INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - For the first time, IPS is revealing the process and timetable for deciding what will happen with two closed high schools and its downtown headquarters.
They are Broad Ripple High School on the north side, the Education Center close to the center of downtown and John Marshall High School on the far east side. Over the decades, taxpayers have invested tens of millions of dollars in these buildings. There is a lot at stake for the cash-strapped school district and the neighborhoods around them.
According the IPS, some decisions could be made in two months, others are expected to take more than a year.
Broad Ripple High School is getting the most attention. Its 16-acre campus, surrounded by a thriving neighborhood and a business district, is prime real estate, possibly worth millions.
City-County Councilwoman and executive director of the Broad Ripple Village Association Colleen Fanning has been studying the possibilities and meeting with community leaders and IPS officials.
"The stakes are hugely high for what this is," she said.
The village association and homeowners are concerned about the impact any development or new uses for the school.
Scott Hofer's backyard borders the school campus.
"It's kind of concerning," he explained. "Our property values could go up or go down if the wrong thing is placed back there."
Here's the proposed timeline for deciding the future both Broad Ripple and John Marshall high schools:
- IPS wants ideas for potential uses of the buildings by the end of this year.
- Formal requests for information from developers, charter schools, businesses or other interested organizations would begin in early next year.
- Decisions are expected to be made next summer, a full year from now.
Fanning insists that's much too long.
"The community has been engaged with IPS for more than a year already," she said. "We feel like the planning should have been done sooner."
The community fears the property might now stand vacant for years. There is support for charter schools that are already interested in taking over the building.
"The community has spoken," Fanning said. "We have almost 600 respondents who say we want a primarily scholastic use here at least included on the parcel. It can be other things as well."
Interest in John Marshall High School hasn't been nearly as great.
Any sale or reuse of the buildings could be complicated by state laws governing the "disposal" of school buildings.
The IPS Educational Center, the district's administrative headquarters, sits on prime downtown real estate. The district wants to hear from potential buyers by the beginning of October. If the numbers work, the property could be up for bid by the end of October.
Community and business leaders are pressuring the cash-strapped school district to cut costs and cash in on unneeded properties.
IPS says it has already pocketed $19 million from sold properties and nearly three-quarters of a million dollars a year from properties it is leasing for other uses.