SPS under contract to sell Robberson building

Last edited 12:22 p.m., Feb. 12, 2025 [Editor's note: Comment from Better Life in Recovery Inc.  has been added. The date has been corrected for the closed meeting in which the board entered the contract.]

The former Robberson Community School building is under contract to be sold, officials say, after the Springfield Public Schools Board of Education voted last year to declare the facility as surplus property and explore a sale of the north-side real estate.

SPS Director of Communications Teresa Bledsoe confirmed in an email this morning to Springfield Business Journal that the district has reached a deal to sell the 1100 E. Kearney St. property.

"The buyer has requested confidentiality until we close on the property, which has not yet been scheduled," Bledsoe said via email. "At the time of closing, we will publicly announce all details, including the buyer."

The SPS board voted during closed session on Jan. 14 to enter the contract, said SPS Chief Communications Officer Stephen Hall.

At least one proposal was submitted for the property. Better Life in Recovery Inc. founder David Stoecker said during the SPS board’s Jan. 14 meeting that his organization submitted a proposal to establish a “healing hub” community center. Stoecker told SBJ this afternoon that the proposal was unsuccessful. It’s unclear if other proposals were submitted.

The Greene County assessor continues to list SPS as the owner of the roughly 40,000-square-foot property. The Greene County recorder's website does not show a recent transaction related to the property, and a building permit for potential work on the real estate is not on file with the city of Springfield.

A LoopNet.com listing for the property from SVN/Rankin Co. points to an asking price of $432,000.

In August, the SPS board voted in favor of the surplus designation for the property. The SPS board voted in January 2024 to close Robberson and the K-5 elementary section of Pershing School, a K-8 facility, according to past reporting.