District 287 buys Edgewood from Osseo schools

The consortium of districts, which specializes in special ed and gifted programs, had been renting the elementary school building.

By NORMAN DRAPER, Star Tribune

Last update: November 24, 2009 - 5:10 PM

The Osseo School District has taken final action on one of the elementary schools it shut down last year.

The district sold Edgewood Elementary, in Brooklyn Center, to Intermediate District 287, a consortium of districts that specializes in offering services in such areas as special education and gifted and talented education. The selling price was $5.4 million. The Osseo district had been leasing Edgewood to District 287 since it was shut down as a regular elementary school at the end of the 2007-08 year.

District 287 officials said they bought Edgewood for several reasons. For one thing, it has some facilities, such as a gym and a kitchen, that other 287 schools lack. Also, the location is convenient to 287's member districts in the northwest metro area. Finally, the layout of the school allows the district to conduct a number of programs at one site.

In a statement, District 287 Superintendent Sandy Lewandowski called the purchase "a long-term, cost-effective solution that will continue to serve 287 and our member districts well into the future."

Osseo closed Edgewood and another elementary school, Osseo Elementary, to save money. Programs at four other district elementary schools were revamped. Officials estimated annual savings of $800,000 from closing the schools. Osseo Assistant Superintendent Kim Riesgraf said the district jettisoned the 48-year-old school for several reasons.

"It's an older building, constructed in 1961," she said. "It was a building that was going to need a new roof in a couple of years. There were some maintenance things we knew were going to come up. It's also a smaller building, which is more expensive to operate." Riesgraf said that, even with the sale of the school, there's plenty of room to accommodate additional students should district enrollment start ticking up again. Also, she said, the sale allows those district students enrolled in District 287's Edgewood programs to stay where they are.

Riesgraf said the district must use the proceeds from the sale for building- and maintenance-related projects. The funds have not been earmarked for any particular project, she said.

Meanwhile, Osseo Elementary continues to stand empty.

District officials want to hold on to it in case they need space for additional programs, Riesgraf said. That could include a magnet school or language immersion school, for instance. The fate of the building could be decided by a citizens committee that will meet to study district facilities use and make recommendations next fall.

District 287 serves 9,000 students in 13 member districts: Bloomington, Brooklyn Center, Eden Prairie, Edina, Hopkins, Minnetonka, Orono, Osseo, Richfield, Robbinsdale, St. Louis Park, Wayzata and Westonka.

Norman Draper • 612-673-4547