W. Hempstead receives $1.6 million education grant

The West Hempstead school district has been chosen by the State Education Department to receive a $1.6 million education grant, becoming one of four Long Island school districts to benefit from nearly $70 million in federal Stronger Connections awards.

In total, the State Education Department awarded $69.3 million in funding to 44 school districts across the state. The grant program, which was authorized by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, passed by Congress in 2022, is designed to not only establish positive learning opportunities and environments, but also to combat pervasive bullying and other violence that creates an unsafe environment for children.

“When students feel secure, valued, and respected, they are more likely to actively engage in the learning process,” SED Chancellor Lester W. Young Jr. said in a statement. “These grants will aid in our commitment to provide high-quality education to all students, regardless of race, disability status, or economic background, by creating safe and supportive learning environments, especially in our schools with the most need.”

For the school district to qualify for the grant, 40 percent of its students must be eligible for free meals, based on direct certification through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid by means of the Community Eligibility Program, or through district submission of such data for students eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch.

Second, the district must have a chronic absenteeism rate of at least 10 percent.

The criteria were developed with the New York State Education Department in conjunction with a wide range of stakeholders. School districts that met both of the criteria were designated as “high-need Local Education Agencies.”

“Our students’ futures depend on a strong educational foundation, but that foundation is only as strong as the mental, physical, and emotional supports we can offer our students,” Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said in a statement. “This much-needed funding will be allocated to schools with high poverty rates and schools in rural areas that may lack critical resources due to their isolated locations. These grants will help ensure every student in New York State feels safe and supported in the classroom.”

West Hempstead Superintendent Daniel Rehman said in a statement that the district would use part of the funding to hire additional staff, which would otherwise be impossible without the funding.

Rehman also said he hoped to use the money to address the chronic absenteeism in West Hempstead schools, which he said occurs when a student misses 18 or more school days in a single year.

“We recognize that there’s still work that we could do on social emotional learning, but we didn’t have the resources available to us,” Rehman said.

The other Long Island school districts that will benefit from the funding include Brentwood, which will receive $3.6 million; Valley Stream District 30, $1.4 million; and Huntington, $202,515. In total, more than 40 districts throughout the state of New York will receive millions in grants from the federal government to combat the pervasive issues.

The districts can allocate the funding to resources as they see fit, provided they align with the grant program’s goals. While West Hempstead will focus on absenteeism, the Brentwood Superintendent, Wanda Ortiz-Rivera, said in a statement that the district would direct its new funding to create a “restorative justice practices program that aims to use alternative measures to discipline students.”

Schools are required to commit to using the funding by Sept. 30, 2026.