Wichita school board pauses $1 sale of Park Elementary. Here’s why and what it means

After an anticipated move to sell Park Elementary School to the city for $1, the Wichita school board has halted decision-making on the property until the end of June.

Park Elementary is one of six schools that closed in May following the school board’s decision in March.

City officials hope to turn Park into a homeless resource campus, dubbed the Multi-Agency Center or MAC. The center would offer housing spaces and support services for homeless individuals eventually and serve as an emergency winter shelter by November.

Turning Park’s property over to the city has two levels: First Wichita Public Schools would have to declare the school a surplus property. Then the district would have to sell it to the city.

If the board had voted to sell the property at its meeting Monday night, the Wichita City Council would have voted on an option agreement on Tuesday morning.

Now, the school board will not make a decision until June 27, at the earliest, leaving city officials to wonder if they would be able to set up the emergency homeless shelter in time.

The move to pause the sale came after school board Vice President Diane Albert proposed that the board go into a private session where the board received “legal advice regarding transactions involving real property with the board’s legal counsel,” according to Albert.

After the brief session, board member Hazel Stabler, who represents the school board district Park sits in, asked that the board wait to vote on the future of Park.

Stabler did not confirm that the closed session involved discussions about Park Elementary.

“Now that the City of Wichita has released their comprehensive plan for the Multi-Agency Center, I would like to receive additional information before making a decision,” Stabler said.

Board President Stan Reeser said a workshop might be held between now and the June 27 meeting to discuss Park.

Board member Julie Hedrick said that it feels more appropriate to hold a public workshop than discuss it during the Monday evening board meeting.

A date and time for the workshop have yet to be set. More information about what the workshop would look like will be posted on social media, according to Hedrick.

Will the winter emergency shelter be affected?

At Tuesday morning’s City Council meeting, council members discussed the possible ramifications of the school board voting to delay the sale of Park Elementary. One concern was the ability to open a winter emergency shelter by mid-November, which city officials hope to place in Park.

If the school board and city agree on a sale of Park, the state Legislature can still make the decision to acquire the property over an up to 45-day period after the City Council’s decision to purchase it.

Troy Anderson, assistant city manager, said while the Legislature has up to 45 days, it’s unclear if they would reach a decision sooner. Anderson clarified that even though the Legislature is not currently in session, they can still respond to the council about the property.

Council member Brandon Johnson said he was having “a little déjà vu” during conversations about Park, referencing the council’s struggle last winter to find a shelter. Johnson asked how delays with the school board could affect the winter shelter.

Anderson said the city will continue to focus on controllable items, such as engaging with the community, fine-tuning various costs and more, but “realistically, right, it’s going to be close.”

“That shot clock is counting down, but everybody is committed to trying to, you know, once we are given the green light,” Anderson said.

Wichita Mayor Lily Wu asked Anderson to address other potential real estate properties that could be used as a homeless shelter in the winter. Anderson said, while there are alternatives, they are more costly and less convenient than Park Elementary.

“The previous emergency shelter facility has since been sold,” Anderson said. “There’s not a lot of other options. … If we have to go back to the drawing board, we have possibly some alternatives, but they’re obviously — due to proximity, to existing service providers, issues with transportation and logistics — it becomes much more difficult to try and achieve the goals and objectives that we set before you.”

This story was originally published June 10, 2024 at 9:15 PM.