The Hickman Mills C-1 School District has sold its shuttered Truman Elementary building at 9601 James A. Reed Road for $1.4 million to the Islamic Society of Greater Kansas City, a nonprofit that plans to turn the former K-5 campus into a hub for community services including a food pantry and open gym access. The 12.72-acre property, which includes a 49,810-square-foot building, did not require rezoning to change hands.
The sale, reported by FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV, closes the book on a building that sat empty after Truman Elementary shut its doors for the 2026-2027 school year. According to Martin City Telegraph, the deal was brokered by Aaron Mesmer and Christel Highland of Block Real Estate Services through an owner-financed agreement, meaning the district acts as seller-lender and collects recurring revenue from the sale over time rather than a single lump sum.
Superintendent Dennis L. Carpenter, Ed.D., said the sale is a win for both the Hickman Mills community and the district, and noted the property will continue serving an educational purpose. Board member Bonnaye Mims said the agreement can strengthen the district's fund balance while keeping the property serving students and the community. Both officials framed the deal as part of the district's broader restructuring effort, known as Road to a Sustainable Destiny.
A District Squeezed by a $14 Million Deficit
The sale is one piece of a much larger financial turnaround inside Hickman Mills. The district had been facing a $14 million budget deficit, and closing Truman Elementary alone was expected to save nearly $13 million. That closure followed a January 2026 vote by the Hickman Mills Board of Education authorizing up to $9.76 million in spending reductions and position eliminations, according to The Beacon.
The financial strain had built for years under previous district leadership, and the district is currently undergoing a formal audit by the Missouri State Auditor tied to that instability. Former superintendent Yaw Obeng was terminated by the school board in July 2025, and Carpenter is the district's superintendent. The district has undertaken initial deficit-reduction measures, per the same Martin City Telegraph reporting.
Voters Approved Tax-Neutral Relief in April
Hickman Mills voters didn't leave the recovery entirely to cuts and sales. The Beacon reported that proposed April 2026 measures could generate approximately $3 million annually without raising taxes. Those measures were intended to support the district's operating budget.
Hickman Mills remains a Missouri public school district that is not fully accredited by the state. Before it closed, Truman Elementary enrolled roughly 287 students in grades K-5, according to Niche.
Where Truman's Students Landed
Returning Truman students and staff began this school year in the former Ervin Elementary/Alvin Brooks Middle School building. The school board formalized that move in March 2026, officially renaming Alvin Brooks Middle School to Truman Elementary at Ervin as part of a wider facility consolidation plan, The Beacon reported at the time. The shift consolidated middle school grades onto a single unified campus to cut overhead while giving Truman's displaced elementary population a new home.
A Familiar Neighborhood Institution Moves In
The Islamic Society of Greater Kansas City is no newcomer to South Kansas City. Established in the early 1980s, the nonprofit already operates a central mosque and facility at 8501 E. 99th Street that includes an Islamic school and a regional Muslim cemetery, according to Visit KC. The organization established the city's first full-time Islamic school.
With the Truman building now in hand, ISGKC plans to expand its community services by offering open gym access and a food pantry at the site, keeping the 12-acre campus in active educational and civic use rather than sitting vacant.
