If bond passes, what becomes of Carpenter, Shannon?

   Suppose the bond issue for a new elementary school passes in the Nov. 5 election.

   What, then, becomes of the Monticello Community School District’s two current elementary schools, Carpenter and Shannon?

   It was a topic of discussion during the regular meeting of the Monticello School Board Aug. 26.

   Mary Melchert, a retired longtime educator in Monticello and elsewhere, was given the chance to speak on the subject during the meeting, and made it clear how she felt.

   Melchert said she believes the district should commit to tearing them down. She offered two reasons.

   “My recommendation is, if the buildings aren’t sound enough, safe enough, or clean enough for our own kids, then why would we want other people in those buildings?” Melchert said.

   The other reason for her concern, she said, has to do with the Education Savings Account (or voucher) program.

   “The money that those families or schools are getting for students can cover some of those tuition or salary type costs, but it isn’t enough money for them to buy or build new buildings,” she told the board.

   “So they’re going to be looking for empty buildings, like ours, to possibly purchase and set up a school.

   “By now you’re thinking, ‘Mary, we’re not going to have another private school here.’ But you know what? Anything is possible in the climate that we have right now.”

   Melchert referred to a situation in Cedar Rapids, where its school district has lost more than 100 students to the private Isaac Newton Christian Academy.                                         

   INCA recently offered $375,000 to purchase the Garfield Elementary School building from the Cedar Rapids Community School District, but the CRCSD board voted to sell, instead, to a private developer for less than half of the INCA offer, according to an article on cbs2iowa.com.

   In the article, INCA Board President Amy McDonald said she was told the CRCSD didn’t want to sell to a competitor.

   Instead, the Garfield building will be turned into apartments, with two of them being reserved for new teachers within the CRCSD who are looking for a place to live, according to an article on cbs2iowa.com.

   At the meeting, Melchert said tearing down Carpenter and Shannon could have another benefit.

   “If we take those down, then you’ve got new property to look at,” she told the board. “Maybe we decide we do need it or could use it for something else. Or maybe we have lots we can sell people that they want to develop something brand new on.”

   Board member Mark Rieken disagreed with the idea of demolition as the only option.

   “Putting them up for auction, and trying to recuperate money like we did with the old high school, would be off the table (if the buildings were torn down),” Rieken said.

   “If somebody wants to come in and bid on them, they should have every right to bid on them. I’m alright with that. That’s just the market playing itself out. And I think the chance of a private school coming in is zero.”

   Both Superintendent Brian Jaeger and board president Craig Stadtmueller said the district wouldn’t immediately have to take bids on the buildings, but could allow a time period to listen to ideas before deciding whether to bid them out.

   Board member John Schlarmann said, “We need to have a plan of what our intentions are.”

   Any discussion of what to do with the current elementary school buildings will become moot, however, if the bond issue fails to pass Nov. 5.