In a school district, like many in large cities across the country, with a surplus of older buildings, the El Paso Independent School District may be on the verge of selling some of its property.
The largest school district in El Paso and 12th largest in Texas, the EPISD has around eighty schools on just over 90 individual campuses.
But it also has a growing list of elementary schools that in recent years have been closed due to declining enrollments.
Now EPISD officials are contemplating selling some of the no longer used structures and land. One of the schools on the potential list is the Beall Elementary School in the south central part of the city. Located at 320 S. Piedras Street, that school was shut down two years ago because its student numbers were down.
A second facility that could be sold is the Burleson Elementary School, also in south central and closed in 2019, again due to an enrollment drop. That school is located at 4400 Blanco Avenue.
For any building or property to be put up for sale, the EPISD board of education must first designate it as surplus.
The process for getting rid of the surplus property has in the past seen a building in question professionally appraised, with potential buyers then being given a certain period to submit bids.
Last year EPISD also put on sale classroom desks once used at the former Alta Vista Elementary School at 1000 N. Gamma Street, which was also closed two years ago due to a declining enrollment.
In 2018 the district sold its Northeast Tennis Center at 4806 Woodrow Bean Transmountain Drive to a real estate company for $3.1 million.
By Garry Boulard
