BUTLER TWP — The Butler School Board is taking sealed bids until Sept. 18 to sell four recently closed elementary school buildings

Depending on the bids the district receives, the board could approve sales of the Broad Street, Clearfield, Meridian and Oakland elementary schools as soon as Sept. 21. The appraised values of buildings that were determined over the summer will not be released until after that meeting.

The board Thursday night approved the Sept. 18 bid deadline.

The district closed five elementary schools in June because of declining enrollment and increased costs. Four of the schools are now vacant, while Center Avenue is being repurposed as a district-operated alternative school.

Board members Bill Halle and John Conrad both voted against the sealed bid process.

Halle said, “This is my concern: With all four buildings, we've taken no community input …. We haven't looked at any options of what might be a great idea for those communities for the own use of those buildings,” he said.

Dale Lumley, superintendent, said there's still time for community input, but later in the process.

“All of the sealed bids can be rejected. So I think it's a matter of those discussions happening after you get the sealed bids. Do you want to honor the sealed bids or do you want to throw them all out?” Lumley asked.