School board votes to demo Chesterfield building

Weeds and vines grow up the walls of the former Chesterfield Elementary School building on Pax Hill Road in Morganton, signifying the eight years of vacancy.

The Burke County Board of Education voted Monday to demolish Chesterfield Elementary School rather than risk the vacant building being purchased by a charter school, ending months of debate over the future of the property.

The central conflict stemmed from the concern that selling the building as-is could be inviting charter and private school acquisition, increasing competition with the public school district, and further straining budgets based on student populations.

According to Michael Watts of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, the estimated selling price with the building as-is, at approximately $372,000, is about $8,400 less than without, at approximately $380,400.

Discussion of demolishing the school began in December when Superintendent Dr. Mike Swan presented the board with a proposed demolition estimate of about $246,000.

The discussion got pushed to the backburner until earlier this month, when Swan reintroduced the idea, explaining that the demolition company, D.H. Griffin Wrecking Co., Inc., of Hickory, would still honor that price should the district choose to move forward.

After consideration, the board requested Swan and Financial Officer Keith Lawson bring a realtor to the board to discuss the pros and cons of selling the school as-is or demolishing.

Board member Sonya Rockett has been adamant that demolition costs diminish the appeal of the proposal, noting that demolishing Chesterfield and selling the land would net the district about $134,000, compared with $372,000 if the building were sold as-is.

“I absolutely cannot fathom how we can call ourselves good stewards of our school system’s capital funds going into the hole a quarter of a million dollars,” she said.

Lawson reiterated that the costs would not necessarily be a loss, as the net gain would still run closer to $135,000 after demolition costs.

He explained that if a charter school bought and occupied the building — as the private school, Christ Classical Academy, did with Rutherford College Elementary in 2022 — then they would be required to have a minimum of 80 students.

Although Lawson said the charter board usually bases opening a school on the “break-even” headcount, which falls in the 100-140 student range, he used the minimum attendance numbers to demonstrate the possible financial impact.

According to Lawson, Burke County Public Schools would lose about $3.5 million in state funding over a five-year period should a new charter school fill the halls of Chesterfield.

Swan said the school had been on the market for several years and at one point was considered for an apartment project, which fell through after a grant application was unsuccessful. He added that no charter or private schools had shown concrete interest in purchasing the property.

He pointed out, however, that a charter school had recently opened up near the Oak Hill community, in Caldwell County, which “could potentially be (interested).”

“You can talk about the what-ifs all day long,” Rockett said, “but unless you have firm evidence of it, I don’t see how we can take ($246,000) out of our coffers and call it a good move.”

Chesterfield, as it currently stands, still drains about $15,000 each year from the county in maintenance fees.

Since the school was already on the market once and didn’t sell several years ago, board member Leslie Taylor expressed concern that the district could end up paying out tens of thousands of dollars over the next several years waiting on someone to purchase the building.

Board member Reid Beck, who echoed Rockett’s concerns, motioned for the board to try selling the school as-is before revisiting the demolition consideration in one year.

“That would null our estimate on demolition, at that point, and we would be responsible for getting another estimate on the demolition later,” Taylor said. Swan confirmed the district would have to repeat the quote after a year.

The motion to sell the school only received support from Beck and Rockett. The board then voted to demo the school and sell the land. The only opposition came from Beck and Rockett.

The district’s maintenance staff will begin removing items the district plans to keep, reuse, or sell and will oversee the disconnection of utilities before demolition begins, likely in the fall, according to school officials.