Hempstead, Wyandanch schools' state monitors to remain through 2027

State lawmakers on Thursday extended the tenure of two monitors established years ago to help improve the Hempstead and Wyandanch districts.

Veteran educators William Johnson and Albert Chase will continue to be monitors for the Hempstead and Wyandanch schools respectively, roles they stepped into in 2020 after years of financial mismanagement and poor graduation rates prompted legislators to create the positions.

Their terms were extended for two more years, ending on June 30, 2027, as part of the state budget approved Thursday night. The budget included $175,000 for each monitor for 2025-26, according to state lawmakers.

Sen. Monica Martinez (D-Brentwood), a former schoolteacher, said Wyandanch has improved its fiscal standing with balanced budgets and a better bond rating, but student achievement remains low. Wyandanch’s graduation rate was 64% in 2024, below the state average of 86%.

“I'm hoping to see the school district continue on the right path,” Martinez said, noting she would like to see academic progress for students.

In Hempstead, graduation rates rose from 54% in 2018 to 82% in 2024. Hempstead High School was restored to good academic standing in 2023 after struggling for decades on the state's needs-improvement list.

At the time the monitors came in, the two districts — the poorest on Long Island in terms of taxable income and property — were in disarray.

Hempstead had low graduation rates and a shake-up in district management, Newsday previously reported. Wyandanch had to operate on a bare-bones "contingency" budget after voters rejected a proposed 20% tax hike in May 2019.

“When I came here, I mean, there was a deficit of $3 million,” Chase said of Wyandanch. But now, he said, “We've operated at a surplus over the last several years, and we've been able to put away money into reserve funds.”

Johnson declined to comment, referring questions to the state Education Department.

Rachel Connors, a department spokeswoman, said in a statement that the monitors' extension helps ensure “resources are used as efficiently and effectively as possible.”

“There is evidence of improvement at each district relative to the work of the monitors over the past several years, however, governance, finance and instructional programming require the continued intentional oversight of Commissioner-appointed monitors,” she wrote.

Struggles remain

Despite improvement, both districts have struggled with high turnover and turmoil in leadership.

Hempstead this year has been paying for two superintendents after board members suspended Regina Armstrong in September and installed Susan Johnson, a former superintendent, on an interim basis.

In Wyandanch, the district has had three superintendents in the past three years. Officials recently announced the hiring of Erik Wright, who will take over June 1.

Chase said he believes Wright’s three-year term will bring stability. While the district is in a “sound” financial position, Chase said the district still faces many challenges, including attracting job candidates.

“The district is still in need of academic improvement,” he said. “Financially, we just don't have the resources to pay competitive salaries in a lot of cases.”

The fiscal outlook Hempstead had this year was particularly daunting as it faced a $34 million deficit. The district’s plan to close a school was averted after a last-minute $24 million state aid infusion.

State Sen. Siela Bynoe (D-Westbury), who had worked with Johnson on a new formula that granted Hempstead the extra funding, said the monitor will continue to help Hempstead navigate its fiscal challenges, including growing charter school enrollment.

“I felt it was important to ensure that there was financial technical assistance provided to the district so that they could appropriately plan their budgets and their operations into the future,” Bynoe said. 

With John Hildebrand

By Dandan Zou

dandan.zou@newsday.com@DandanZou

Dandan Zou covers education for Newsday. Previously, she worked for a community newspaper in Maryland and a personal finance magazine in Washington, D.C.