The Clarke County Board of Education unanimously approved spending nearly $143,000 for abatement and trash removal at West Broad Street School during its most recent meeting.
A fire at the historic school on Sept. 8, 2025 partially destroyed the inside of one of its vacant buildings. The fire caused asbestos fibers to be released into the air, leaving its interior a safety hazard.
Board members emphasized the building’s importance to the community during their work session and regular meeting on Oct. 9. They voted to hire American Property Restoration for the work at the campus, which has been vacant since 2009.
“It is the center, if you will, of the west side of Athens’ Black community,” District 3 Representative Linda Davis said before the regular meeting. “It was more than a school. It was the place where culture was developed, where friends were made.”
Board members were told by two witnesses that at least 20 people were sleeping in the building on any given night. Comments from board members then placed an emphasis on securing the building to ensure safety and to show the community that it is valued and respected.
“We need to be very proactive in getting this property back in shape where you can serve the community and serve the school district, and this is the first step of us doing so,” District 5 Representative Tim Denson said.
Denson and board member LaKeisha Gantt, who represents District 7, are both running for Athens-Clarke County mayor.
Gantt asked about the timeline for cleanup, particularly about how many times they will have to spend money to keep the buildings secure and clean, noting that many on the board want to move forward with discussions about the former school’s future.
Athens-Clarke County officials and the Clarke County School District have disputed the use of the land after voters approved a $3.2 million SPLOST-funded youth center nearly 10 years ago.
“We got two public housing units anchoring either side of that school … so we are deteriorating the entire community, not just that school, by not maintaining some dignity and respect,” Davis said.
West Broad to me is a place that needs to not only be restored and is historic, it needs to be honored, it should be preserved. It should be treated with love and care.”
Other Board of Education Business
The two-hour meeting also included discussing the search process for CCSD’s new superintendent. The Georgia School Boards Association presented a timeline that would have the school district start accepting applications on Dec. 1 through Jan. 18, 2026.
The board recognized Felicia Barrett, a behavior interventionist and after-school program coordinator at Timothy Road Elementary as employee of the month after successfully performing the heimlich maneuver on a choking child.
The board also approved the consent agenda, which included spending $58,000 on Clarke County High School’s tennis court repairs, shifts to the 2026-2027 academic calendar and approving field trips.
Ryan Kanning is a journalism major in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
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