Bay shore address, west islip schools (Union, Baywood: house, transfer, neighborhood)

[ocabrera7]

Just wondering if anyone has had this type of scenario. Can the school line or designation change?? There is at least one other street that is west/east, whichever way you see it that is still in west islip district. I am just wondering how everyone feels about having an address for town X and schools in town Y. Can the town just suddenly change you over and change your school designation to the lesser desirable district? I am considering a nice house that is on the border but has the better schools, that is why I ask.....any help is welcome.

[7CatMom]

District lines are set in stone, the town has nothing to do with it. There are many places on LI where the town and the district are not one and the same or crossover. You'd better be sure by asking the neighbors on all sides of your home where their kids go to school, realtors sometimes make assumptions and don't always know. Also, within a district, sometimes the attendance zones get switched to accomodate the population, so what you think might be your elementary school for example, may not be! Call the district clerk or transportation department.

The only way around it is legally - you'd have to be right on the border with a nice neighbor who would allow you to buy at least a square foot of their property in the other district. Then you'd have to appeal to the school board to allow you switch districts, even though your house is actually in their boundaries. You'd have to pay whatever taxes are still owed in the original place and then the taxes in the new place - or they might transfer a pro-rated portion from one to the other.

[ocabrera7]

Thanks for that, the property I am looking at is bay shore address with west islip schools and as far as I know has been that was for a long time. There is a block further east than the block I am considering that is also WI. I am just wondering if I should avoid it. Yes, the area is OK looking, schools are better. I am just wondering what are the chances that after I buy lines are redrawn and then I get screwed. I feel it is unlikely but I am asking for opinions. Taxes are under 10K so that makes it desirable.

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by ocabrera7

Just wondering if anyone has had this type of scenario. Can the school line or designation change?? There is at least one other street that is west/east, whichever way you see it that is still in west islip district.

The school district border can only change by an act of the state legislature after an affirmative vote by both school districts.

As you can well imagine, this is so rare as to be almost non-existent.

On the other hand, school attendance zones within school districts can be changed by a majority vote of that district's school board.

Originally Posted by ocabrera7

I am just wondering how everyone feels about having an address for town X and schools in town Y.

The community named in a place's mailing address is the postal city/postal town where that place is located and that is not necessarily the name of the city, village or hamlet where that place is actually located.

On LI, You Ain't Where You Think You Are, rev. 2 may help you understand the great geographic confusions caused by non-conforming ZIP Code postal zones.

Secondly, generally speaking, school districts do not conform to the borders of the city, village or hamlet whose name they "share".

Originally Posted by ocabrera7

Can the town just suddenly change you over and change your school designation to the lesser desirable district?

As explained above, no.

Originally Posted by ocabrera7

I am considering a nice house that is on the border but has the better schools, that is why I ask.....any help is welcome.

You can find out in which community (city, village or CDP) that house is actually located, which is oftentimes different from the community named in that house's mailing address, by using the Census Bureau's online address search function. (CDP, or Census Designated Place, is the Census Bureau equivalent for a hamlet in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.)

And, very importantly, among other things, the Census Bureau's online address search function also indicates in which school district an address is located.

[Walter Greenspan]

ocabrera7, there are places in the Hamlet of West Islip with a "Bay Shore, NY 11706" mailing address.

A map of the Hamlet of West Islip in the Town of Islip, Suffolk County:


The Hamlet of West Islip has a different border than does the "West Islip, NY 11795" ZIP Code postal zone (i.e., a place can have a "West Islip, NY 11795" mailing address and not be in the Hamlet of West Islip and a place can have other than a "West Islip, NY 11795" mailing address and be in the Hamlet of West Islip): places that have a "West Islip, NY 11795" mailing address that are not in the Hamlet of West Islip are in the Hamlet of West Bay Shore and the Hamlet of Baywood; and at the same time, there are places in the Hamlet of West Islip with a "Bay Shore, NY 11706" mailing address.

[Walter Greenspan]

Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the West Islip Union Free School District includes all or part of the Hamlet of West Islip and the Hamlet of West Bay Shore.

A map of the West Islip Union Free School District:

[dman72]

For native Long Islanders it's all about school district. I think I know the exact house you are talking about on the MLS.

What you do have to realize is that people who are not from around here who don't understand the school district situation will most likely never see your house on realtor.com, so your resale value will never be what it could if your mailing address was West Islip. If you don't care about resale, than it's a good move.

[ocabrera7]

thx dman....u make a good point, though if during resale you have a competent realtor (??/) then maybe you can get the right people in the house to begin with. My issue with it is the neighborhood does not have a great feel to it. That is where resale will hurt.

[ocabrera7]

anyone live in bay shore address with WI schools? comments?

[Hvalencia]

Did you end up buying this property? I may be in the same situation so I am curious on your experience.