TONAWANDA SCHOOLS: District eyeing cuts, sales

By Daniel Pye<br><a href="mailto:pyed@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Dan</a>

The Tonawanda City School District’s financial task force has returned a straightforward plan for unutilized or underutilized district property: swap it or sell it.

The report is the first of three coming from task forces designed to review the district’s situation regarding land use and finances. Joseph Giarrizzo, administrator of business and financial services, presented the recommendations to the school board Tuesday night.

Some of the conclusions were simple, like the decision to actively shop around the district property at 202 Broad St. for immediate sale.

“For this it was nothing fancy, just put up a sign and see what the market will bear,” Giarrizzo said.

Others weren’t as cut and dry. The Highland Elementary building, vacant this year after being shut down, is one of the properties being considered for a possible land swap or outright sale to the city. The committee recommended reaching out to the city before going to a Realtor to shop the property around. That concerned Board Vice President Jim Weber, who said he saw a similar attempt to offload the Kibbler school on the city end in several problems, but Giarrizzo said the location of Highland in particular might make a deal with the city the best option.

“It’s off the beaten path, so from a commercial perspective it’s not one you can easily find,” Giarrizzo said. “But in terms of a community outreach center, that could be a very good use.”

Lots adjacent to Riverview and Mullen schools were also pegged for possible sale. The board pushed acceptance of the report until its next meeting, and more information on shared services will be presented before then.

The SIMSI report, which recommended several ways that the city and school district could better utilize scarce resources, will be presented to the public at 7 p.m. Monday in the high school auditorium. The district’s current task forces grew from recommendations in that report and the meeting will serve as a check on where city and district officials stand with regard to those suggestions.

Superintendent Whitney Vantine discussed the issue of possible sales and swaps in the context of somewhat harrowing budgetary problems that could converge in coming years. Between state budget gaps, the end of federal stimulus money, renegotiating employee contracts and declining enrollment that could all reach a critical point going into 2011, the superintendent said the work of the task force members will be crucial in shaping the district’s future direction.

“Key short and long term decisions must be made,” Vantine said.

Contact reporter Daniel Pye at 693-1000, ext. 158.