CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated that former Superintendent Rico Munn recommended selling the Paris Elementary School building, but it was Interim Superintendent Mark Seglem who made the recommendation. Also, the Sentinel incorrectly reported that Paris, South, Sable and Sixth Avenue elementary schools are slated to close at the end of this school year. They have already closed.
AURORA | A discussion and plan to repurpose an elementary school targeted for closure drew confusion Tuesday from the Aurora Public Schools board members.
During the board meeting, Superintendent Michael Giles said he wanted to lease Paris Elementary School, which closed earlier this school year, to non-profit groups YAASPA and the ABC Collective to create a kind of community center.
YAASPA is a Colorado-based group that offers culturally responsive programs for youth. ABC Collective is a group of local organizations, such as Aurora Wellness and Apprentice for Peace, that are partnering together specifically to repurpose Paris elementary.
The YAASPA plan was among four proposals made by various groups and businesses to redevelop Paris after it closes.
“As we went through the process, the response we got from that particular zone had the ABC Collective with the highest priority rating and lowest disapproval rating, and that means something,” Giles said.
Former APS Interim Superintendent Mark Seglem initially wanted to sell the school, but Giles decided that it would be better for the district to keep the building as an asset and lease it instead.
However, Giles explained that funding remains the biggest issue. According to the presentation, the current market value to lease a building that size is $1.2 million a year or $100,000 per month. It includes maintenance and operating costs. The organizations’ proposed budget indicated a yearly rent of $48,000 for the entire school.
District officials later said the lease payments would be targets in a negotiation.
A vote was not needed for this agenda item, but was categorized as an action item because the board could have gone in any direction during this discussion. Anything that could cause the board to vote is procedurally required to be categorized as an action item, according to Brandon Eyre, the district’s legal director.
A motion was made and seconded by Directors Tramaine Duncan and Stephanie Mason to follow Giles’ recommendation to negotiate with the community organizations, but then directors Anne Keke and Nichelle Ortiz said they had additional questions.
Eyre explained to the board that because a motion has been made and seconded, they can continue discussions as a group but “outside information is usually cut off.” He recommended that the board rescind the motion “because it sounds like there is still information gathering that is still requested.”
Duncan rescinded his motion. After some thought, Mason did not rescind her motion.
Nearly 16 minutes later, after the board had discussed other topics and were seemingly prepared to move onto the next presentation scheduled for the night, Duncan said, “just for clarification purposes, this is an action item, but I thought on action items we vote.”
Eyre further explained it was categorized as an action item and not an information item because there was the possibility of a vote.
Other questions centered around vendors. Director Michael Carter asked if the other vendors were also given the option to lease the building and if they submitted lease agreements.
Marianne Sammons, the district’s strategic development advisor, explained that all vendors were informed that Giles wanted to lease the building. She added that the community organizations, as well as two other vendors, were willing to lease the building.
Sammons also explained that none of the vendors submitted proposed lease agreements, and the information that was presented to Giles was the same information that was presented to the former superintendent last school year.
Approximately 15 minutes after Sammons answered Carter’s questions, and after the board had discussed other topics, Director Vicki Reinhard circled back and asked for clarification on Giles’ plan to lease the building to the community organizations, and asked if the information he had received was the same information the previous superintendent received.
Ortiz explained that the “awkwardness” was because Giles was giving the board “a lot of courtesy and heads up.”
“It’s kind of like, ‘we’re getting input at this stage?’’’ she said. “That’s why this seems so different for me.”
Keke echoed Ortiz’s sentiments.
“If we’re going to move forward and make this successful, then I think the board needs to be informed and behind it on the very front end. So that was the whole purpose of coming in here and having this conversation,” Giles said.
The board ultimately supported Giles’ recommendation to negotiate with the community organizations.
Blueprint APS
Paris Elementary School closed at the end of last school year and is one of the eight schools that were slated to close or be repurposed due to declining student enrollment.
The other schools are:
- Century Elementary School
- Lyn Knoll Elementary School
- Peoria Elementary School
- Wheeling Elementary School
- Sable Elementary School (Closed)
- Sixth Avenue Elementary School (Closed)
- South Middle School (Closed)
Four of the schools have already been repurposed for educational purposes:
- Wheeling Elementary School was repurposed into the Clara Brown Entrepreneurial Academy.
- Peoria Elementary School was repurposed into the Charles Burrell Visual and Performing Arts Campus
- The Lyn Knoll Elementary School facilities was knocked down and a new P-8 academy was built on the site
- Century Elementary School will serve as a new location for Sierra School, which will serve students with significant behavioral needs
The school district began accepting proposals to repurpose Paris and Sable Elementary schools last December. The latter will be repurposed into an early education development center that will open next school year.
In May, the board chose to postpone decisions for Paris Elementary School’s future and wait until a new superintendent was hired. The previous superintendent, Rico Munn, stepped down at the end of last school year. Giles began as superintendent this past summer.
The recording of the nearly two and a half hour long meeting is available for the public to view on YouTube or on the district website.