Hebrew Academy of Long Beach negotiating to buy Number Six School

The Lawrence School District Board of Education voted at Monday’s meeting to sell the vacant Number Six School to the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, pending ongoing negotiations for what trustees said would add millions in value to the potential transaction.
HALB is expected to pay $8.5 million in cash, and another $2.7 million that would be held by the district as a guarantee that Lawrence will realize more than $565,000 in annual savings on what the district now spends on transportation and special education for HALB students.
A large majority of students who attend HALB in Long Beach are from the Five Towns, and as a result, according to Trustee Murray Forman, at least six fewer buses would be used to transport students there. If the sale is finalized, the district also expects to save more than $300,000 in what it pays the Long Beach School District to provide special education services to students who would now be in-district. HALB would relocate to the former Number Six School.
“The resolution recognized [Monday night] is providing the highest and best value by a significant margin,” Forman said.
More than 90 percent of HALB’s incoming students live in the Woodmere area. For that reason, as well as the benefits of the superior facilities, HALB President Lance Hirt said the purchase makes “a lot of sense for us.” Hirt explained that HALB is extremely sensitive to the community’s interests and is focused on preserving the open spaces, playgrounds and fields. According to Hirt, the Hebrew Academy would be responsible for all costs associated with remediation and renovation of the Number Six School campus.