The Denver (Colorado) Board of Education has taken a number of steps to avoid closing schools. Among these are refiguring school capacities; providing full-time space for programs that do not always function full-time; providing additional private space for related services (psychological, social work, and nursing); expanding instructional…

A guide for educators and citizens seeking alternative uses of vacant facilities. Discusses local, legal, economic, and social issues involved. Describes some of the alternative facility uses that include human service centers; use by other government agencies; and conversion to housing, private schools, colleges, and adult education facilities.…

The growing interest in historic preservation has sparked interest in recycling existing school buildings. (Author/MLF)

Declining enrollments are leaving many districts with space they no longer need. The conversion of surplus school buildings to new uses can often provide communities with new vitality. Examples show unused schools converted for use as apartments, shops, and office space for public agencies. (Author/MLF)

Examples from some of the successful major techniques to use vacant spaces for special programs and services that will benefit students and the community. (Author/MLF)

Brief notes on design processes in general, and the way they may be applied to the problem of under-used school buildings. (Author/MLF)

Examines the legal aspects and problems of school ownership, school closing, and reuse of school property. Proposes new legislation establishing "community/schools" that vests ownership of school property in the municipality in which the property is located. (Author/MLF)

The closing of a school is a difficult step for everyone involved. In this review, 11 entries in the ERIC system about school closing are summarized. Included are suggestions for administrators to involve the community in the decision-making, and alternative uses of school buildings. Case studies are included that highlight how school districts…

This issue contains the second of a two-part feature about European community school centers. The principal difference between the European and the American community school movements is that in almost all European nations the federal government supports them and takes an active part in their development. The article focuses on the forms of…

In many communities new arrangements of surplus school space have been made that facilitate use of the space by the people of the districts, encourage government agencies to anticipate and support social transitions where they are necessary, and allow school districts to improve the quality of their programs. This paper is a survey of some of…

Many school districts experiencing declining enrollments and the resultant surplus space have, with active citizen input, found workable solutions that increase the stability of neighborhoods by enriching the lives of persons of all ages. This report is a guide for educators and citizens seeking alternative uses of vacant facilities. Suggestions…

National census data suggest a sustained period of no growth or modest growth in births; however, migration variations in the metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas and in different regions of the country portend the importance of local community planning for the future of high school facilities. The place of the high school in the scheme of…

The purpose of this report is to study the transition from school to surplus property and the consequences for the immediate neighborhood. From the 53 schools closed in New York City since 1975, six schools were selected for study. Of the six schools, three are vacant, two are used by private organizations, and one by the board of education. Data…

This publication attempts to simplify the complex issue of declining enrollment and surplus school space. Part 1 is devoted to a thorough discussion of enrollment decline. Text and tables are used to explain enrollment projections, large city public school enrollment decline, birthrates, population mobility, expenditures for education, and the…

A synthesis of ideas and proposals that have emerged in the course of recent Programme on Educational Building activities places emphasis on issues relating to the economic management of existing building resources. In recent years the development and administration of educational building policies have been affected by changes in the organization…