BUILDING FOR SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY - Kennedy Bibliothek

The Whittier Elementary School in Austin, Minnesota, with nine
classrooms and a gym/multi-purpose room, has been converted to a
senior citizen recreation center open seven days a week. Use of the
rooms encompasses arts and crafts and adult education classes. The
recreation center has been operating for four years and has over a
thousand members. Renovations and improvements on the building were
done through a vocational/technical school on the basis of an on-site
learning experience. Materials were furnished by the senior citizens,
The Board of Education provides the building and all maintenance and
operating costs.
In Pickett, Wisconsin, a group of citizens purchased a school by
selling shares of $10.00 a piece. The newer parts of the school are
now being used for a senior citizens' center, a youth center, a
nursery school, and vocational classes. The older parts have been
rented to generate revenue which will meet the operational costs.
79. In all states, public school districts are now obliged to provide
free public education for every handicapped child from 3-21 years of age.
Similar to Scandinavian models, the law requires that as many handicapped
children as possible attend their neighbourhood schools:
Against the Board of Education's plan, parents in Jackson,
Mississippi chose a half-empty school which was the most accessible
for their handicapped children.
The town of Sioux Center, Iowa, bought an empty junior/senior high
school from the school district for $200 000. The city then leased
two floors of the building to a state education agency serving the
handicapped. (Other uses of the building include the creation of a
museum with the help of the state bicentennial grant and the leasing
of the gymnasium to community groups . )
80. To keep a large school closed the Board of Education has to pay
about $3 000 per year in minimum maintenance costs. Often the Board will
therefore rent out the space, as long as the income covers maintenance
costs.
Nashville, Tennessee, has closed eight school plants. All but one
has been made available to government agencies. One was sold for
$1.5 million dollars; two have been utilised by the health department;
others have been leased by the metropolitan parks department,
the police department and an action committee. Two high schools in
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