What To Do With Kansas City Vacant Schools?



The "repurposing" initiative for Kansas City Public Schools has been an abysmal failure.

Nobody else can say it but this blog community thinks it has the scheme figured out:

It's a shell game . . .

KCPS "sells" the schools to some rinky-dink development firm and they take meetings for years at a time and probably rack up pretty good consulting fees. When it's clear that no progress is going to be made, there's no money available to rehab buildings and investors are nowhere to be found . . . The buildings are "sold" again to another set of developers who do the same trick all over again. All that's required is for the media and neighbors to KEEP BELIEVING HAPPY TALK AND NOT ASK ANY REAL QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE THE MONEY IS COMING FROM TO "DEVELOP" SCHOOLS . . . The scheme falls apart with even the slightest inquiry about a funding source . . . But the house of cards doesn't fall down, it continues to blight Kansas City neighborhoods until merciful demolition.

Now . . .

The Show-Me Guys recently wrote up a fascinating study of this topic:

What to Do With Vacant School Buildings

There's even a nifty PDF version of the essay that contains a great deal of info in an archival and easy to read format.

The basic conclusion that this Libertarian think tank proposes: Kansas City has apparently a better plan in place than St. Louis, but this town still hosts ALMOST TWO DOZEN vacant schools. They recommend the schools be leased or sold to charter schools, but there are other options as well.

Developing . . .

Comments

  1. If charter schools actually worked, that would be viable. However their track record is even worse than that of KCPS. Charter schools don't work.

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  2. Make them into jails.

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  3. What is the annual cost of maintaining KC's vacant schools and the budget for the repurpose office? If you make public these numbers you will realize what a FAILURE the Repurpose program has been. It was promised to be a less than 2 year effort and we are about to enter year 7 and still have two dozen building or more VACANT and blighting neighborhoods!!!

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  4. Just look at any property tax bill in Jackson County and you can see why schools (whats left of them) are such a profitable racket for our corrupt politicians.

    Bet an audit on where school taxes are going these days would be interesting.

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  5. 7:23 or raze them.

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  6. In addition to contracting with Block, KCPS employs 3 full-time personnel in its repurposing office. All site evaluations and compilations were completed FOUR -- that's 4 -- years ago.
    Besides holding Bob Berkebile's hand as he cherry-picks the best properties for his commercial developments and the occasional meaningless "update" on the district's website, the KCPS office is just another example of a jobs program for the benefit of a few loyal-to-Airick hanger-ons. It pays big time. Just ask the employees:

    Shannon Jaax, AICP – Director
    Nicole Collier White, CNP – Coordinator
    Jesse Lange – Planner

    Yep, jobs program at KCPS is alive and well!

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  7. They should just put on the reassessment notices...

    Kansas City School#21 now a market rate apartment tax.
    Kansas City School#16 sitting empty for 5 years tax.

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  8. 9:02 -- You're so right.

    Here we call our
    repurposing office "Berkebile's back office."

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  9. Here's a success story... this place is magnificent.

    http://www.sherman-associates.com/mountwashington/

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  10. Give them to Air Wick West he talked about how he was going to be fair and equal and what a great "re-porpoise" he was.

    Porpoise are fish that swim in circles and scientists say they are real smart.

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  11. Besides the very occasional insider deal, why would anyone buy these properties?
    Consider the fact that they're empty because of the population exodus from the urban core and the even greater decrease in the KCPS student enrollment from around 35,000 to less than 17,000.
    About the only folks who ever talk about reusing these buildings are the usual "activists" or self-appointed nonprofits who have no money, real programs, or any expertise at all in running a building. Which means just another drain on the public till.
    The school board just can't find the courage to stand up to the usual suspects, tell people the truth, and do what's necessary and in the best interests of the young people and the taxpayers.
    Repurposing much of anything in the areas where these buildings are is mostly delusional.

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  12. Lets just dream up some fresh and new fairy tales to keep whats left of the KCMO school system afloat. Seems to work.

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  13. The KCPS repurposing initiative has gotten great reviews all across the country as a way to approach unneeded school buildings. It has not been an abysmal failure. What has been a failure is some of the developers who have been unable to perform the developments they promised.
    KCPS has spent countless hours on meeting with the “community” engaging in dialogue to determine what the community wants. Trying to obtain consensus is never going to happen. Even now the public has continued to complain about the development on the Westside at the Switzer school.
    As for your “shell game” assertion that is dumber than normal for you Tony’s KC. What would the purpose be to sell and then re-sell? Once KCPS sells it is done with the property other than approving some changed use if the agreement requires it. KCPS has nothing to do with it. Shell games are only important if there is money to be made. There isn’t and there aren’t. Get a life Tony’s KC. Why don’t you rant and rave about something that you know something about---it is quite obvious you know very little about education.
    KCPS had the chance to sell the building in Waldo to Wal-Mart, but after listening to the “community” the board refused to sell the building. Contrary to your assertions Tony’s KC, KCPS is obviously listening to the community and trying to be considerate of their desires. Frankly, the buildings probably should be demolished so that funds are not wasted in maintaining/securing buildings that are never going to be used again.
    A great example is the Thacher building in the Northeast. The building suffered severe damage from homeless people trying to stay warm by building a camp fire inside. KCPS held meeting after meeting with the community. No one wanted the buildings and no offers were made. However, the community did want middle schools back. Guess what, KCPS brought them back. Now the Northeast community, a few disgruntled residents who never attended Thacher, have no real ties to the area, and do not send their kids to KCPS schools, are upset that the building is slated to be demolished to provide athletic fields for the middle school students. There is no happy medium. KCPS should pursue its mission, which is to educate children. Forget historic preservation. KCPS can’t afford it and no one other than a few terrorists from the Northeast give a hoot. Why should KCPS attempt to accommodate the “community” who had no interest in the building until it was slated for demolition.
    Bottom line: Sell them at auction, demolish them, but quit listening to every crazy suggestion and/or demand from the community. There will never be agreement. Get rid of them.

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  14. What caused me to give up on putting together a deal for the vacant schools was the policy of giving the neighbors virtual veto power over any deal.

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  15. Chester A. Lampwick6/4/15, 5:19 PM

    Open them to the homeless. Call 'em Bumtown and Crackton. Serve them liver and onions.

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  16. 2:45
    Thank you. God it is refreshing to hear some fucking common sense on this shit hole, negative, hate mongering blog once in a while.

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