Realtors In Harrisburg

Four Harrisburg schools close, but could mean money for district

The budget ax has fallen in the Harrisburg School District. More than 200 jobs are being cut and four schools will close. What will happen to those buildings?

No one is ever happy about schools closing, but there is a bright side. It could mean money for the district. Nothing has been decided yet, but we have been told the four closing schools will not sit vacant.

For those schools, there are no more exams, gym classes, or school lunches. But officials say this is not the end of the buildings.

"What I've seen is, they get boarded up, and they sit idle...this board is committed to not letting that happen said school board president Roy Christ.

The four schools are Hamilton, Lincoln, and Shimmel elementaries - and William Penn, which was the Career Technical Institute this past year.

School officials hope they can make a buck or two. "If we're going to lease them or sell them, we're going to have to get the most value for the community for the properties," said Christ.

Christ says any money they make will pay off debts, which each building has, and help pay the school's bills.

So the two main choices are lease or sell. "If the school district sell the school to a private entity, they're going to have to start paying real estate taxes which will benefit the school district," said Greg Rothman with RSR Realtors.

But leasing has perks, too. "For strategic reasons, they get to keep the property," said Rothman. "They're coming up with an income stream to use in their budget, without having to sell the property."

Christ says this could be a good option if the school age population grows over the next few years. And he is certain the buildings will continue to educate.

"The buildings were located centrally to neighborhoods," said Christ. "So when you look at them, they were built as schools. We as a district would like to see them continue in some capacity as an educational facility."

Christ says there's been interest in the buildings from buyers, but again, no decisions have been made.

Greg Rothman says over the past few years, similar schools in the midstate have sold for about $800,000, but prices depend on the market. So it's hard to say what the Harrisburg schools could bring.

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