Athens school district buys Maple Grove

Schoolhouse comes with 18,000 acres over three parcels

Athens School District on March 1 purchased the Maple Grove Charter School building and its attached three parcels of land in the town of Hamburg, totaling 18,000 acres, for $64,000 from Merrill Area Public School District (MAPS).

The school district also paid MAPS an additional $21,600 to acquire personal property associated with Maple Grove Charter School. Athens School District is now solely responsible for costs associated with the maintenance and upkeep of the Maple Grove Charter School building.

Andrea Sheridan, Athens schools superintendent, said she is excited about the purchase of Maple Grove Charter School and its attached parcels of land because of the 150-year-old school’s rich history.

“The acquisition of Maple Grove School Charter School will allow the Athens School District to continue to operate it in Hamburg, but do so in the ‘Little Red School’—the building with bright red paint, school-bell steeple and wooded surroundings that bring smiles and joyful memories to days gone by,” Sheridan said.

John Sample, MAPS superintendent, said he is proud of the work by his school district’s administration and Merrill Board of Education during the long process of detaching Maple Grove School and its town of Hamburg properties from MAPS to the Athens School District.

“A great deal of work went into evaluating the detachment petitions from both an educational and financial perspective,” Sample said. “I’m proud of that work and I believe the result of relocating the Maple Grove School to the Athens School Dis- trict is a positive one. This closure is the result of thoughtful deliberations and forward thinking—both parties to this transaction maintained a shared vision and a common interest which benefited both school districts. We appreciate the willingness of the Athens School District to work jointly with MAPS on this sale. Now that we have completed all steps of the process, we hope Maple Grove School will still be used in a way that meets the needs of the communities for years to come.”

MAPS attempted to close Maple Grove Charter School but the Maple Grove Governance Board fought in Marathon County Circuit Court to keep the school doors open. The Athens Board of Education agreed to attach the Hamburg sections of land and Maple Grove School in an unanimous vote on Feb. 27, 2021. It next renewed a charter school contract with Maple Grove School.