Voters Okay Budgets In 3 East Hampton Districts Aiming To Pierce Cap

EAST HAMPTON, NY — Burdened with spiking expenses and the phasing out of COVID-19 relief funding, this year, three school districts in East Hampton sought to pierce the tax cap with their proposed budgets for 2024 to 2025 — East Hampton, Springs, and Amagansett. Across Long Island, Port Washington, West Babylon, and Sachem are also looking to pierce the cap.

And with the results tallied, the East Hampton Union Free School District's was the first to pass by a resounding majority — with the Amagansett School District soon to follow.

East Hampton Union Free School District

Residents headed out to vote Tuesday on the proposed East Hampton Union Free School District budget for the 2024 to 2025 school year, as well as for candidates running for Board of Education seats.

The proposed $82,885,992 budget reflects an increase of 4.81 percent and a tax levy increase of 8.71 percent, piercing the district's state tax cap of 3.39 percent and requiring a 60 percent majority vote to pass.

The vote passed, 472 to 116, school officials told Patch.

Board of education candidates and incumbents Christina DeSanti and Sarah Minardi ran unopposed; DeSanti received 496 votes and Minardi, 511.

Amagansett

Amagansett voters also handily voted to pass the budget by a vote of 148 to 43.

In Amagansett, the proposed expenditure budget represented a 2.08 percent, or $273,746 increase over the prior year. The proposed tax levy increase was 7.77 percent, exceeding the district’s 3.12 percent tax-cap limit — piercing the cap and requiring a 60 percent majority to pass.

"The Board of Education established four goals for the development of the 2024-2025 budget: preserve a balanced budget while supporting academic excellence and expanding resources for students and staff; maintain fiscal awareness through effective communications, operations, and responsible resource management for long term sustainability; sustain school facilities to maintain the health, safety, and welfare of all students and staff; and maintain a tax levy that effectively supports goals one through three," Richard Loeschner, interim superintendent of schools, said.

"The increase in expenditures supports all the goals of the Amagansett Board of Education," he said. "The 2024-25 budget meets the board’s goal to maintain programs and support services for Pre-K through 6th graders at Amagansett School. These include early childhood education and extended school day and school year programs, which have been emphasized and valued at both the state and federal levels. Art, music, technology, physical education, and character education programs complement our strong academics."

In addition, voters will be asked to cast their ballots on three propositions — to purchase a school bus with capital reserve funds; to utilize the capital reserve fund to restore the cupola; and to reduce the mileage limitation for the transportation of resident students.

The proposition to purchase the school bus passed, 167 to 25; the proposition to utilize the capital reserve to fix the cupola passed, 155 to 33; and the reduction of district transportation policy also passed, 124 to 57.

Board of education candidates, including incumbent Dana Rana-Brophy and Robin Jahoda are ran unopposed; the second highest vote getter will serve a two year term. Incumbent Rana-Brophy received 118 votes and Jahoda, 119.

"Our Board of Education is committed to maintain time-honored and community supported traditions, while providing resources to prepare students for success in the rapidly changing world," Loeschner said. "During budget development, we held the line or reduced expenditures wherever feasible. Major increases are due primarily to salary contractual obligations, tuition for middle and high school students, and health insurance premiums. By way of example, under the proposed budget, using a tentative assessment rate, as provided by the Town of East Hampton, homeowners with property having an assessed value of 6,000 will experience an increase in school taxes of $141.21 per year or $11.77 per month if assessment rates do not change."

If the proposed budget had not been approved by a 60 percent majority, he said, the Board of Education could have elected to re-submit a proposed budget to the voters, but only once, he said.

"If the budget is not approved by the second vote, the district must operate under a contingent budget. That means there can be no increase in the tax levy above the previous year, as well asother limitations. The result would require a reduction in expenditures of $856,280 and therefore, the elimination or reduction of programs, services, staff, and facility projects."

Springs

Registered voters in Springs School District had the opportunity Tuesday to vote on the 2024-2025 proposed budget and passed the budget, 463 to 262, or 63.8 percent, Superintendent Deb Winter said.

"I’m extremely grateful for the large turnout," winter said. "I want to thank the Springs community. I know this was a 'big ask', but our students deserved nothing less! Springs School continues to be the little engine that could."

The budget carries a spending increase of $37,814,314 and a tax levy increase of 10.80 percent, piercing the cap of 2.37 percent and requiring a 60 percent majority vote to pass.

"External factors such as an increase in health insurance, an increase in salaries to maintain staff and inflation were the main driving forces behind this year’s spending increase," the Board of Education said. "Coupled with the phase-out of federal and state COVID-19 relief funding, the district worked diligently to maximize operational efficiencies while working to maintain educational supports to students and expand professional development opportunities for staff."

The BOE said they were also grateful for New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele's continued support "through bullet aid, which has significantly contributed to a myriad of programs including robotics, chess club, and various athletic and recreational activities. Additionally, our strategic utilization of Universal Prekindergarten grant funding has enriched the educational journey of 61 Universal Prekindergarten students, and through an archive grant, we have systematically preserved important district records. Additionally, we all worked hard to welcome a new superintendent to Springs School. The BOE and community members came together, putting in a lot of effort to make this happen, ensuring we have strong leadership for our school’s future."
The proposed 2024 to 25 budget, the BOE said, maintains all existing academic programs; maintains all sports and extracurricular activities; maintains a high level of personal safety as well as data privacy protection; and protects the community’s investment by maintaining infrastructure, facilities, and grounds.

In addition to the proposed budget, voters had an opportunity to elect one member of the Board of Education to serve a 3-year term. Barbara Dayton and Dermot Quinn vied for the seat. Quinn won the seat, 457 to 198.