The Wantagh School District’s Board of Education has approved the sale of its Beech Street property, selling it to Uniondale-based Brah Property Owners Inc for over $1 million.
The board of education approved the $1.1 million sale with a contract signed on Feb. 3, with all but $55,000 being sent to the district via a wire transfer, according to district documents.
The 121-year-old building, located at 1865 Beech St., was most recently leased to Wee Friends Nursery for use as a preschool and summer day camp, according to the district.
Since the lease ended in August 2024, the building has remained vacant and requires significant, costly repairs.
The district said the buyer plans to build two homes on the property after the sale is completed. The district said it plans to include a referendum in the May 19 budget vote to secure community approval for the sale.
The board held a planning session on June 17, 2025, to discuss options for the district’s use of the property.
A presentation from the meeting said the sale would generate a one-time revenue that could be used to offset some of the district’s current capital projects.
Other discussed options included repairing and renovating the building in its existing form and continuing to lease the property as a daycare facility, or renovating the building, bringing it up to code and using it to house additional classes for the district’s universal pre-kindergarten program.
The district said many aspects of the property needed to be addressed, regardless of its decision.
The district said that once a buyer is found and all legal and contractual requirements are met, it will hold a public referendum for Wantagh residents to vote on the sale.
According to the NY Heritage, the property originally housed a school building constructed in 1904 to serve early Wantagh students. Five years later, that building was replaced with a larger elementary school, which remained in use until 1958.
The building was then used as a district administration office until 1982.
The district said that in 1979, the back half of the property was sold to Terra Homes for $36,000 and two homes were constructed on Plymouth Road. The current property measures 2,463 square feet.
