The Brownwood ISD Board of Trustees will consider transferring ownership of the former South Elementary property currently utilized by the Boys and Girls Club of Brown County. A public hearing is scheduled for 5:30pm on Monday, April 12, at the BISD Board Room, prior to the April Board Meeting.
The Boys and Girls Club approached the Brownwood ISD Board of Trustees at the February Board Meeting requesting a long-term lease of the property. According to Boys and Girls Club representatives, the organization would qualify for more grants and foundation funds if they owned the property or had a long-term lease.
Following investigation, Deputy Superintendent, Kevin Gabaree reported in the March Board meeting that a school district cannot legally enter into a long-term lease. They can, however, sell or donate real property.
According to Education Code 11.1541(a), (b), a Board may authorize by resolution the donation of real property formerly used as a school campus to a municipality, county, state agency, or nonprofit organization. The ordinance includes several legal requirements.
One requirement is that the District no longer need the real property for educational purposes. In the event of student population growth, BISD’s plans call for existing campuses to be expanded. In fact, the new Kindergarten wing at East Elementary was designed for expansion of additional classroom space. According to Huckabee Architects, a new elementary campus requires 12-16 acres of land, and would cost $10.5 million. The former South Elementary site is 5 acres, and all four Brownwood elementary campuses have undergone a substantial renovation. “It does not make financial sense to build a new campus, when we can expand existing ones,” said Superintendent, Dr. Reece Blincoe. $10.5 million is just the construction cost, and does not include the millions of dollars each year to operate and staff another campus.
Another requirement for transferring property ownership is that the recipient intends to continue using the property for public purposes. The Boys and Girls Club served over 600 children in 2009, and currently averages 150 children per day. They provide after-school and summer care, which includes homework assistance, individual tutoring, technology classes, mentoring, job training, and sports and activities. In addition, they are the largest summer feeding location for Brownwood ISD, serving breakfast and lunch to hundreds of children each day.
Finally, the law requires that if the entity to whom the property was transferred discontinues its public service or disbands, then the deed will revert back to the District.
“Brownwood ISD strongly supports the Boys and Girls Club and the work that they are doing for our school children and this community,” said Dr. Blincoe. “They are an extension of the school. We want to see them providing services to our children for years to come.”
