The City of Jackson will demolish abandoned elementary school buildings in three Jackson neighborhoods.
The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees voted 5-1 on April 18 to proceed with a recommendation from Superintendent Errick Greene to demolish the buildings that once housed Quintard Baker Elementary, Emma French Elementary and Woodville Heights Elementary. Board member Frank Figgers was the lone dissenting voice.
The new recommendation came after several weeks of discussion by the JPS Facilities Repurposing Advisory Committee and community forums to generate feedback from area residents.
Superintendent Errick Greene, who joined the meeting via phone, told the board that due to the conditions of the buildings and their location, the district was unable to secure buyers for redevelopment. Greene also told the board that the cost of upkeep and security of the buildings was an added burden on the district.
“We determined that the economic value and condition of those properties were not strong after a request for interest was issued,” Greene said in a press release on Aug. 29, 2023. “We can no longer afford the carrying costs for maintaining the upkeep of the buildings, which have become victims of vandalism.”
“We determined that the economic value and condition of those properties were not strong after a request for interest was issued,” Superintendent Errick Greene said on Aug. 29, 2023. Screenshot courtesy JPS
Jackson Public Schools Chief Operating Officer Earl Burke told the board that he estimated the carrying cost of the buildings at $500,000 dollars for lights, gas, water, and repairs from vandalism and break-ins. He added that with the hardening insurance market, the district could incur another $500,000 in insurance.
“So easily a million dollars between those three buildings we’re spending a year just to keep them sitting there,” Burke told the board during the April 18 meeting.
Janice Lee Adams addressed the board during public comments. Adams said she was disappointed that the district would move to demolish the buildings without the community’s input.
“Taxpayers in this area have a right to be informed and consulted when the district plans to take action that would directly
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