What will happen to Mighty Oaks Early Learning Center once the program moves to Pinewood Elementary?
Apr. 23—Answer Man,
What is Mighty Oaks Early Learning school going to be used for when the children are
moved to Pinewood Elementary?
And why does Rochester Public Schools still have the old Skyline School all boarded up — why don't they sell it?
Dear Reader,
I don't know. Really — you're guess is as good as mine. But before you demand I be stripped of the title I hold so dear, let me clarify... nobody else knows either.
"It's probably too early to say," said John Carlson, Rochester Public Schools Chief Administrative Officer. "In the summer, we're going to try to put some clarity to this."
What I do know is that Mighty Oaks Early Learning Center will stay in its current spot for another year and move into the Pinewood building at the start of the 2025-26 year. So, there's time to figure it out.
It will probably result in one of two options: the school district will either sell it or repurpose it. If the school district does decide to get rid of it, a public hearing will be held prior to doing so.
Either way, Carlson said he doubts it will become a school again. After all, it's so far away, it's basically in Iowa.
Apparently, the school dates back to the mid-20th century, which would have been before Rochester Public Schools became the entity it's known as today. In other words, it was a separate school that somewhere along the way got absorbed into the growing blob that is Rochester.
The students who have had the chance to attend the school will one day be able to make the same claim as their parents when it comes to arduous journeys in the name of education.
For generations untold, parents have regaled their children with stories about how, back in their day, they had to walk to school... in the snow... uphill... both ways. Truly, their courage and endurance is commendable and an inspiration to all of us. And — welp — that pretty much is the experience of traveling to Mighty Oaks Early Learning Center, located 5 miles south of Highway 14.
As to your second question, I'll admit that I didn't even know there was a former school named Skyline. I'm told it hasn't even functioned as a school in nearly 50 years. Like the story with Mighty Oaks, Skyline was a separate school that got annexed into Rochester somewhere along the way.
But it's nowhere near usable as a school today. It has no heating. No air conditioning.
Technically speaking, the school district does use the building for some storage needs. But, if we're being honest, it's also easy to just forget about it.
"It's been a long, long time since there's ever been kids in Skyline school," Carlson said. "It's kind of 'out of sight, out of mind.'"
Send questions to Answer Man at
.
