Raychel Brightman

Back in 2021, two schools from the district closed down, leading to big changes in the way the Northport school district works.

Back in 2021, two schools from the district closed down, leading to big changes in the way the Northport school district works. The closure of Bellerose Avenue Elementary School and Dickinson Avenue Elementary School led to 5th graders going to the middle schools, not the elementary schools as it was in the past. Also, it posed an important question: what should we do with the vacant school buildings?

First District Board Meeting

The first district board meeting held to discuss this prevalent issue was on Sep 21, 2023, at the William Brosnan Building. Unfortunately, the meeting was cut short due to the angry audience. Before the meeting ended, the superintendent, Mr. Robert Banzer, was able to share a slide titled “Significant Events”. 

This slide shows the timeline from 2020 to the present day. First, he spoke about the 2020 agreement between LIPA (Long Island Power Authority) and the Town of Huntington. This partially decreased some of the school district’s funding and increased property taxes for people who live in Northport. This agreement will go into effect slowly to lessen the burden on both parties, which is called the “Glide Plan.”

Mr. Banzer then moved to the enrollment issues of 2021, leading to the closure of Dickinson Avenue and Bellerose Avenue elementary schools. 

Between the LIPA Glide Path settlement and the enrollment issue, Mr. Banzer said that it’s important to think about the school district’s finances going forward. He also said that the district sent a request to Newmark Realty to assess and market the three schools (Dickinson, Bellerose, and the Brosnan Building). Potential buyers were already rolling in, with the district getting a whopping twelve offers.

Community Outrage

The board meeting was in the cafeteria of the Brosnan Building and was packed beyond belief. Dr. Larry Licopoli, the School Board President, attempted to maintain order as Mr. Banzer presented the “Significant Events” slide. However, Mr. Banzer delved into projections of declining enrollment, citing the decline from 6000 students in 2012 to 4500 students in 2022. He then stated the projected enrollment numbers for 2032, which were extremely low, and the audience erupted, questioning the validity of the numbers.

They were unable to control the audience as the audience raised concerns about the broadcast, the availability of the presentation, and the notice period for the meeting. The situation escalated to the point where Dr. Licopoli had no option but to call a 10-minute recess.

The audience was outraged and confused by this movement because they just wanted a reschedule. The confusion turned to anger and they started threatening the district officials. Ten minutes later, the officials came out with law enforcement claiming that they had received threats from the audience and that the meeting would have to be rescheduled to a later date with a better venue.

Pros and Cons of Selling the School Buildings

On one hand, the idea of selling and leasing the buildings is a great idea financially for the district and for the settlement with LIPA in the future. The profit could also be used for funding school field trips, building improvements, and maintenance, which would help the school district as a whole. 

The problem that I see and that the public sees is that the companies and people that are trying to buy the school buildings are planning to build more apartments to add to the already crowded Northport. The community and I believe that Northport should not be another New York City with crowded communities and huge apartments that could potentially crowd the streets with more people. A sign held by a community member at the September 21 board meeting read, “DON’T MAKE NORTHPORT NYC,” symbolizing the sentiment of many in our town.

Rescheduled Meeting and Responses

The rescheduled board meeting was on Oct 5, 2023, and it was held in the auditorium at Northport High School, where the responses for the three school buildings were announced. Thankfully, there was no unrest in the crowd but there were 12 offers across all 3 buildings, 4 offers per building. 

• Bellerose Avenue: The initial response subject to voter referendum entails 200 units with a floor of 140 units. Price estimates range from $3.5 million to $16 million. After the proposed project is completed, there will be two-story condos for sale that will be about the same height as a single-family home. 

The obstacles that I think could arise if the construction/renovation occurs is the absence of the playground, skatepark, and soccer fields. If people vote in favor of the construction/renovation, I fear that they would tear up the playground, soccer field, and skatepark in order to complete the construction/renovation of the school, which might have a negative impact on the community.

• Dickinson Avenue School: Four responses were received, with two following up on their initial offers. Price estimates range from $5.8 million to $9.6 million. The first response suggests developing single-family homes on the property, offering potential benefits with minimal drawbacks given the school’s location within a residential zone.

There aren’t that many cons to having the construction of the family homes at Dickinson due to the fact that Dickinson is already inside of a residential zone. This means that the homes built at Dickinson would fit in with the neighborhood to create a cohesive look.

I do not fear the deconstruction of the playgrounds as much, since the playgrounds were part of the school whereas Bellerose’s playground is an actual funded playground as opposed to being school property. The construction will also be done by a well-respected company that has worked on numerous projects all across Long Island.

• Brosnan Building/District Office: Four responses were received, with two following up on their initial offers. Price estimates range from $2.5 million to $8 million. One response suggests constructing luxury clustered townhouse rentals, which may offer benefits but also raise questions about the impact on existing community infrastructure. The company would really like to keep the building intact and if their proposal is reaffirmed by a community vote, they would like to relocate the Northport Village Hall and the Northport Police Station into a portion of the Brosnan Building and use the rest for specialized education. If the offers for that are not approved, they will repurpose the building into the 55-and-over luxury rental apartments.

There are many good things that could come with relocating the police station and the village hall to a bigger area, but where would the suspended students of Northport High School go? The problem with repurposing the building into affordable luxury apartments is that Northport would be a lot more crowded. 

Community Impact

Based on the community’s initial reaction to the declining enrollment and the complete outrage of the public during the first board meeting, it is highly unlikely that any of these schools will be sold in the immediate future. The community’s concern for maintaining Northport’s unique character is evident. However, the financial stability of the school district and Northport may require at least one building to be sold to mitigate the effects of the LIPA agreement. 

The building that I think is the best candidate for repurposing is Dickinson, because not only is it inside a residential zone, it won’t completely crowd the main roads of the village. So for the good of the school district’s economy, the building that we should try to sell as fast as possible is Dickinson Avenue School. The selling will hopefully cover the LIPA costs and the settlement will be resolved by the intended school year of 2026-2027.

In conclusion, the sale of these schools is a complex issue that must balance financial needs and the preservation of Northport’s identity. The future of these vacant buildings will continue to be a topic of debate and discussion within our community for the foreseeable future.