The County School Board on Thursday night accepted an offer from Calvary Chapel for the reuse of the former Piney Woods Elementary School at 701 Hooker Road.
Proposals had been issued and received by the Hamilton County Real Property Office. They were opened on July 3.
Also vying for the property was the Alton Park Development Corporation.
Calvary Chapel offered to pay $25,000 for the long-vacant property, while the development group just offered to take it over.
Gary Waters, school official, said the county schools would need to pay off some $20,000 currently owed, most of it in stormwater fees.
He said it had cost the schools about $30,000 per year to keep up the building.
Board member George Ricks favored the Alton Park Development Corporation offer. He said the group had been instrumental in guarding the building over the years.
He said he believed the church had "a hidden agenda" for the building.
Other members had concerns about the financial viability of the development group, noting that upkeep, utilities and stormwater fees are costly.
School officials said, "Both proposals appear to be well thought out, with plans that would both improve the site and provide needed services to the Alton Park Community."