The reality behind KSD's Administrative Annex

When it was recently announced that the Kellogg School District and the city of Kellogg were exploring the possibility of converting the former education wing at the old Kellogg Middle School into a new city hall, the reaction from some community members was swift and forceful. 

The most common argument seemed to be that if the building is going to be used for anything, it should be used as a school. 

On the surface, that sounds reasonable. But it ignores the circumstances that led the district to close the building in the first place. 

When students were moved to what was then Sunnyside Elementary, the district was dealing with two realities: declining enrollment and limited financial resources. The old middle school was facing significant maintenance issues, including foundation problems, heating concerns and aging plumbing systems. At the same time, the building was designed to serve roughly 700 students but was operating at only about half that capacity. 

Keeping a large, aging facility open simply did not make financial sense. 

Meanwhile, the Sunnyside building, which was newer and in better condition, sat largely unused for similar reasons. The district no longer had enough students to justify operating three elementary schools, a middle school and a high school at the levels it once did. 

Enrollment has improved in recent years, but the numbers remain far below historic levels. Today, the district serves approximately 1,040 students. In 2012, that number was 1,259. In 1990, it was 1,779. 

Additional space would certainly be nice. But nice and affordable are not the same thing. 

The reality is that voters have repeatedly signaled their reluctance to fund major facility projects. The district has faced strong opposition to supplemental levies and struggled to gain support for maintenance funding. In fact, repairs to the old middle school were among the projects that would have been addressed through a facilities bond that voters ultimately rejected. 

That leaves the district in a difficult position. Reopening the annex as a school would not simply mean unlocking the doors. It would require substantial renovations, ongoing maintenance and additional staffing costs, including administrative, custodial, kitchen and support personnel. 

For a district that continually works to balance educational needs with financial realities, adding another full-scale facility simply is not practical. 

The education wings of the former middle school have now sat vacant for nearly a decade. Demolition has previously been estimated at around $2 million, and that figure has almost certainly increased with time. The district is unlikely to have millions of dollars sitting idle to demolish an unused structure, nor does it have a clear path to restoring it as a functioning school. 

None of this means turning the building into city hall is necessarily the right answer. The proposal remains in its early stages, and there are legitimate questions that deserve to be asked. 

On the other side of the argument are the potential benefits that could come with the city assuming ownership of that section of the building. 

The city has committed to providing the district with additional funds, which could be directly allocated to things like facilities maintenance, and other needs — which would add a funding stream the district has lacked in recent decades. 

What is concerning, however, is the growing tendency to demand solutions while dismissing the realities that make those solutions impossible. 

If residents want the building preserved as a school, they also have to be willing to support the funding required to make that happen. Otherwise, the conversation isn't really about saving a school. It's about wishing for an outcome without accepting the cost. 

And that's a conversation that misses the point entirely.