Critics accuse the Cleveland (Ohio) Metropolitan Schools District of circumventing a law requiring that vacated school buildings be offered for sale to charter schools.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the district maintains that it is following the law, which gives districts two years to decide what to do with shuttered campuses.

But people like Cleveland Councilman Mike Polensek say the district’s delays will cause the buildings to crumble and decay and become a blight on neighborhoods.

The school district decided in December to close 23 buildings and operate 29 fewer schools in response to declining enrollments.

State lawmakers and Polensek say the district has denied a charter school operator the opportunity to potentially bid on unused buildings on the East Side of the city.

In late May, as the school year ended and the 23 buildings were closing, the district announced that it was seeking input from developers to repurpose 12 buildings.

Polensek said he believes the district is trying to maneuver around the state law. And he’s concerned that the buildings will deteriorate, hurting the neighborhood, which has already suffered from what Polensek describes as a disproportionate closure of schools.

District spokesman Jon Benedict said it is following Ohio’s school disposition law, which allows districts two years to decide what to do with buildings that are unused.

“During this period, we are exploring options in coordination with the city,” he said. “No decisions have been made regarding selling, sale-leaseback arrangements, or retention. That will come later in the process.”

Ohio’s school facility disposition law requires districts to entertain offers on unused buildings from high-performing charter schools in the district boundaries.

The state provides a list each year of the schools that make the high-performing list, based on various metrics in the Ohio School Report Cards.

The law states the charter school must buy the building for the appraised fair market value. If more than one high-performing charter school makes an offer, then the building is auctioned.

In addition to building sales, the law also allows charter schools to lease unused buildings from districts.