Parents want more buses for West Hempstead School District, but at what cost?

    West Hempstead parents who live within three-quarters of a mile from district elementary and parochial schools are asking the West Hempstead Union Free School District to provide transportation for their children, but they may not realize what the added service will actually cost them.
    As it stands, the district provides bus transportation for all students from kindergarten through fifth grade who attend the Chestnut Street, Cornwell Avenue and George Washington schools –– as well as those who attend the Hebrew Academy of Nassau County and St. Thomas the Apostle –– and live three-quarters of a mile or more away from the school.
    Parents of students who live closer and are not bussed to school have placed a proposition on the May ballot requesting an increase in transportation services, broadening the distance from .75 miles to .3 miles at an estimated cost of more than $608,000. If passed by voters this spring, the appropriation would be added to the budget, further raising the tax levy or potentially replacing some programs.
    West Hempstead resident Cynthia Dimiceli, whose children attend the Cornwell Avenue school, was present at a school board meeting where Richard Cunningham, assistant superintendent of business and operations, presented the "Resident Initiated Referendum." She and others in attendance were concerned that some people might not understand the consequences of their vote and her message to all area residents was simple: get informed.
    "Regardless of whether you vote yes or no ... make an informed decision about what you're voting about," Dimiceli said, adding that already word about the referendum is getting around.

    If both the referendum and the budget pass, residents would face an additional tax increase, the amount of which is based on the assessed value of their homes. Those whose houses have a market value of $382,000, for example, would pay an additional $95 in taxes, while residents whose houses are valued at $542,000 would pay an extra $135.
    If the referendum is passed, but the budget fails, the cost of the new transportation requirements would have to be incorporated to any future budget adopted by the Board of Education. If the board adopts a contingent budget, which this year allows no increase, the cost of the new transportation would result in a $608,000 cut in programs and staffing.
    Dimiceli who is considering a run for a seat on the school board, noted that a possible cut to programs in district schools will have no affect on students attending local parochial schools. The issue, she added, is sensitive and could potentially pit some residents against others. "We have to be very careful that this does not divide our town," she said. "Our co-existing town is made up of different backgrounds and different needs and requirements. ... Somebody else's need may not be the same as mine and my need may not be the same as somebody else's, so how can we get the point across?"
    The mother of two plans to get in touch with West Hempstead families who send their children to HANC and St. Thomas to discuss the issue.
    If voters approve the referendum, the number of children who would receive transportation from the school district would jump from 639 to 1,095. To transport students to St. Thomas, HANC and Cornwell Avenue, the district would have to provide two additional buses for each school. To transport kids to Chestnut Street, it would provide one additional bus, and to George Washington, three extra buses.
    For more information and to see maps of the areas that could potentially receive increased transportation, visit www.whufsd.com.

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