not directly get a say over who the buyer is or how much the property sells for — that will be up to the board of education.
What does it mean to vote ‘no’?
A negative vote means the voter does not want the school to sell at this time. It would stay under district ownership.
The bigger picture:
One idea behind selling Eastman is that the money from the sale could help defray some of the cost of a new middle school.
The Eastman property has an assessed value of $2.6 million. The board of education recently approved the construction of a new middle school for $155 million.
Another reason school leaders have considered a sale is that the district pays more to maintain the property than it gets in rental revenue.
Built in 1936 with a few additions over the years, Eastman closed in 2010, one of several to be taken out of commission as the result of elementary school consolidation in the late 2000s. For the last several years, the school has been under lease with the Boys and Girls Club, which uses it as a pre-school.
The lease brings in $19,200 annually, while the district pays around $50,000 each year to maintain the building and grounds.
While the school board would get the final say over the buyer, its leaders have pledged to form a public committee including people living in the neighborhood to oversee the selection process and shape the future of the property.
Some of the ballot question’s opponents have said they don’t feel they can support a sale without knowing the buyer or their intentions.
While the Boys and Girls Club may be interested in the building, the organization is by no means a certain bidder, and the sale could displace the pre-school.
Under the state law referenced in the question, the district must allow charter schools in the state a right of first refusal over properties it isn’t using.
