TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
As residents consider Merrill Area Public Schools operational referendum request for $2.5 million per year for four years on the ballot for the second time in less than a year, some residents are wondering about the status and future of the Jefferson School building and property in Merrill’s Sixth Ward.
Prior to the 2018 operational referendum that was on the ballot that year, MAPS developed a reconfiguration plan that would involve the closing of Maple Grove and Jefferson Schools, redistributing students among the other MAPS elementary schools, in the event that that referendum had failed. When it passed, many MAPS residents assumed the passing of the referendum secured the future of Maple Grove and Jefferson Schools. Temporarily, at least, it seemed it had.
But back in 2018, prior to the election that passed that referendum, then MAPS Superintendent John Sample had said that even if the referendum did pass, the District would still make the necessary cuts to be fiscally responsible in the face of continued declining enrollment.
In March 2021, after legal battles with MAPS, residents of Hamburg and the part of the Merrill Area Public Schools (MAPS) district that included Maple Grove Charter School, petitioned the MAPS Board of Education (BOE) to detach from the MAPS District and attach to the Athens School District, the BOE approved, and the issue of Maple Grove School was resolved for MAPS.
Then Sample announced the MAPS BOE had approved the reconfiguration of MAPS elementary schools for the 2021-2022 school year, moving kindergarten through second grade to Kate Goodrich Elementary School and third and fourth grades to Washington Elementary School, eliminating all classes at and resulting in the closing of Jefferson School. Since then the building and grounds have been largely unused, except for storage, very infrequent inservices or new teacher orientation, or professional development activities. There are no permanent or ongoing staff, operations, or offices operating out of that building, but MAPS still owns the property and still pays to heat the building and maintain the property.
“We’ve been carrying that building empty for just over a year now,” said Shannon Murray, current MAPS Superintendent, in an Oct. 19, 2022, interview. “But we can’t carry it empty forever.”
“It is costing us just under $48,000 to keep that building open this year (heat, lights, snow removal, lawn mowing, etc.),” he said.
The cost savings on closing that building is still very substantial, Murray said. “The savings associated with closing Jefferson (staff, teachers, admin, custodians, maintenance, etc.) was just over $600,000 annually,” he said. It’s really the people that provided the greatest savings in closing the school, he said.
Driving past the property, it looks like the property is still being used as a school. “As it should,” Murray said, “because we want to be good stewards to our neighbors out there.” No one wants an abandoned building in their neighborhood, he said, so it’s important that the building and grounds are cared for so that it doesn’t look like the eyesore most abandoned buildings become. MAPS doesn’t consider the building abandoned at this time, but merely vacant.
While some residents have suggested selling Jefferson School might eliminate the need for the operational referendum on the Nov. ballot, Murray said, that isn’t the case. Any proceeds from such a sale (which based on the prior sale of MAPS school properties is unlikely to be substantial) would be unlikely to make a dent in the operational dollars needed annually and would be a single payment.
The District won’t hold onto an empty building that isn’t being used for the long term, but Murray said it’s also important to consider the entire big picture prior to selling the property. Because, “When it’s gone, it’s gone,” Murray said.
“MAPS has essentially two options for the build–keep it and repurpose it, or dispose of it (likely by selling it),” he said. He said anything would be considered at this point.
But … “Prior to doing either, MAPS wants to understand how Jefferson fits into the larger facilitiy needs of the District and will be studying that subject this year,” Murray said. “It is important that the building isn’t sold only to find out it was needed, for example, five years from now.”
“MAPS currently houses operations in District buildings that are exceeding, or have exceeded, their useful life, such as the Northern Achievement Center which is located in outdated buildings that were intended for a more temporary use. In addition, the District also rents space from the City of Merrill to house the Merrill Adult Diploma Academy. These factors, as well as many others, need to be studied in order to ensure that the correct decision regarding Jefferson is made.”
Discussion about consulting with a firm to provide a facility needs assessment is on the MAPS Facilities Committee Meeting Agenda for their Nov. 2, 2022, meeting.
“MAPS has been approached by members of the public with suggestions for potential future use of Jefferson Elementary and by parties who have inquired about purchasing it,” he said.
“The District facilities study will include input from the community,” Murray said, “particularly those who live in that part of the community.”