District offers school, ball field to Stockport

KEOSAUQUA ? The Van Buren Community School Board has offered to gift the Stockport school and ball field to the city of Stockport.

The district closed the Stockport school, which had held the middle school, at the end of the 2010-11 school year due to declining enrollment and budget pressures.

The abstract was recently brought up to date. According to the abstract, the property is in two parcels: one with the buildings, and the other with the ball field.

Board members unanimously agreed to offer both parcels to the city of Stockport. If the city rejects one or both parcels, the board?s consensus was to go through a real estate agent to sell what the city doesn?t want.

The board is giving the city until January to make a decision.

Also during the meeting last week, the board members discussed preliminary information for its long-term facilities planning.

As part of the planning, the directors looked at past enrollment data and future projections. The district?s enrollment dropped 54 students, caused mainly by a large 2011 graduating senior class and a small 2012 kindergarten class. Another factor is that last year?s junior class was 65, but when they moved to senior status this year, there were 56.

The board noted an increase in the number of home-schooled students last year. The number remained steady this year.

The board members stated it is important to be as efficient as possible during this time of declining enrollment.

The next board meeting was set for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 9. A special meeting also was set for 6 p.m. Nov. 30.