School Department to transfer O’Keefe School to city

LYNN – The O’Keefe School on Franklin Street has served students for more than eight decades, but a decision by the School Committee Wednesday night will mark the end of the road for the building, at least when it comes to education.
The School Committee unanimously approved a recommendation by Superintendent Nicholas Kostan Wednesday, handing over control of the now vacant building to the city.
Most recently, the O’Keefe was home to the city’s Welcoming Elementary School, an alternative program for students with behavioral problems and learning disabilities.
But when the Washington Community School closed in June due to budget cuts, the decision was made to move the Welcoming Elementary across town to that building, along with SPED programs from St. Stephen’s Church, in an effort to provide the special education students with a larger, more up-to-date educational space.
Kostan did not make any plans for the O’Keefe School at the time, and it has sat vacant since teachers emptied out their classrooms during the move this summer.
Located at 176 Franklin St., the O’Keefe School was built in 1921, serving as a neighborhood elementary school and more recently, a home for alternative programs. Many of the district’s principals and veteran teachers got their start teaching there as well.
Kostan told the committee that he and his staff have toured the building recently, and determined that the renovations needed to bring the old building back up to code are well beyond the department’s financial capacity.
In addition, the school’s location, nestled in between banks and businesses on a narrow connecting portion of Franklin Street is not conducive to the traffic and commotion that typically surrounds a school.
“That building is in a state where we just don’t feel it is adequate to house programs at this time,” Kostan said. “It is old, run down and in need of major, major capital repairs. It no longer provides adequate space and it just isn’t worth it to the School Department to go through all of the necessary renovations.
“It has seen better days, it is just time to move on and we are probably just better off letting the building go.”
The School Department will now sign the building over to the city, which will then make a decision on the future of the tiny two-floor structure.