The Vineland Board of Education in Vineland, New Jersey, held an unscheduled “Special Meeting” to discuss possible action regarding the Oak and Main School property. This meeting took place on March 16, 2021 as board members ended a three year long debate about what to do with the Oak and Main property— instead of putting the property up for bid, the Oak and Main property would be conveyed to a Vineland nonprofit.
After several unsuccessful attempts to sell the Oak and Main property for $500,000, the minimum bid was reduced to $150,000. In 2017, when the property was first set up for bid, the John F. Scarpa Foundation of Palm Beach, Fla, was the only bidder. However, the bid was never finalized, leaving it up for grabs ever since. Despite Oak and Main School sitting on a highly-visible intersection home to two pharmacies and a Dunkin’,this is the fifth time the district has been unsuccessful at trying to sell the property.
The Oak and Main School property was once an elementary school that served 69 Kindergarten students. The school was extremely small compared to the size of other elementary schools located in Vineland, with it only containing four classrooms. As newer and bigger schools were built, in 2006, the school closed and the city of Vineland declared that the school was not needed for educational purposes anymore. For this reason, the Vineland board of education repeatedly has tried to sell the property to the highest bidder so that the funds can be added to their education budget. However, many residents feel that the property should be conveyed to a non-profit that would benefit Vineland youth, including several board members.
“Schools are more than bricks and mortar. They’re places where children learn about their community and its history and also about and life. I think whenever possible we should preserve that history to share with future generations,” said board member John Sbrana.
Board member Kimberly Codispoti agrees with Sbrana’s sentiment and states, “After researching it and speaking to other people about it, I believe this is a solid idea and it would be something that would benefit our youth…anything that benefits our youth will benefit our city as a whole.”
Board member Ines Acosta also agreed that a non-profit should get the property
“We need more for our kids, a place where they can explore, a safe place,” she said.
Board member Dennis Rivera agreed that the building should be given to a nonprofit and used as a safe haven for the children of Vineland, but he also raised a point that generated more conversation surrounding the topic.
The Oak and Main School property is located in East Vineland, the portion of the large city that’s wealthier, Whiter, and less populated than the rest of the city. Center city and west Vineland are the poorer, minority populated parts of city— areas where a youth recreation center would be needed most. Rivera brought these demographics up and questioned whether or not the project will be accessible to all children in the city and mainly the ones not from east Vineland.
“Because of this location, I think it will be inaccessible to all of our children and that has to be considered if we’re giving this building away for the purpose of benefiting the youth of Vineland,” Rivera stated.
Vineland resident and former board member, Brian DeWinne’s public comment sheds light on the historical value of the Oak and Main property. Oak and Main School has been standing for over 112 years. Many Vineland residents have graduated from this school and many have created memories within the building.
“As schools board members you have the role of being a steward of the city’s assets,” DeWinne said to the Board.
With that, DeWinne implored the Board to stop putting the Oak and Main property up for auction, but to sell or donate the property to a nonprofit, specifically the one he is representing— the Vineland Community Foundation A NJ Nonprofit Corporation.
The Vineland Community Foundation is a nonprofit founded by Vineland Public School graduates. It’s mission is to enhance the community of Vineland and support members of the community through different initiatives. The nonprofit seems to be a generally new one, it officially filed as a NJ Non-Profit Corporation just this March
The Vineland Community Foundation plans to preserve the infrastructure of the property and turn it into a recreational center for the children of Vineland. DeWinne expresses that this will be a much-needed investment, as the children of Vineland don’t have many safe spaces to convene.
“You have a choice that can help students in the long run for a long time,” he stated.
Offering his expert opinion, Robert DeSanto, Vineland Board of Education solicitor and private lawyer, contended that a nonprofit like the Vineland Community Foundation can be considered for conveyance of the property as long as they meet state guidelines. The first step to doing that is the board would have to vote on a resolution stating that the Oak and Main property is no longer up for bid and instead, will be donating the building to an eligible nonprofit.
Board president Scott English reminded the board that giving the building up for donation would result in them losing the opportunity to make $150,000, and use that money to benefit the school district. Despite $150,000 not seeming like much compared to the 250 million school board budget, English reminded the board that they’ve struggled to make cuts before due to being over the budget by a few thousand dollars.
This special meeting ended a three year long debate about what to do with the Oak and Main property. Board member Alix Silva is first to raise the motion in support of creating a resolution that would stop the Oak and Main property bid, and instead convey it to a nonprofit. Ms. Codispoti seconds the motion, and the motion is passed with six affirmatives and three no’s.
Board members have officially decided that the fate of the 112 year old Oak and Main property will remain in the hands of Vineland residents. It will not be demolished and put up for bid, but instead its history will be preserved as the property will be donated to a Vineland nonprofit.
In Black and Write 