Hempstead district embarking on $35.5M expansion to Alverta B. Gray Schultz Middle School

For the first time in its 55-year history, the Alverta B. Gray Schultz Middle School in Hempstead is getting a makeover.

The school is undergoing a $35.5 million expansion that will replace aging infrastructure with new classrooms, ballfields and other student spaces. Additional funds will also be used to renovate portions of the existing middle school building, officials said.

The project is part of an $86.5 million bond proposal that was approved by voters in 2022, according to Jamal Scott, the district’s assistant superintendent for business and operations. The proposal also provided funds for projects such as improvements to the high school’s football field, heating upgrades and new windows.

Construction began earlier this month and is expected to take about two years to complete, officials said.

"We’re really excited to offer additional opportunities within the spacing of our middle school as we expand our programs," said Gary Rush, Hempstead's interim superintendent. "We’re trying to show [students] the importance of education, innovation and how to establish purpose in moving forward."

Portable classrooms removed

The expansion is the first major project at the middle school since it opened, officials said. The school, which has 639 seventh and eighth grade students enrolled this year, was renamed in 1984 to honor Alverta B. Gray Schultz, a civil rights leader and education advocate.

The new building will include a two-story academic wing with modern classrooms, a "state-of-the-art" library and media center, a new cafeteria, upgraded entrances and new soccer and baseball fields, district officials said.

As part of the project, seven portable classrooms used by district students have also been removed.

"Nobody can learn in a portable," said Jeffrey Spencer, president of the district’s board of education. "The board came together with the district and said, 'Let’s give our kids the best that they deserve,' and we’re doing it."

District officials said at the time of the 2022 bond vote that local taxes would cover 72.1% of the cost, with the rest coming from state aid.

Richard Hernandez, a parent of a seventh grader who moved to Long Island from Queens in 2021, said in an interview Thursday that his child had said improvements were needed to the school.

Hernandez said he hopes the new expansion will improve the pickup and drop-off location to make it safer for students. District officials said this will be part of the improvements.

Added Hernandez: "Hopefully this upgrade is better for the whole community and all the kids could have a better future."