Plans to discuss contract with school district’s real estate firm at upcoming BOE meeting

The Northport-East Northport school district’s contract with realty firm Newmark, hired in November 2022 first to represent the school district in the potential sale or lease of three school buildings, and more recently in just their lease, was set to expire on June 30. 

The contract, amended in January 2024, no longer includes services for the sale of any district building, but keeps lease procurement on the table. According to the amended contract, Newmark has, for the past six months, only the right to “negotiate for and to procure a lease of all or portions of the properties.” School officials have said at past meetings that Dickinson Avenue Elementary School and Bellerose Avenue Elementary School are the focus for any lease prospects, as the William J. Brosnan building is already occupied to near capacity. 

At the most recent board of education meeting, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Dave Moyer said the board is considering its options regarding the Newmark contract and, Moyer confirmed with the Journal in an email this week, is expected to discuss whether or not to extend the contract at its July 11 board meeting. 

The upcoming BOE meeting will see the swearing in of newly elected board member Michael Cleary, who won the seat vacated by Trustee Victoria Buscareno. There will also be a vote by board members to approve a BOE president and new vice president, roles held this past year by Larry Licopoli and Buscareno, respectively. 

Moyer did allude at the June 20 meeting to activity regarding potential tenants for the Bellerose Avenue and Dickinson Avenue elementary schools, but was not able to elaborate when asked by the Journal for a more detailed explanation. “Newmark has generated prospects and we are working through negotiations/processes to try to see if there is a viable tenant for both of those buildings,” Moyer said on June 20. 

“The specifics regarding negotiations are not released publicly, but Dr. Moyer’s statement is an accurate assessment of the current situation,” district officials told the Journal.   

After a presentation of proposals from Newmark on October 5, 2023, at which community members showed their opposition to selling the properties, the board made the decision to first “pause” all actions related to the process, and then review and ultimately revise the district’s contract with the firm.

Amendments to the contract can be found here. 

The contract states that Newmark will still be 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. If Newmark works with an outside broker to procure a lease agreement, the two agencies will share the commission on a 50/50 basis.

Under the amended contract, Newmark will not be entitled to any commission on leases that are entered into by the school district and any federal, state, or local governments, municipal corporations, political subdivisions or “any agencies or departments thereof, including but not limited to school district, boards of cooperative educational services, or fire districts.”

At the June 20 meeting, Moyer reiterated that the sale of the buildings has been off the table for months. Trustee Donna McNaughton reminded audience members that, unlike a sale, any potential lease would be approved by the board and would not require a public referendum. 

“If there is a period of time where we’re having some challenges about repurposing the buildings or finding tenants, we would need to collect information about where the community stands on that issue – and that hasn’t transpired,” Moyer said. “That would be the next step if there were some reconsiderations about potentially selling those buildings.”

The BOE will meet next on Thursday, July 11 in the Brosnan building cafeteria at 7pm.