State aid cuts pose Malverne school budget problems

Both the Malverne and West Hempstead budgets passed on May 21. Malverne’s passed with just under 80 percent of voter approval, and West Hempstead’s passed with just over 58 percent approval. It represents a break in West Hempstead’s two-year rejection streak.

“This vote of confidence will allow us to maintain the high-quality educational programs our students deserve,” said Daniel Rehman, superintendent of West Hempstead schools. “The school budget passage is a testament to our community's commitment to investing in the future of all school-aged students in West Hempstead.”

If the district had gone on a contingency budget, the schools would have faced limitations and cuts that would hurt student education, Rehman said.

The budget is vital for all school-aged students in West Hempstead, he added said, whether they go to public or private school. It allows them to continue to pay for transportation to private schools, and to “maintain and enhance the resources and programs necessary for their academic success and personal growth” and “offer a diverse range of academic programs, extracurricular activities, and student support services.”

The Malverne budget’s overwhelmingly positive response reflects the strength and unity of the Malverne community, said Lorna Lewis, superintendent of Malverne schools.

“This significant approval margin is more than just numbers,” Lewis said. “Your collective voice has once again emphasized the importance of investing in our children's education and ensuring that our schools have the resources they need to thrive.”

The Malverne budget does not typically face problems with passing. Their foremost problem with this year’s budget lies with the state. Governor Kathy Hochul has made cuts to school aid, losing Malverne about $200,000 in revenue.

The governor’s cutting the State Foundation budget at the “worst possible time,” said Jeanne D’Esposito, who was reelected to the Malverne school board on May 21. Schools throughout the country, Malverne included, are still being faced with post-Covid learning loss and mental health issues. But though schools are still dealing with the effects of the pandemic, they’re no longer receiving the aid they need to do so, D’Esposito said.

“We need to find more resources to fix that (learning lag) problem, and the state's telling us that we're going to get less” D’Esposito said. 

In the face of learning loss and mental health crises, families are looking to their schools for help, D’Esposito said. What the schools need, she added, are increased literacy programs and child psychologists.

“These are things that cost money,” she said. “And we're advocating for the state to help us address those issues.”

The schools are limited in how much money they can raise by themselves, as there is a 2 percent tax cap — which, as a taxpayer, she understands, D’Esposito added.

“So when there's this limitation on what we can raise through the tax levy,” she said, “We look to the state and the federal government for the funds that we need to give our kids the curriculum and the programming and the support that they need.”

Districts across Long Island are having to cut resources and staff in the face of these budget cuts — but luckily, Malverne has been able to absorb into their budget some of the resources that were originally funded by state aid.

The district will still be able to maintain their kindergarten through fourth grade literacy program, as well as a school social worker.

What action will be taken at the state level remains to be seen — but in the meantime, Malverne and West Hempstead schools are continuing to provide the best possible education to their students.