The Hempstead School District has a year to improve or it will face state takeover.

State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia told News 12 that the district has to submit a plan to pull itself off the list of "persistently struggling" schools. She says she expects to see "significant change and growth."

The Hempstead School Board voted Monday to contact the state comptroller to review its finances. The district currently has a $6.5 million budget gap.

The board claims some of those expenses are due to an influx of unaccompanied child immigrants who enrolled this year.