ROGERS -- The School Board on Tuesday unanimously agreed to form a committee that will study options for what to do with Garfield Elementary School.
The board's move came at the recommendation of Superintendent Jeff Perry, who said he hopes to have a decision on the school's fate by November.
Perry said at Tuesday's board meeting he'd like the committee to include school Principal Stephen Bowman, Garfield Mayor Gary Blackburn, teachers and parents. There will be at least one public forum in Garfield to gather residents' input, Perry said.
"Whatever decision we do make, we want it to be an informed decision," he said.
Blackburn advocated for forming such a committee earlier this year.
The School District's plan to open its 17th elementary school in north Rogers, just west of the municipal airport, has cast doubt on Garfield Elementary's future. There is speculation Garfield Elementary will be closed and its students sent to the 17th elementary once it opens in August 2024. The site chosen for the 17th elementary is about 11 miles west of Garfield Elementary.
In February, then-Superintendent Marlin Berry told the board while there is no plan to close Garfield, there are challenges associated with keeping it open. Berry retired this summer, and Perry took over as superintendent on July 1.
Garfield Elementary was built in 1941 with additions made in 1990 and 1996, according to information from the district. It has 16,436 square feet. Its total enrollment in kindergarten through fifth grade was about 100 students as of last spring, making it by far the smallest elementary school in the district.
The small size makes it three times more expensive to run on a per-student basis than the district's typical elementary school, Berry said in February.
In addition, a facility review the district published in January 2019 noted it would be "beyond expensive" to bring the building fully into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Perry also said Tuesday the city of Garfield is pursuing a historical preservation grant of close to $300,000 to address the building's ADA issues.
"I do think that the community wants to keep the school open, but if we decide to close it, then I believe the town wants to repurpose that school," Perry said.
Garfield had 593 residents as of the 2020 census, but Garfield Elementary draws students from both inside and outside the city limits.
Perry related an experience he had as principal of a rural elementary school of 120 students in the early '90s. The school board decided to close the school and consolidate it with another one, he said.
"We loved that school," he said. "We knew every student in that school. I knew every parent. We felt it was safe, we felt it was connected, it was the heart of the community. And to tell you the truth, we fought [the closure] to the very end."
But it turned out the new school -- of which he was chosen to be principal -- turned out to be "the best thing that ever happened to us," in part because of increased opportunities for enrichment and extracurricular activities, he said.
"Not that we're committed to going that route," he said. "But I do know from personal experience about those fears."