In June of 2024, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) sought legal action against the Marinette School District. The cause for the case is the allegation that the school district is unlawfully wasting taxpayer dollars on a vacant school building — Garfield Elementary School, located at 1615 Carney Blvd. — that has no plans for becoming operational again.
The district closed the school at the end of the 2021-22 school year, as part of what’s called a “right-sizing effort,” and listed the building for sale at approximately $300,000.
Earlier this year, the district had rejected an offer from a Catholic school that was willing to pay full price for the building. According to Fox 11 News, the reason stated for this decision was that it is not in the taxpayers’ best interest to sell the building to the competition.
The case against the Marinette School District was instigated by three district residents, and two of these residents are members of the STAA board of trustees. WILL has stepped in to assist the residents with the case.
WILL’s Associate Counsel, Lauren Greuel, stated the following regarding the legal challenge …
The school district ought to prioritize the safety and concerns of the public before their own. By not selling this vacant building, residents, taxpayers, and property owners are on the hook for lower land values and rising crime rates. The school district’s actions are a complete slap in the face to the community.
In addition, Cheryl Sporie, St. Thomas Aquinas Board of Trustee Chair (who offered full price on the property), stated …
It is unfortunate the school district utterly refuses to work with us despite our fair and reasonable offer. We are not trying to take business away from them, we are simply trying to provide a better service for the students in this community already enrolled in our school.
In mid-July, the Marinette School District's Board of Education voted unanimously to issue a counter offer to an undisclosed buyer looking to purchase the elementary school. On that note, Superintendent Corry Lambie said he could not confirm who the buyer is, what the original purchase offer was, nor what the counter offer was.
What Would a Sale Accomplish?
- The sale could generate approximately $300,000, or more, for the district — and eliminate ongoing upkeep costs.
- Reduction of crime in or near the vacant building. Police records provided to WILL indicate that nearly two dozen incidents have occurred at that location.
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