The property at 299 Knightsbridge Drive is owned by the Hamilton Metropolitan Housing Authority.
While the Richard Allen Academy has the right to match the bid for the purchase according to its lease, it will not do so, according to Principal Aleta Benson.
“We have already done a lot of work on the building and did not feel like we could put anymore into it in addition to the amount that was asked,” she said.
“We’re in the process of trying to secure a new building. I’m sure they’d allow us to stay through the end of the school year.”
Named for the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church — the first independent black denomination in the U.S. in 1816 — and early activist for equality in the schools, the Richard Allen Academy began operating in Hamilton in 2003, the offshoot of three Dayton area campuses.
Benson said the school, which currently serves around 180 children in kindergarten through sixth grade, offers smaller classes and “a family feel” designed to teach children who “weren’t being reached in a traditional system.”
“We would like to stay in the same area and capture the same group of students that we have,” she said. “We’ve scouted around various places, but we don’t have any specific property in mind yet.”
According to Miami’s Dean of Regional Campuses Michael Pratt, the proposed purchase is part of the Hamilton Campus’ plan to better accommodate its near-capacity enrollment.
“Our enrollment has driven us to expand parking on the Hamilton campus and placed a strain on classroom and lab capacity at peak enrollment hours,” he said. “Acquiring this building will give us additional space and the ability to redevelop some existing areas.”
“That’s a logical expansion for us, a building that’s in good shape. It may lead to some changes on other parts of the campus,” Pratt said. “We know we’re not finished yet.”
In 2006, Miami Hamilton had 1,923 full-time students enrollment. A total 2,492 students took classes at the branch campus that year. Last school year, the branch had 3,680 students registered, according to Miami spokeswoman Claire Wagner.
Meagan Engle contributed to this report.
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