The Hobart School Board unanimously approved the sale of Ridge View School on Thursday to current tenant Geminus Head Start for $1,271,000.
The sale price is the average of two appraisals on the 71-year-old school at 3333 W. Old Ridge Road.
Ridge View has been closed since 2020, when the district opened Veterans Elementary at Mundell. Geminus and the Hobart Family YMCA have been leasing the school for their programs since then.
“For all purposes, they plan to leave the property as is,” Superintendent Peggy Buffington told the board. She said many families use the services provided by Geminus and the YMCA.
Board attorney William Longer said both organizations were anxious for a board decision so they can finalize summer and fall programming.
He also said the sale proceeds would help shore up the district’s operating fund, which finances transportation, utility bills, repairs and maintenance.
The district is grappling with financial challenges from property tax caps that captured about 89% of its tax revenue last year because of the city’s low assessed valuation and multiple taxing units.
A 2025 property tax reform bill, Senate Enrolled Act 1, is expected to take more revenue away from the district.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
