The Hempstead School District issued a plea to the state Thursday for financial relief to avoid program cuts in the face of a deficit that could exceed $30 million for the 2025-26 school year.
“We are in a financial crisis,” Hempstead School District Board of Education President Victor Pratt said at a press conference.
District officials said the potential deficit is mainly caused by a hotly debated subject in New York State: charter schools.
Charter school supporters have touted their flexibility and innovation, while critics point out issues related to funding, particularly in districts with many students classified as English language learners.
Hempstead certainly fits that category. State statistics show that in the 2023-2024 school year, 45% of the school’s population – 2,594—were English language learners.
School districts are required to pay tuition for each student attending a charter school, but payments vary widely between districts due to differences in how per-pupil funding is calculated. Enrollment is also not based on geography.
Hempstead’s payment is $26,196 per student this year and is expected to rise to $28,486 next year, according to the district budget. Nearby Freeport must only pay $18,000 per student.
Pratt said four local charter schools have removed 3,151 Hempstead-zoned students from the district’s public school system for the 2024-25 school year.
A fifth charter school, Diamond Charter School, will open for the 2026-27 academic year in Hempstead Village and will accept 162 students for its first year before eventually expanding to 486 students, according to the SUNY Board of Trustees.
It seems hard to believe that the state did not know the consequences of approving five charter schools in Hempstead and the exodus that followed.
This raises the question of what the state planned for the district and all the students left behind. Unless they didn’t have a plan, which would be grossly negligent. The state Legislature should immediately review the charter approval process to determine if that is true.
Critics have argued that charter schools would undermine public education in precisely this way.
Charter schools often offer a better alternative to bad or failing public schools.
This is undoubtedly the reason there are so many charter schools in Hempstead. Parents want what’s best for their children, something Nassau County residents understand well. That’s why they are willing to pay high property taxes – the largest source of revenue for school districts.
Hempstead schools fit the description of an area ripe for parents to look for an alternative.
As of recent evaluations, the district is ranked 807th out of 865 school districts in New York State; only about 21% of students in the district achieve proficiency in mathematics and 32% in reading, and the district’s graduation rate stands at 78%, which is below the state average.
The district has made progress in recent years. Two schools have seen graduation rates increase from below 40% to 86%. and Hempstead High School and Alverta B. Gray Schultz Middle School have been removed from the state Education Department’s list of underperforming schools, reflecting positive developments.
But a $30 million deficit will make it difficult for the district to sustain the improvements, raising the question of what happens to the 5,700 students still attending Hempstead schools – almost 1,000 fewer than 10 years ago.
The district’s projected budget of $348,369,676, a 6.01% increase from the 2024-25 academic year, includes Nasasu County’s highest state aid figure, $239,749,576, suggested in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s January proposed budget .
But that total is just a $4 million increase in state aid over 2024-2025.
Hempstead Superintendent Susan Johnson said the district has looked for various ways to cut costs for the 2025-2526 school year, including closing one of the district’s five elementary schools.
The superintendent said this will result in up to 15 teachers and nine administrators losing their jobs. Johnson also said further cuts to staff, salaries, special services, field trips and supplies have all been discussed.
The district also has some reserves to help cover part of the loss.
But not enough to bridge a $30 million gap.
The state bears responsibility for Hempstead’s dilemma by granting approval to five charter schools—no matter the good intentions. They should find a way to help the Hempstead School District deal with the impact of their approvals.
Charter schools can play an important role in ensuring that all of New York’s children are receiving a good education.
But it needs to be done right.
If the state wants to continue to approve new charter schools, it needs to address the downside now faced by districts like Hempstead.
