The Real Estate Report: A School District Roundtable

On Tuesday, Babylon Interim Superintendent Peter Daly hosted the district's first real estate roundtable discussion, inviting local agents to the high school for a discussion about Babylon schools. Daly told the agents that he wanted to open lines of communication between school administrators and the real estate community, and counteract what he said were circulating rumors, including reports that agents told residents that "people aren't moving to Babylon Village because of the school district."

Eight agents from the village and surrounding areas attended the morning meeting in the Babylon High School library, along with building principals and program directors. The district prepared informational packets with a letter to prospective home buyers and data on the schools that agents can distribute.

Agents relayed questions they've heard from potential buyers, including concerns about new students integrating into classes, diversity, accommodations for special needs students, and the range of programs available. Village real estate agency owner Georgia Westcott noted that this generation of home buyers is extremely focused on education, and that the roundtable discussion equipped the agents with the information they needed to intelligently discuss the local schools.

Al Cirone, the high school principal, explained that although Babylon's size is unusual this far west in Suffolk County, advances in technology allow the district to offer advanced courses through 

"Membership has its privileges," Cirone commented. "We are as close to a private school, with teachers knowing the students individually, as you can get in a public school."

Superintendent Daly also stressed that the small size of the district affords students the chance to participate in a range of extracurricular activities, and to be involved, whether in sports, music, or other areas.