Middle school ownership transferred to nonprofit
BUTLER TWP — Butler Area School District school board voted to transfer the former Butler Middle School at 225 E. North St. to the nonprofit Pittsburgh Gateways at a cost of $1 at a Monday, Sept. 12, meeting.
The school district’s administration had been in talks with Pittsburgh Gateways officials since the beginning of 2022. Brian White, district superintendent, said the nonprofit plans to rehabilitate the facility into an economic hub, as it had done to the former Connelley Trade School in Pittsburgh in the early-2010s.
White said that although the facility could be sold for more money, getting it back on the tax roll as soon as possible was a priority for the school district.
“We specifically want to offer it to the purpose of community benefit,” White said. “Long-term, I think we are going to make more if we get it back on the tax roll.”
Don Evans, Pittsburgh Gateways president and CEO, said the nonprofit plans to transform the building into a developmental space for businesses, community organizations and activities to benefit the city economically and culturally.
“Our goal is to make it energy efficient, but also leverage the space by employing workforce development efforts and business incubation by connecting dots with community providers, services,” Evans said in August.
White said there is a nine-month due diligence period included in the transfer agreement, during which Pittsburgh Gateways officials will work with school district administrators.
White said he and the district solicitor, Tom Breth, have been in contact with Evans and Pittsburgh Gateways administrators two to three times a week, and they will continue that pattern over the due diligence period.
In June, the Butler County commissioners hired Pittsburgh Gateways to prepare its plan for a reuse study of the building. The $600,000 cost was paid for by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Evans said he will be working with local officials and business leaders, including White and Mark Gordon, Butler County’s chief of economic development and planning, to best plan for the future of the site.
White also said at the meeting that while the district started the school year with ample transportation staffing, changes in the first week have already caused a need for more bus drivers.
“Buses are very full because of the lack of drivers,” White said. “Being down two, three, four bus drivers consistently has just had a devastating impact on our ability to operate and get people to school in a timely matter.”
The district’s transportation provider, Valley Lines, is seeking drivers. Those interested can call the company at 724-287-0003.
The board also approved district administrators to authorize remote learning days in the event of a weather emergency. White said many other school districts authorized flexible instruction days when the coronavirus pandemic began, but Butler Area School District held off because administrators preferred to have students attend school in person.
This year, administrators will be able to call a remote instruction day if necessary.
“This gives us the authorization, if there is a weather emergency in particular, to shut down and have remote instruction for a day,” White said. “If we have the blizzard of 2023, we want all options on the table to make sure we’re not having school in July.”
