Nearly a full year since Franklin Academy was shuttered, Columbus Municipal School District trustees have yet to nail down a plan for the historic building’s future.
During a special-call meeting at the former elementary school Monday, the board met with representatives from Mississippi Department of Archives and History to discuss what’s next for Franklin.
In order to move forward on selling, leasing or repurposing the property, the district needs to have a plan for how it would like to see the building used, Barry White, incoming director of MDAH, told the board.
“Half of preservation is having a use for a building,” he said. “If a building is not in use, it’s not going to be preserved. It becomes a liability instead of an asset.”
Franklin closed in May 2025 in the first phase of the district’s shift to grade span consolidation, which will group students by grade level across campuses rather than operating magnet schools with a specific academic emphasis for grades pre-K through 5 on each elementary campus.
The district was spending more than $95,000 annually to operate Franklin and another nearly $80,000 each year on utilities. A facilities study commissioned by the district in December 2023 estimated it would take about $12.9 million to make the improvements the school needs to serve students.
Considering how similar properties have been repurposed or preserved, White said there are several options for what the district can do with Franklin. The most popular, he said, is housing.
“That is what we see the most, the adaptive reuse into residential spaces because there are a lot of housing tax credits, and when you package all the historic preservation (and) housing credits, it makes it much more approachable financially,” White said.
Under that arrangement, the district could retain portions of the property, like the auditorium, while leasing or selling the rest of the building to a developer, White said.
Other options include divesting from the building entirely and selling it for commercial use.
“We’ve seen some successful models, the classroom turning into the shops, that sort of thing,” White said. “… Ultimately, this is a true divestment of the building.”
Board President Robert Smith noted there have been a couple of developers inquire about the space, though the district has not taken steps to formally market the property or pursue a sale.
White said the board should determine what specific outcomes it wants for the future of Franklin to better determine how to move forward.
“There are people out there, I think, that could come to the table once the board figures out what direction y’all want to head in, whether that’s divestment or repurposing,” White said. “It would be great to have somebody like that come and speak with y’all as well to look at various opportunities.”
‘What’s the plan?’
During the meeting Monday, board members and MDAH representatives toured Franklin, looking at both its historic features and the needed improvements for the building, which was constructed in 1938.
The board focused Monday on the auditorium, which is in need of a full renovation; the cafeteria, which is currently unusable due to a leak in the ventilation system; and generally weatherizing the building.
“One of the main things, or concerns, is weatherizing the building,” trustee Telisa Young said during the meeting. “We have windows that (allow) air (to) come through, moisture comes in. … We have talked previously with this board about getting the maintenance done, but just having the money to start somewhere.”
Smith said the district is still determining the scope and costs of weatherizing Franklin.
“We haven’t really started on anything right now,” he told The Dispatch after the meeting. “We’re waiting on our architect to get us the schematics as far as price wise.”
White said improvements to Franklin could be eligible for Community Heritage Preservation Grant Program funding, which specifically focuses on restoring courthouses and schools across Mississippi. While the agency is still waiting to see how much funding the program will receive in the legislative session, he said the funding would likely cover a new roof for Franklin if the district were to secure the grant.
But that funding opportunity also requires a more solidified plan for reusing the property, White said.
“That’s part of the scoring criteria,” White told the board. “What’s the plan? Is it a good investment of public money? If there’s a good plan for the rehabilitation for the building or (for) future use, I think that will factor into … how well the grant application was received.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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