On their school ballots in November, Concord voters will be asked to approve putting the former Dewey School up for sale.
Here’s what voters will see on the ballot:
Shall the Concord School District authorize the Concord School Board to market and sell the former Dewey School property, currently serving as the Concord School District’s central office located at 38 Liberty 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?
A yes vote would authorize the Concord Board of Education to list the school for sale at some later date, and give the board final say over the timing of a sale, terms and potential buyer.
A no vote would block a Dewey sale at this time.
Under new district rules that voters passed in 2024, the board needs voter approval to sell any district property larger than 1 acre.
School board members have suggested that selling unneeded school property would help shrink debt costs for the city’s new middle school.
Now, the district’s central offices and school board chambers are located in the Dewey building, but district leaders have said administrative offices could fit inside the Concord High School complex.
Voters signed off last year on a similar proposal to sell the Eastman School. The board has formed a public committee to help guide the sale process.
The Dewey School is located west of downtown Concord, near Concord High and White Park. It operated as an elementary school from 1901 to 2004. It’s named for Rev. Harry Dewey, who served on the school board from 1890 to 1899 and was a popular local pastor, according to city records.
The Dewey School’s 1.1 acres and the building of nearly 20,000 square feet are valued at $2.7 million, up about a million after recent reassessments. It holds a prominent position in a historic part of the city’s thickly settled neighborhoods.
