Is The Sale Of Jerusalem Avenue Jr. High School A Good Idea?

To the Bellmore-Merrick Community,

I am writing to you in regard to the proposed sale of Jerusalem Avenue Junior High School by the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District (B.M.C.H.S.D.). The vote for this proposal takes place on December 5th. Given how important this issue is this is a terrible time to have a vote. People are very busy this time of year and voter turnout is likely to be very low. The vote should be held in May along with the budget vote and school board elections. The public is voting on two things, whether to sell the property and whether or to sell it to BOCES.

In my judgment the sale of this asset is greatly short sided and NOT in the best interest of the community. The Bellmore-Merrick School District superintendent says the sale will be mutually beneficial to B.O.C.E.S. and the community. B.O.C.E.S. definitely. The community, I don’t see it. Right now Jerusalem Avenue Jr. High provides us with a recurring revenue stream, and will do so for years to come. Sacrificing that recurring revenue stream for a one shot payment is usually NOT a great idea unless the one shot payment is overwhelmingly large. This is NOT the case here. The Bellmore-Merrick community may be getting paid the market value for the building and land but they are NOT being compensated for the revenue they will lose from no longer being able to lease either. At the current lease rate of $1,300,000 per year for the building, that comes to $52,000,000 in lost revenue over the next 40 years, and that does not include annual increases in the lease rate due to inflation and increases in the cost of living. We also lose additional revenue from not being able lease the surrounding land to the Strawberry Festival and other groups who make use of that property. All of those revenues will now go to B.O.C.E.S. instead of the school district. If we are selling anything to B.O.C.E.S. it should just be the building and the parking lots and NOT the immediate surrounding land. That should remain with the district.

The district will retain ownership of the main athletic field and track. I am very pleased with that, however, to my knowledge the athletic field and track does not yield any income.

The proposed sale at $12,000,000 amounts to 9 years worth of rent. The district would use the money to minimize tax increases and to fund future appropriations. Yes, for the next 9 years. After the sale we get no rent, forever. So after 9 years we will have exhausted those resources and we won’t be able to minimize or fund future anything without finding an alternative revenue stream.

Any necessary upgrades to infrastructure can be bonded for over time.

The district claims that the current and projected enrollment is stable, with no foreseeable increases in student population. How far into the future did they look and what did they base their projections on. The district said if there is a spike in population then those students could be located to Brookside Junior High School, which is currently used to house the districts administrative offices. If the administrative offices have to be relocated, where would they be relocated to and what would the annual costs be to the community.

B.O.C.E.S. is a good tenant and I also value them as an educational partner in our community. While I would hate to see them go, there are other tenants out there who would lease this property and perhaps for money than we are getting now.

The contract for the sale of the property should include a clause that if B.O.C.E.S. should decide to sell the property that they can only sell it back to the B.M.C.H.S.D. At the very least the B.M.C.H.S.D. should have first right of refusal on any proposed sale.

Additionally, should B.O.C.E.S. ever sell the property the community will have absolutely NO SAY in that sale. The total impact of that sale will fall squarely on the North Bellmore Community and the North Bellmore School District.

Sincerely,

Stu Weinstein