Alternative High School to Launch at North Country Administration Building

When the Three Village Academy – an alternative high school program – launches in the fall, it will be located at the North Country Administrative Center on Suffolk Avenue in Stony Brook rather than at the empty administration building on Nicolls Road.

School officials said Monday that the Nicolls Road facility was not intended for student occupancy when it was originally built, so the costs of outfitting the building for instructional use were much higher than anticipated.

"It's going to save a lot of money by having the program here instead," Jeff Carlson, assistant superintendent for business services, said of the new location.

The building at 200 Nicolls Road, formerly the main offices of the district, has been on the market available for lease since the spring of 2011, but Carlson said there hasn't been much interest from potential tenants.

The North Country Administrative Center, meanwhile, was previously used as a school at one point, both as a Three Village elementary school and more recently as a BOCES school, up until BOCES vacated the space in June of 2008. Its primary use is the district's main offices, though facilities such as classrooms and a gymnasium remain ready to be used by students.

The Three Village Academy, the formation of which was announced at the end of May, will house approximately 20 students and has the capacity to take in students from outside districts on a tuition-based system. The Academy replaces the P.M. school and FOCUS programs that previously served students with alternate education needs.

Carlson said not only will the district save money by hosting the Academy at North Country, but it will also save money on instructional services. The Academy will rely on between five and six full-time equivalent positions, with teachers in each subject area spending time in its classrooms already as part of their contracts. One clerical position will be created for the program. In addition, Gelinas principal Gus Hueber has been tapped to head the Three Village Academy, while an interim principal will be put in place at Gelinas.

"We're going to save ... the cost of sending those kids out-of-district," Carlson said. "It's going to cost us a lot less to do it here, during the regular school day."