Ask the News - July 28

Clovis Municipal Schools recently announced plans to sell the former Raintree grocery store near the roundabout in northeast Clovis. How much did CMS pay for that building, when was it purchased, why was it purchased and why is it now for sale? … Has the school used the building for anything since the purchase? … What is the timeline for selling the building and what is the district asking for it?

In December 2021, Clovis Municipal Schools finalized the $2.87 million purchase of Raintree, according to Jay Brady, CMS deputy superintendent of Operations, Technology & Athletics.

“In mid-2020, the district began assessing the property as a potential solution to address future needs for space for a variety of purposes. However, the pandemic prolonged and delayed the purchase process,” Brady wrote in an email. 

Brady noted the purchase was made based on data and projections drawn from the 2017-2022 Facilities Master Plan, which forecast continued growth in the district. 

“The district had identified a critical need for staff training facilities, expanded facilities to support our growing technology department, and office accommodations to consolidate all support staff in a single location,” Brady wrote.

Brady added the building was considered for “the newly created ICAN program designed to support the needs of students with significant behavior challenges.”

Brady said the building is now for sale because “the landscape had completely changed in the years since the prior FMP was created and student growth data was not, in fact, trending upward as previously thought, but was instead trending downward.” 

“Additionally, the district had more buildings than needed to meet current student numbers and was obligated (by the state) to rectify those imbalances to preserve future funding opportunities,” Brady wrote.

In addition to the change with Raintree, the move also resulted in the shuttering of two campuses and changes at two others.

“The district concluded that liquidation (of Raintree) was the most appropriate and responsible way forward,” Brady wrote.

The money to invest in Raintree was drawn from the district’s two-mill levy funds, Brady said.

“It is currently being used to temporarily store equipment and materials as the district implements each phase of the most recently approved FMP,” Brady said.

As for the timeline to sell the property and its asking price Brady said things will be happening this fall.

“The timeline will be identified for the benefit of the Board of Education and public this fall. Those details are not currently available as we are in the initial stages of preparing for listing. Unfortunately, as anyone who has ever sold property can attest, the timeline is rarely up to the seller and, as such, the district anticipates the timeline will be determined by the market and other factors beyond our control,” Brady said.

Brady noted in his email when CMS begins reviewing materials and information related to the property, the board will follow policies and the Open Meetings Act guidelines for the disposition of real property.

“It could be months or longer for the process to be navigated to conclusion,” Brady said.

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