Cedar Rapids schools not for sale

Cedar Rapids Superintendent Dave Benson said he has not talked with representatives from Coe College or Meth-Wick Community about selling district property.

"I have not been approached by any entity regarding the purchase of any district property," Benson said.

Rumors that the district will close Polk and Harrison elementary schools, and sell that land to Coe and Meth-Wick respectively, swarmed throughout the community Wednesday. Mayor Ron Corbett sent a letter to the district's enrollment committee asking it not to recommend close Harrison.

Benson called the conversations "premature," stressing that the district's enrollment committee has not made any recommendations regarding school closures.

The committee, comprised of parents, community members and district personnel, has met nearly every other Tuesday since August to discuss the district's declining enrollment and facilities.

The district completed separate studies on both issues during the 2010-11 school year. Information from those studies is available on the district Website at www.cr.k12.ia.us. Committee members are using this information to discuss various scenarios regarding the district's future. School closures have been discussed, along with boundary changes and altering school grade designs.

Nothing has been finalized, or even stated as a recommendation.

The committee meets Tuesday, Dec. 6. Benson has said this meeting will be the first in which committee members move from discussing "supposals" -- scenarios that are possibilities -- to actual proposals. He doesn't know if the committee will make any recommendations Tuesday.

Benson said it is possible that a writing committee could be formed that night, a group of people who will take the meeting's discussion and word it into a recommendation, but added that it is up to the committee.

"Until I know what the committee's final recommendations are, anything is speculation," Benson said.

The target date to present recommendations to school board members is Jan. 9.