Washington school board discusses old middle school building, approves sharing agreement with Keota

WASHINGTON— The Washington school board mulled over several options pertaining to the fate of the old middle school building and it was ultimately decided to table further discussion until an appraisal on the site is made.

Five options along with the cost were considered for the former middle school building located on South 4th Avenue.

The options considered were demolishing the site with the intent of repurposing/selling it ($1,450,988), demolishing the building but remodeling the gym/classrooms ($9,662,473), demolishing the building/classrooms but remodeling the gym ($9,599,144), demolishing the site but building classrooms/gym ($8,785,868), and selling the building as is (price TBD).

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Options two, three, and four were not considered due to their high costs. Superintendent Willie Stone recommended to the board to start with option five and if it is not sold by 2029, when they would have the funds, then they would go with option one and tear down the site.

The time frame did bring up several concerns such as the building deteriorating over the years or regretting letting go of a piece of property they may need one day but the board decided they wanted to do their due diligence by getting an appraisal and discussing the topic at a late meeting.

“I think since we don't have the funds to demolish it until 2029 we should look into the appraiser of what the building value is and what the lots were,” Director District No. 4 Diana Rich said. “I think we should have clear stipulations, that we all agree upon that, if we were to sell the building, what it would be used for, timeliness for improvements and other things like that.”

Also in the action items discussion, the school board passed a motion to approve an operational sharing agreement for Transportation Director with WACO Community School District for fiscal year 2026-27.

The school board also approved a motion for an operational sharing agreement with Keota for Business Manager and Maintenance Director for FY 2026-27. This agreement has been going on since 2017.

Purchase of Acer Chromebooks was approved by the school board. The cost would be $261,300 for 650 Acer Chromebooks (chosen again for their durability, ease of repair, and responsive support) and management licenses through CDWG.

The school board approved a motion to go with Barr & Company, LLC ($54,750) for Audit Services for FY 26-FY 28. The other two options considered were Nolte, Cornman, Johnson & PC ($60,000) and Anderson Larkin & Co. P.C. ($69,750).