The City of Jackson will demolish abandoned elementary school buildings in three Jackson neighborhoods.
The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees voted 5-1 on April 18 to proceed with a recommendation from Superintendent Errick Greene to demolish the buildings that once housed Quintard Baker Elementary, Emma French Elementary and Woodville Heights Elementary. Board member Frank Figgers was the lone dissenting voice.
The new recommendation came after several weeks of discussion by the JPS Facilities Repurposing Advisory Committee and community forums to generate feedback from area residents.
Superintendent Errick Greene, who joined the meeting via phone, told the board that due to the conditions of the buildings and their location, the district was unable to secure buyers for redevelopment. Greene also told the board that the cost of upkeep and security of the buildings was an added burden on the district.
“We determined that the economic value and condition of those properties were not strong after a request for interest was issued,” Greene said in a press release on Aug. 29, 2023. “We can no longer afford the carrying costs for maintaining the upkeep of the buildings, which have become victims of vandalism.”
Jackson Public Schools Chief Operating Officer Earl Burke told the board that he estimated the carrying cost of the buildings at $500,000 dollars for lights, gas, water, and repairs from vandalism and break-ins. He added that with the hardening insurance market, the district could incur another $500,000 in insurance.
“So easily a million dollars between those three buildings we’re spending a year just to keep them sitting there,” Burke told the board during the April 18 meeting.
Janice Lee Adams addressed the board during public comments. Adams said she was disappointed that the district would move to demolish the buildings without the community’s input.
“Taxpayers in this area have a right to be informed and consulted when the district plans to take action that would directly affect our community,” Adams told the board. “We’re not sure what effects destroying these buildings will have on our neighborhood or what plans the district has for the land once the buildings are gone.”
Rander P. Adams also implored the board to not vote to demolish the schools until they have done more research and discussion with the community.
“School building demolitions can leave a vastly vacant space in the community,” Rander said. “Without a plan for what will go in the space next, the community can see this empty lot as a sign of disinvestment.”
Greene told the board the limited tax note dollars approved in the fall would cover the demolition cost. He said that Woodville Heights has been closed for at least six years and Baker was closed more than a year ago. French Elementary, although closed at one point, began housing the Re-Engaging in Education for All to Progress program two years ago. REAP helps students who are considering dropping out of school with an alternative path to a high-school diploma. Greene said the building has fallen into disrepair and the program needs to be relocated. The board voted to close or consolidate 13 more schools in December 2023.
Board member Mitch McGuffey said that the district’s initial recommendation was to demolish the buildings and create green spaces in their place. He asked the superintendent to discuss why the recommendation had changed.
Greene told the board that based on some of the models the district had studied, they saw an opportunity to create green spaces, walking trails or playgrounds. However, residents at community meetings expressed concerns about the district’s ability to maintain the upkeep and security of the green spaces the district wants to create.
“We responded that that was beyond the scope of what we could offer,” Greene said. “We wouldn’t have any security officers or police officers patrolling the green spaces in that way. We would ensure that the space was not overrun, that the grass was cut, and that it was kept up, which would require periodic monitoring.”
Those concerns led the district to pause the recommendation regarding what to do with the area left by the demolished buildings. The superintendent said the district plans to have more direct conversations with residents in the neighborhoods about those buildings to determine whether they are interested in spaces the communities could enjoy.
