West Hempstead Union Free School District

Kudos to our brilliant students who shone brightly at the Envision Scholars closing program! Their accomplishments are a testament to the power of collaboration. We're grateful for our invaluable partnerships that nurture minds & unlock their full potential. #WHe @nyulisom

Exciting news! The Rockaway-Five Towns Symphony Orchestra will perform at our @wh_secondary school on May 11, featuring our educator, Ben Coleman, and talented students. Don't miss this wonderful musical event! #MusicEducation #CommunityEvent

The proposed budget supports new courses such as CTE Pathway, Intro to Broadcasting, Set and Stage Design, and 3D Art and Sculpture. ************************************ El presupuesto propuesto apoya ofertes de cursos nuevos y interesantes como Pathway CTE, Introducción a la Radiodifusión, Diseño de Escenarios y Escenografía, y Arte 3D y Escultura.

West Hempstead Weekly Update - https://secure.smore.com/n/ks1g9

Check out our fabulous student proudly holding a baseball from last night's Mets game and sporting his Knicks sweatshirt for tonight's game. Reading early and getting ready for big wins tonight! #WHe #GoNYGo

Important update: The latest version of the PowerSchool app is causing some login issues. We've contacted @PowerSchoolApps & submitted a case. Please use the webpage directly through a browser until this is resolved. Thank you for your patience. #WHe

West Hempstead has the 15th lowest average tax levy change in Nassau County over the last five years. ************************************ En los últimos cinco años, West Hempstead ha tenido uno de los aumentos promedio más bajos del impuesto predial en el condado de Nassau, ocupando el puesto 15 de todos los distritos.

2nd graders @CornwellAveES shared their metacognition skills with 1st graders via @Flipgrid! They recorded videos explaining concepts like monitoring thinking & flexible problem-solving. Students watched & discussed applying these strategies. Awesome peer-learning! 🤝 #WHe

The district’s 2024-25 budget maintains all existing programs and services for students, while operating efficiently within the district’s tax levy cap of 2.34%. ************************************ El presupuesto propuesto del distrito para 2024-25 tiene como objetivo mantener los programas y servicios existentes para los estudiantes mientras operan de manera eficiente dentro del límite permitido del 2,34% del impuesto predial.

Unlike New York City and other areas of the country, New York’s locally elected Boards of Education are required to present a spending plan each year to the voters of their community? This year, the annual budget vote and trustee election will be held on Tuesday, May 21 from 7 a.m.- 9 p.m. at West Hempstead Secondary School in the North Gymnasium. To participate, you must be a registered voter. If you have questions about your current registration status or need further information about voting, call the District Clerk, Theresa Bryant, at 516-390-3107 during business hours. The last day to register to vote is Thursday, May 16. ************************************ A diferencia de otras áreas, las Juntas Escolares elegidas localmente en Nueva York presentan un plan de gastos propuesto anual para que los miembros de la comunidad voten. Este año, la votación anual del presupuesto y la elección de síndicos se llevará a cabo el martes 21 de mayo, de 7 a.m. a 9 p.m. en el Gimnasio Norte de la Escuela Secundaria West Hempstead. Para participar, debes ser un votante registrado. Si tienes alguna pregunta sobre tu estado de registro o necesitas información adicional sobre la votación, llame a la Secretaria del Distrito al 516-390-3107 durante el horario laboral. El último día para registrarte es el jueves 16 de mayo.

State Aid for West Hempstead School District Q: Did the West Hempstead School District receive more state aid in the final budget? A: The district received $17,404 less in State Aid compared to the Governor's 2024-25 State Aid proposal. You might have noticed the NYSED State Aid report in the local newspaper, which includes a comparison with UPK funding. The report shows the 2024-25 State Aid amount as $17,677,900, reflecting an increase of $925,593 or 5.53%. Within this increase, $216,000 is allocated to UPK funding, which is distinct and dedicated solely to the UPK program. Attached to this post is a comparison that breaks apart the year-over-year change in State Aid of 5.53%. Q: I thought reports indicated the district was getting more funding. What was that about? A: It seems there was some initial confusion around the budget numbers reported by the State. We received questions from the community that inadvertently included funding allocated specifically for Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) programs as part of the overall K-12 education funding. However, the UPK funding is actually a separate line item from the general state aid provided to districts for K-12 education. The misunderstanding likely stemmed from people incorrectly rolling the UPK funding amounts into the total K-12 state aid figures, making it appear that the district was receiving a larger increase in funding than was actually the case for the core K-12 budget. Once the UPK funding was properly separated out, the true K-12 state aid allocation numbers became clearer. Q: So the district is getting slightly less state aid than expected? How significant is a $17,000 reduction? A: While $17,000 may seem small for a school district budget, every bit of funding is critical. The district will need to assess how to absorb this modest reduction. Q: Will this $17,000 cut impact any programs or staff positions? A: A $17,000 reduction will NOT directly lead to major program cuts or layoffs. However, the district will still need to revise the budget to account for this slight shortfall in projected state aid. Due to the large increases in health care and transportation expenses, the district has already excessed eight (8) positions.

Crossroads Farm Opening Day on 4/27. Farm tours, animal petting zoo, live music, food trucks & more. Come support this great grant partner. @WHChestnut @CornwellAveES @WHGWashington @wh_secondary @whathleticsdept @WhufsdD @WHHumanities @FpcaWest @WH_ENL @WHRamTech @wh_pps #WHe

Low Income/Senior Exemption Q: What changes were made to the exemption recently? A: For the Nassau County 2024-25 fiscal year, the West Hempstead Board of Education has approved increasing the maximum income limit to qualify for these exemptions. This allows more seniors and low-income residents to potentially receive the exemptions. West Hempstead School District has had these exemptions in place since November 2013. Q: How can I find out if I qualify and apply? A: Please contact the Nassau County Department of Assessment as that department processes exemption applications and determines if a homeowner qualifies for property tax exemptions.

Have a joyous Passover!

Pictures from the Achievement Dinner. Once again, congratulations to all! #WHe https://www.whufsd.com/o/whhs/page/photo-album-hs

The Charging Rams from @WHGWashington are bringing their A-game to the @Kid_Oyo Hackathon today! This talented team of young coders are showcasing their skills and innovative ideas. Let's cheer them on as they compete against top student teams from across LI! #WHe @pomara_matt

If you missed the meeting on Tuesday, let's clear up some budget misconceptions: 1) Coding of Expenses: We consolidated budget codes for clarity and flexibility, not to hide anything. 2) Reserves/Revenues: Like all districts, we use reserves prudently to balance budgets, crucial for managing uncertainties. 3) Building Occupancy: Our schools are not underutilized; visit https://www.smore.com/n/jurmab for more. #Transparency #BudgetClarity #WHe

Hats off to our incredible board of education trustees for honoring our district's shining stars! Tonight's ceremony celebrated the top 25 students and outstanding staff members who have dedicated themselves to excellence. Their commitment is an inspiration to us all. #WHe

Our seventh and eighth graders recently participated in Kellenberg's Math Competition! #WHe

Last night's Honor Societies Induction Ceremony was a testament to our students' hard work and dedication. Congratulations to all the inductees for this well-deserved honor! #HonorSociety #HardWorkPaysOff #WHe @wh_secondary