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Hempstead School District Won't Raise Budget Despite Overcrowded Classrooms

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- School budget votes are coming up, and in many districts taxes are going down thanks to a state tax cap.

However, as CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported, the Hempstead School District is holding the line on taxes despite overcrowded classrooms and less than half of the students graduating.

Hempstead schools have seen a 30 percent enrollment increase in the past two years due to a huge influx of immigrants.

New students are enrolling in the Hempstead School District every day, with more than 1,000 newcomers so far this school year, as many of them are unaccompanied immigrant children. Teachers said they're struggling with 34 students in some elementary school classes with no teaching aides.

"Can't manage 30 kids with one teacher. It's impossible," one parent said.

Despite this, Hempstead School Board President Lamont Johnson said the budget will not be going up.

"We have been able to keep our budget in check. The budget will not be going up this year," Johnson said. "It's actually going down by a small percentage."

Johnson, who is running for re-election, is banking on more federal aid.

"The federal government has to come through. The legislators, the congressman, they care about the children. They have emergency funding for things like the heroin epidemic. They have to provide us those funds," Johnson said.

Opponents said the problem is not too many students, but not enough leadership. The district is already getting more funding per pupil than most, and soon nearly $8 million more in federal and state aid this year than last.

"This district receives enough funding to support every child than comes in. It's not a matter that we don't have enough funding, it's a matter of gross mismanagement of funds," Melissa Figueroa, a school board candidate, said.

The graduation rate is inching up to a lamentable 40 percent in New York's largest village. Hempstead Village Mayor Wayne Hall said it's unfair to require the district to educate undocumented children, but not foot the bill.

"This is another case of unfunded mandates. Government mandates that any child that comes here must be educated, but they should give us the funds," Hall said.

School officials say they will first unveil the budget to the community next week, seven days before the budget vote.

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