GLENROCK - While tearing down usable schools in Glenrock and building new ones don't seem to save much money, some School Facilities Commission members believe it is a more judicious use of state funds than remodeling existing schools.

But not everyone agrees.

Richard Grant, chairman of the Converse County No. 2 School Board, believes it is "ludicrous," and said the Glenrock community is appalled.

And a visibly frustrated State Superintendent of Public Instruction Trent Blankenship told other School Facilities Commission members at their meeting here Wednesday that it doesn't pass the "common sense test."

"I know the Supreme Court said we must provide adequate facilities to all children in the state… but it's difficult to comprehend how that logic translates to the demolition of a building," he said. "If I were a superintendent in another state and suggested it, I'd be run out of town."

Yet at Wednesday's meeting, some commission staff members did not want to discuss the logic of their mandates.

"We're talking about apples and oranges right now," said Commission Director Jim "Bubba" Shivler during the debate that occurred just before lunchtime. "The bill provides money to bring schools up to standards. These schools are still oversized."

Glenrock currently has three operating schools: Grant Elementary, Glenrock Middle School and Glenrock High School.

The former Oregon Trail Elementary School building was closed in 1986 but now houses five community organizations, including a public health clinic, a child development center and the town's only recreation center.

Yet the School Facilities Commission counted the square footage in that building against the district and rejected the district's first five-year facilities plan, claiming that the district had too much space for its declining student enrollment.

Plus, Grant Elementary and Glenrock Middle schools would cost too much to maintain, the commission concluded.

A commission report stated Grant Elementary is currently utilized at only 66 percent, and the commission wants the district to decrease its square footage by roughly 100,000 square feet to save on maintenance costs.

"Just imagine doubling your utilities, we don't know where those are going to go, but they're expensive now," Shivler said. "Then there are ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) issues, fire safety, there are probably 20 or 30 areas and we look at them very carefully."

There could also be hidden structural problems, he added.

Second plan

The district eventually submitted a second plan in 2003 calling for a remodel of the Oregon Trail building to convert it to a middle school. Then, the elementary students would move to Glenrock Middle School building for a year, while the district razed Grant Elementary and built a new school on that site.

Finally, Glenrock Middle School would be torn down.

But the middle school contains the only large auditorium/meeting hall in the city, Grant said.

"All the high school plays are here, band performances, funerals, even weddings, town meetings," he said, adding the auditorium in the proposed new middle school would be half the size of the current one.

But the district still submitted the proposal anyway.

"As a district, the board said, 'OK, we'll play your game," Grant said.

Now, though, they face yet another problem.

The commission originally approved $4.5 million to renovate Oregon Trail, but after further study, the district says the cost could be around $6.2 million to meet the state standards, Grant said.

The commission has not approved the dollar increase, which its members said would probably require approval from the Legislature next winter.

But as the district waits for approval, construction costs are rising, at a rate of 16 percent each year, according to Grant.

"I can't for the life of me understand why we'd tear this building down and pay $6 million for a middle school. How does that serve anyone?" Blankenship asked other commission members. "I'm at a loss to explain it to anyone."

Blankenship pointed out that if maintaining the schools costs $100,000 a year, and Oregon Trail would cost $6.2 million to renovate, it would take 62 years to break even.

Grant said that when Blankenship toured the schools, he commented on the beautiful elementary and middle school - and seemed surprised when he learned they were to be razed.

"Trent in his campaign, and the governor, they said the community needs to get behind education, that we needed community development, and that's what we have in Oregon Trail right now," Grant said.

Paula Flynn, the executive director of the Glenrock Economic Development Corporation spoke to the commission, asking its members to consider future growth when approving plans for schools.

She said that Glenrock has massive potential for growth in the next three to five years, possibly creating up to 500 to 800 new jobs.

"I'd ask you to move forward cautiously when talking about tearing down our buildings," she said.

The meeting ended with commission members suggesting that district officials promptly find out exactly what renovations would cost.

If it will cost too much and the commission needs further legislative approval, they might submit a third five-year plan, starting all over and possibly remodeling.