The Board of Education will seek both professional and community advice concerning any contemplated closing of any school facility due to age, condition, size, or other considerations.
An advisory committee shall be formed, with membership comprising Board members, appropriate administrative staff, community representatives, and professionally-trained experts in evaluating building conditions/use. Such committee shall invite public comment especially from the neighborhoods that would be affected by the closing. The committee should consider all or some of the following:
a) Age and physical condition of the building and its operating systems, and program facilities contained therein;
b) Present and projected adequacy of site, in respect to location access, surrounding development, traffic patterns, and other environmental conditions;
c) Feasibility of reassignment of students to other schools, including alternative plans in accordance with Board policy on attendance areas;
d) The costs related to the proposed closing;
e) Transportation factors;
f) Alternative uses of the building;
g) Continuity of instructional and community programs; and
h) The historic value of the building.
The report of the advisory committee shall be made during a regular Board meeting or at a public hearing scheduled by the Board, and members of the public shall be informed in advance of the date of such presentation.
Before reaching a decision to close a school building, all options brought to or suggested by the committee will be considered; however, the Board will retain ultimate discretion in determining whether to close any facility.
Adopted February 26, 1996
Renumbered: February 26, 2019