Deer Park School District

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District in Negotiations for Washington School Land Sale

Would Monetize a Building No Longer Used As a School, Return Property to the Tax Rolls and Bring Significant Tax Receipts to Town, District

The Deer Park School District is in negotiation to complete a land sale that would generate significant revenue for both the district and community. The potential sale of the Washington building and property, which has not been a conventional Deer Park School for 25 years, has plans to be developed into senior living housing by the Engel Burman Group of Garden City.

Superintendent Eva J. Demyen, who has spearheaded this effort, said, “The value of this potential transaction carries multiple financial benefits for both the school district and Deer Park community. Due to budgetary constraints, we have made a concerted effort to look inward to support our district without disrupting students’ educational experience. We live in an era of declining revenue, declining enrollment and increased mandated costs. What we plan to propose is an effective strategy to provide a sound financial future for our students and residents.”

Over the past two years the Building Utilization Committee, comprised of community members, board of education members, administrators and professionals have completed extensive studies to analyze the usage of three district buildings: Washington, Memorial and Abraham Lincoln. None of these buildings provide K-12 instruction to Deer Park students. Each of the properties were appraised by a certified firm and evaluated by the district’s architect, with the final recommendation to sell Washington.

The Washington School costs the district more than $150,000 per year to maintain and has not been used to house Deer Park student instruction for approximately 25 years. In its current state, the building is used for town and county programs and district enrichment activities. District-run programs will be relocated in other district schools and administrators will work with outside agencies to assist in relocating their programs.

“We will work closely with the Engel Burman Group to ensure that this project provides community benefit beyond the tax revenue that will be generated,” said Superintendent Demyen. “We look forward to working as a great partner with the firm, along with representatives from the Town of Babylon and the Deer Park community.”

Any action the district takes will require community approval through a special referendum and voter approval. If the parties move forward, the community will be well informed and encouraged to participate in open forum discussions on this topic in the coming months.