Hewlett-Woodmere School District could see an increase in state aid

We are very happy with this year’s state aid allotment.”

Marie Donnelly, assistant superintendent for finance and personnel, Hewlett-Woodmere School District

The Hewlett-Woodmere School District could see an increase of 23 percent in state aid if the total amount proposed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in her executive budget meets the approval of both houses of the State Legislature.

Hochul’s $227 billion budget includes a record $34.5 billion for schools across the state. The deadline for the state to approve its budget is April 1.

“We are very happy with this year’s state aid allotment,” Marie Donnelly, Hewlett-Woodmere’s assistant superintendent for finance and personnel, wrote in an email. “If the projected increase comes to fruition, it will assist us in strengthening our programs and services for our students.”

State aid for the Lawrence School District, in contrast, would drop by 2 percent. Jeremy Feder, Lawrence’s assistant superintendent for business and operations, explained that the proposal included a decrease in transportation aid by $1 million. According to the state aid website, there were cuts in private excess cost and BOCES funding.

“These (numbers) are not exact yet,” Feder said. “There is some swing in it.” 

Lawrence’s overall proposed state aid for the 2023-24 school year is $13 million, a 2.36 percent decline from the current year. However, the district is expected to see a nearly 3 percent increase in foundation aid. Foundation aid takes a district’s wealth and student needs into account, helping to create an equal distribution of state school funding. It is the main source of funding for public schools.

Hewlett-Woodmere’s foundation aid would increase by nearly 40 percent, according to the state aid website.

Lawrence would also benefit from an increase in financial support for the universal pre-kindergarten program, from just over $850,000 this year to $1.4 million in 2023-24. The funds for UPK, Feder said, are “more of a grant” than state aid money.

The educational component of Hochul’s proposed budget includes $10 million statewide for student mental health services. In her announcement of the budget proposal, the governor said that schools provide little to no health support for students, an issue that became more evident when students returned to classrooms as the pandemic eased.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 70 percent of public schools have reported an increase in the number of students seeking mental health services at school since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

In 2021, the Lawrence district joined forces with Northwell Health’s Behavioral Health Center in Rockville Centre to address students’ mental health needs.

“We’ve expanded tremendously at all grade levels,” Lawrence Superintendent Ann Pedersen said. “We’ve added mental health professionals in school buildings, and we’re in partnership with Northwell Health, where we can provide our families ready access to mental health professionals for all levels of care.”

Hewlett-Woodmere joined the Behavioral Health Center over three years ago. The center, at 100 Merrick Road, is a collaboration between Cohen Children’s Medical Center and other school districts such as East Rockaway, Freeport, Malverne, Oceanside, Rockville Centre, West Hempstead, Valley Stream and Wantagh.

“What we are seeing in the students is an increase in depression, anxiety and suicide ideation,” Dr. Vera Feuer, associate vice president of Northwell’s School of Mental Health, said. “These are things we are seeing not only in our clinical services, but confirmed with CDC reports,” she added, referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Behavioral Health Center offers clinical services for young people who struggle with depression, anxiety and thoughts of suicide. Same-day services such as assessments, crisis therapy and treatment are available there.

Neither school district has released a tentative budget for the 2023-24 school year.

“In a time where we are seeing our community members recover from the hardships faced by Covid, and dealing currently with the cost increases due to inflation,” Donnelly wrote in her email, “the additional aid is helpful in assisting the District with its efforts to keep the tax levy low while being able to fund the budget.”

Feder said he appreciated Hochul’s financial support. “The finances help to have the ability to do more,” he said. “It allows you more flexibility within the budget.”

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