West Hempstead board presents $77.9 million 2024–25 budget, warns reserves will be tapped

The West Hempstead Union Free School District presented a $77,899,290 budget for 2024–25 and told residents the district will rely on fund balance to cover year-to-year shortfalls while seeking longer-term relief from rising costs.

At the May 7 budget hearing, Mr Phillips, the district’s budget presenter, said program spending is the largest portion of the consolidated budget and highlighted sharply higher transportation and employee-benefit costs. "Transportation has risen substantially — what was once $3.8 million is now about $9.2 million," he said, and noted medical-insurance costs were projected to increase by more than $1 million for 2024–25.

The presentation set the district’s tax-levy limit at $50,647,344, a 2.34% increase under the state formula. Administration said that, using the state formula and April figures, West Hempstead sits roughly in the middle of Nassau County districts on levy change. Officials cautioned that if expenditures exceed revenues the district will operate at a deficit and that the district has used reserves in prior years to cover gaps.

Board members pressed administration about the district’s fund balance and multi-year planning. A member cited the June 2023 audited balance of about $15.7 million and noted the adopted budgets project roughly $3.8 million in reserve use this year and $5.3 million next year. "We're using almost 60% of that balance if projections hold," the board member said, asking for a plan to rebuild reserves.

Administrators said they are exploring additional revenue sources and discussed ongoing conversations with state legislators about increasing transportation aid. They also said some reserve-account flexibility is being discussed at the state level but offered no firm new revenue measures at the hearing.

The budget session also addressed charter-school tuition outflows and student recruitment. A board member cited charter-related costs of about $568,000 and asked what the district can do to encourage families to enroll locally. Administrators said the district conducts outreach and tours and tries to correct misinformation, but acknowledged some families make private or religious choices that are outside district control.

On state aid, an administrator clarified that the district received about $177,000 less than the January governor’s budget estimate used when producing the April adopted budget. "Due to the lateness of the state budget, the district used the most accurate January numbers at the time," the presenter said, and explained the final state budget reduced that estimate by approximately $177,000.

Officials repeatedly urged residents to consult the district’s official budget web page for authoritative figures and reminded voters of the budget vote on May 21 at the secondary school north gym from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The meeting closed with routine procedural business; the board moved grouped docket items and approved them without a roll-call tally recorded in the public transcript. The board adjourned the public session and moved to an executive session.