Schools

Dolan to Resident: For Right Amount We'd Consider Selling BOE HQ

Resident suggests sale of Elm Street building to plug budget gap.

Schools Superintendent Margaret Dolan, in response to a resident's question, said Tuesday evening that for the right amount of money the sale of the Board of Education's Elm Street headquarters would be considered.

Resident Steven LeWarn questioned the board at the budget cutting review session about the possible sale of the three story former school house across from Stop & Shop. He suggested the sale would bring in monies for the district which could offset the $4.22 million state aid cut that Dolan and the board have been working to fill.

The comment came as a part of public comment on Dolan's proposals to fill the hole

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"Was that even considered?" LeWarn asked.

Dolan said the idea was not one of the proposals considered in the past week as BOE officials have grappled with the budget crisis. She noted it has been considered in past year by school officials but has been ruled out.

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"When it has been considered before it was not something that benefited the district, but it is a different situation now," she said. "If the right amount of money can be made, we can consider it."

LeWarn's question came after Dolan had outlined a series of proposals, including 27 layoffs and cutting several programs including intermediate school plays, eighth grade sports and library book purchases to plus the budget gap. The cuts followed Gov. Chris Christie's decision last week to cut state education aid a part of his state budget proposal.

The board's Elm Street building houses the school district's administative offices along with an art gallery of student art work. The Westfield Historical Society maintains offices on the third floor. The offices would need to be relocated if a sale were to be considered. Any sale would likely need a zoning change for new usage.

Selling school buildings to turn into residential housing is not an uncommon occurance. Holy Trinity School's old building on First Street became condos in the 1970s and several years ago, a former public school in Hoboken was purchased by a private developer and turned into condos.


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