PLATTSMOUTH, Neb. - One of Nebraska's most recognized former Class I school buildings may soon get a second life as a day care facility after sitting empty for a year and a half.
Buccaneer Bay resident Theresa Sherman plans to open the Little Dolphins Day Care at the former Stull School early next year. She still needs the Plattsmouth City Council to rezone the property and grant a special-issue permit for her business.
The old school sits near U.S. Highway 75 in a mostly rural setting on the northern edge of Plattsmouth.
"When I saw this building come up for lease, I thought it would make a great day care," Sherman said. "They took really good care of the building. It was well-maintained."
Plattsmouth's decision to close the former Class I elementary school and sell the property for other uses is part of a continuing trend throughout Nebraska's school systems.
In many districts, administrators have determined it is cost- prohibitive to operate the former elementary school buildings. Some of the former schoolhouses have been sold for homes and multipurpose community centers.
Last month, the Plattsmouth School Board agreed to rent the vacant Stull School property to Sherman for $1,000 per month. The district's contract also gives Sherman the option of buying the property.
In 2006, Plattsmouth absorbed Stull as part of a state-ordered merger of Class I, or elementary-only, schools into larger neighboring K-12 districts.
In May 2007, Plattsmouth closed the grade school one year after taking it over, determining it was too costly and impractical to keep the facility open. The closure dismayed Stull School alumni and several families with kids there.
Then, last summer, Plattsmouth put the former school building up for sale, seeking a minimum asking price of $100,000.
Until Sherman came along, the district had found no takers, Plattsmouth School Superintendent Richard Hasty said. Hasty said the day care is a great fit for the area, and he expects the city to approve the project.
Sherman said that she plans to submit an offer to buy the old school if the city approves her project. Sherman plans to start with 20 children at her day care and preschool program, but it has the space to hold at least 80 kids.
The Weeping Water school district recently sold the former Class I school it inherited in Manley to town officials for a future multipurpose facility. These days, Cass County no longer has any former Class I school sites in operation.
In neighboring Saunders County, the Ashland-Greenwood School District sold its only former Class I school, Clear Creek School, last year at an auction.
Nearby, Wahoo also closed and sold off all four former Class I buildings it inherited in Ithaca, Malmo and two north of Wahoo. A couple of those former schools were converted into country houses.
In July, the Cozad Public Schools decided to sell four of the five former Class I schools it inherited.
But some larger Nebraska districts have bucked the trend to sell off the schools for extra funds. A number of districts across the state continue to maintain their former Class I facilities as functioning grade schools.
For the third straight year, Fremont Public Schools has kept open the Platteville School, about eight miles south of Fremont. Fremont Superintendent Steve Sexton said that 58 students currently attend Platteville.
There are no discussions within the Fremont district about closing Platteville or selling the property, Sexton said.
"It's been pretty stable, with 55 to 60 students," Sexton said. "Right now, it fits well, and we have continued that program up to this point."
In 2006, the Holdrege Public School District inherited three former Class 1 schools.
"In the first year, we kept them all pretty much the same," said Holdrege School Superintendent Cinde Wendell.
Today, two of the three former Class I schools have been sold off for a community center and a private residence. But this year, about 90 grade school students attend R-7, the former Class I school on the edge of Holdrege.
There are no plans to close that building, which was built in the 1970s, Wendell said.
"We have a really nice, unique situation with a larger building near town," Wendell said. "It has a gym for practices and middle school competition. We've done some work with remodeling and added administrative offices at the front door."
In Plattsmouth, Sherman said that news of her day care facility has generated enthusiasm from neighbors and former Stull School supporters. She plans to hang several old classroom photographs in her hallways and spruce up the property.