The school board will be seeking permission from the Ministry of Education to sell 11 houses and duplexes that it owns on the islands.The houses are located in Masset, Port Clements, Queen Charlotte and Sandspit and for many years were rented out to provide accommodation for teachers or other district staff. Now, they are starting to require expensive upkeep."The houses have fallen into disrepair and it's costing us a lot of money to fix them," said secretary-treasurer Ken Campbell. "We just don't have the staff, and we don't think our staff should be real estate managers."Mr. Campbell said Ministry permission is required before any district property can be sold. If that is obtained, the district will likely sell the houses to the highest bidder, through a sealed bid process, after advertising the opportunity locally.The approval process takes quite a while, he said, and the board may want to sell the houses one at a time rather than all at once.There is one district-owned house in Port Clements that can't be sold, Mr. Campbell said, because the property was a crown grant.The board has already received permission from the Ministry of Education to sell its 12-unit apartment building in Masset. Mr. Campbell said the building will likely be advertised soon.Copyright Haida Gwaii Observer 2011