Leases for Bellerose Avenue and Dickinson Avenue elementary schools secured
A lease for Bellerose Avenue Elementary School, by Variety Child Learning Center, is an item on the BOE's August 22 business agenda.
We rely on your support to share good news!
Become a supporting member today.
Update: The leases for both Bellerose Avenue Elementary School and Dickinson Avenue Elementary School were approved to move forward at the August 22 board of education meeting. A more detailed update on that meeting will be published by the Journal early next week.
Items on tomorrow night’s board of education business agenda include the authorization to lease Bellerose Avenue Elementary School to Variety Child Learning Center (VCLC) and Dickinson Avenue Elementary School to Western Suffolk BOCES. Bellerose and Dickinson have been unoccupied by students since August 2021, four months after the Northport-East Northport Board of Education (BOE) voted 5-2 in favor of a plan that closed both elementary schools and reorganized the district into a K-4, 5-8 and 9-12 model.
Variety Child Learning Center is a not-for-profit school founded in 1966 by Judith Simon Bloch and chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. Bloch began the school based on three principles: early identification, early intervention and parent involvement. “More than 50 years later, these remain the cornerstones of Variety’s programs,” reads the center’s website.
The school provides programs and services for young children, ages birth to eight, with learning, language, social, and behavior challenges and support services for their families. It currently has a campus in Syosset and multiple campuses in Levittown. Programs include preschool special education classes; school-age special education classes; Spanish bilingual Support; Universal Pre-K; and more.
According to the August 22 agenda, Variety Child Learning Center is seeking a 10-year-lease, beginning on or about July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2035. If the resolution to lease Bellerose is approved, district counsel will begin preparing a written lease agreement.
The lease for Bellerose was secured through Newmark, school district officials told the Journal. The current contract with Newmark states that the group is entitled to a 7% commission on leases for the first 36 months of the lease term and 3% thereafter for the duration of the lease term.
The agenda also includes a resolution to authorize the lease of a portion of Dickinson Avenue Elementary School to Western Suffolk BOCES for the operation of educational programs during the period on or about October 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. The district confirmed that the leased portion of the school is not currently needed for district purposes.
Western Suffolk BOCES is one of three BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) on Long Island and provides services for districts within Babylon, Huntington and Smithtown, helping school-age children and adults gain workplace skills and knowledge. BOCES programs are offered through three main divisions: special education; career and technical education; and instructional support services.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Dave Moyer said at the July 11 BOE meeting that a number of educational entities had toured Bellerose and Dickinson, leads brought in by the district’s brokerage firm, Newmark Realty, though he wasn’t able to share at that time any specifics on the potential lessees. More information on the leases will be shared in a statement by Dr. Moyer at tomorrow’s BOE meeting, district officials said.
The August 22 BOE meeting will take place at 7pm at the Brosnan building in Northport Village. It can also be viewed via Zoom here.
