Columbus Municipal School District is one step closer to offloading some of its vacant properties after trustees on Monday approved plans to draft a resolution requesting proposals for redeveloping Fairview Elementary School.
The resolution comes after the school building was appraised at $300,000, not including the cafeteria and playground equipment on campus, Board President Robert Smith told The Dispatch after Monday’s special-call meeting at Brandon Central Services.
“We’re going to do a resolution and get it out to the media to take proposals,” Smith said. “Give everybody a fair shake, so nobody thinks it’s an underhand deal that we’re going.”
Fairview is one of a few vacant school buildings, along with Franklin Academy and Union Success Academy, that have sat empty since CMSD underwent grade-span consolidation, meaning each of the three remaining elementary schools now houses certain grades rather than each serving grades K-5.
Smith said he has fielded inquiries about potentially redeveloping Fairview, which closed in May 2026, into a church or a daycare, but the board intends to hear out all proposals received.
There will be two requests for proposals, he said – one dealing with the building itself and one for the playground and cafeteria equipment on campus, which was not included in the appraisal.
Smith said the district intends to take a similar approach with Franklin Academy, which was appraised at $175,000. He said the board was surprised by such a low number, especially considering the building is located at the north entrance to downtown. Additionally, Franklin is roughly 36,215 square feet larger than Fairview.
Still, Smith said the board doesn’t intend to seek another appraisal for the property, which has drawn interest among developers considering a residential renovation for the building.
“What we’ll do is just end up doing the same thing (as with Fairview), just take proposals for it,” he said. “… It’ll be done later.”
During executive session Monday, the board also approved a resolution to support the partnership of “Project Synergy.” While Smith wouldn’t divulge the school district’s private partners or what the project might entail, he said it deals with repurposing the Magnolia Bowl.
Board Attorney Chris Hemphill said the resolution itself is also vague on details of the partnership.
“It’s just to basically cooperate, to form a (partnership) with Project Synergy,” Hemphill told The Dispatch.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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