Shortly after the deal with Frontier Development Group fell through, USD 253 Emporia has a new buyer for the former Kansas Avenue School Building.
USD 253 Board of Education members approved a sale of the property at 315 South Market Street to an unnamed buyer for $85,000 with $1,000 in earnest money. Superintendent Dr. David McGehee says this sale came together very quickly.
This is the second sale the board has approved in the last year after originally agreeing to sell the building to Frontier with plans to convert the school into a housing development like the Cottonwood Falls Lofts in Chase County. The sale, however, was dependent on several contingencies that ultimately did not pan out leading to the sale’s cancellation last month.
Frontier was planning to purchase the property for $80,000, significantly less than the better than $300,000 value assessed to the building. While the new purchase is slightly higher than the previous offer, it still falls well below the assessed value, with $9,000 less in earnest money.
Given the district is in the midst of cost containment efforts, KVOE News asked McGehee why the district would take such a low offer. McGehee says he is confident the district would not have seen any other offers close to market value.
McGehee added that the district will still see savings thanks to the sale, as it will eliminate maintenance and upkeep costs for the property.
According to district realtor Matt Johnson, the buyer is planning to use the building under its current zoning designation of multi-family commercial, but no details as to the exact plans have been divulged. The sale is scheduled for closing on May 22.
Ahead of this action, board members, as part of the consent agenda portion of the meeting, approved a one-year partnership agreement with Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) for the 2026-27 school year. The JAG program was one of several among the district’s cost containment cuts for the coming year; however, McGehee tells KVOE News that JAG leadership and Emporia High School leadership worked collaboratively to develop the one-year agreement that will see the program continue at no cost to the district.
McGehee says this will equal just over $33,000 in savings for the district in the coming year; however, he can’t say for sure what the program’s presence will look like within the district beyond next year.
Separately, Wednesday, board members approved updates to a School Resource Officer agreement with the Emporia Police Department as requested by the police department. The updated agreement will ensure that police officer policies, such as the use of force, will use Emporia Police standards and policies to guide officer conduct. The updates will also ensure Emporia Police will maintain insurance coverage for SROs and will set policies for short-term oversight when SROs are unavailable.
Additional details from Wednesday’s meeting can be found online at the district’s website USD253.org, under the BoardDocs tab.
The USD 253 Board of Education will reconvene next Wednesday, April 15th at 6 pm for a public hearing on the potential closure of Logan Avenue Elementary School. No decisions on that front will be made during next Wednesday’s hearing with action likely at the board’s next regular meeting on Wednesday, April 22.
