The East Hampton School District unveiled preliminary estimates at a school board meeting Tuesday for how much it would cost to build a bus barn on its high school campus. Costs were initially estimated at $4.75 million, but Mike Guido, the district’s architect, brought that estimate down to about $4.5 million after evaluating specifics. 

The district, which now leases space for bus maintenance and repair, has been discussing having its own facility for some time in order to save money.

The district has not yet made a final decision about where the barn, or transportation depot in school board lingo, would be located, but it appears to have narrowed down the options: The barn would either be in front of the school or in back of it, behind the track.

Later in the meeting, the board accepted the resignation of Dennis Sullivan, the assistant principal at the John M. Marshall Elementary School, without explanation. Mr. Sullivan is expected to complete the school year. Richard Burns, the superintendent, said he could not discuss the  resignation due to concerns about privacy.

The school board also voted to accept the retirements of 14 longtime employees. They are Claude Beudert, a special education teacher, David Douglas, a music teacher, Lisa Benincasa, a science teacher, Lynn Gilliam, a sixth-grade teacher, Patricia Hand, the athletic director’s assistant, Nikki Jackson, a business teacher, Bruce Lieberman, an art teacher, JoAnn Morgan, the middle school principal’s secretary, Deborah McIntyre, a para-professional, Dianne Picken, a science teacher, Laura Pluta, a math teacher, Candace Stafford, a guidance counselor, Marilyn Van Scoyoc, a music teacher, and Susan Vaughan, an academic intervention teacher.

 Mr. Burns said the district would have a celebration of these employees’ accomplishments at a later date.

At the Springs School District’s first budget workshop for the 2016-17 academic year on Monday, figures showed that expenses could outpace revenue by more than $860,000.

John J. Finello, the superintendent, presented a preliminary budget of approximately $28.39 million, representing an increase of $1,025,294 or 3.7 percent over this year’s budget. Such a budget would preserve all current programs, resources, technology initiatives, and staffing, account for significant increases in enrollment and health care for employees, and add two sports teams for which there is said to be great demand. “We want to hold on to what we have,” Mr. Finello said.

Facing a near-zero increase in the amount that can be raised by taxes under New York State’s tax cap law, the administration laid out three optional starting points. One was an increase at the exact level of the tax cap, which would mean making cuts of $860,000. The other options were increasing the tax levy by 3.72 percent over the current year or compromising with an amount somewhere in between. Both of the latter options would mean asking the community to approve an over-the-cap budget, which would require 60 percent voter approval. Springs has not attempted to pierce the cap since it was instituted by the state in the 2012-13 school year.

The cap on increases in the tax levy is .12 percent this year, although certain factors may allow Springs to increase the amount by up to .21 percent. This would mean a total increase of only $50,180. The budget that would result would include $247,324 in employee benefits, $333,000 in added tuition to East Hampton High School and out-of-district placements, and $41,500 for a new bus. Complicating things is an expected decrease of about $12,000 in state aid. The district might dip into its reserve funds, however, for $100,000 for capital repairs.

“With the very low caps over the years, it is very, very difficult, and with the increased enrollment, it is very difficult to sustain and preserve programs, especially with a cap increase of $50,000 over the current school year,” Carl Fraser, the district’s interim business administrator, said. “We are really squeezed.”

The administration looked to the school board for direction, but did not receive one. Liz Mendelman, school board president, Tim Frazier, vice president, and Barbara Dayton, a school board member, asked for a list of items to help the board evaluate potential reductions. “I’d like to see us go into the budget detail and have some options to see which way we can go to get down further,” Ms. Mendelman said. 

Mr. Finello said the presentation was “the first run out for the budget.” He added, “We expect there will be changes along the way over the next month, month and a half.” Springs has another budget workshop scheduled for March 14 at 7 p.m.

Eight teenagers from around the South Fork will be the presenters tomorrow at the Parrish Art Museum’s first Teen PechaKucha Night Hamptons.

PechaKucha Night, which originated in Tokyo as a way for young people to connect and talk about inspiring new ideas, has participants present 20 slides and discuss them in rapid-fire succession for 20 seconds each. According to the website pechakucha.org, more than 800 cities worldwide have held PechaKucha events since its inception in 2003.

The presenters tomorrow will be Karen Blandon and Lily McGintee from East Hampton High School, Tycho Burwell from the East Hampton Middle School, Claire Kunzeman and Leyla Dorph Lowrie from Pierson High School, Hudson Galardi Troy from Pierson Middle School, Chandler Littlejohn from the Ross School, and Indivi Bacon from Southampton High School.

Teen PechaKucha Night Hamptons will begin at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 and includes admission to the museum, although it is free for members, students, and children. 

A series of workshops for parents, educators, and community members about the challenges faced by students today will begin Tuesday at the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor.

Sponsored by the East End Special Education Parent Teacher Organization, or SEPTO, the series is dubbed Parent University. It will introduce a new topic each Tuesday through April 5 in one-hour sessions that will feature expert presenters.

According to a news release, those who want to learn more about “managing the challenges facing children in and out of the school setting” may sign up for individual sessions or the entire six-week series. Topics of discussion will include “Making Sense of the Common Core: A Parent’s Guide to Math Instruction” on March 8, “Effects of Trauma and Building Resiliency” on March 15, “Recognizing and Responding to Self-Injury Behaviors in Today’s Youth” on March 22, and “Dangers of Social Networking: How to Identify and Respond” on April 5.

Doors open at 6:15 p.m. and each workshop will begin at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served. A raffle will be held, with a drawing to take place on April 5. Proceeds will go toward future SEPTO events. More information and registration materials may be found at eastendsepto.com.

Adam Fine, the principal of East Hampton High School, and Elizabeth Reveiz, the director of East Hampton’s English as a new language program, on Tuesday proposed budgets for their respective programs that they described as fiscally responsible. The school board seemed to agree.

During a budget work session, Mr. Fine pitched a curriculum budget, not including teachers’ salaries, that would increase by about $8,000, or 2.1 percent, over last year’s figure of $388,521. The curriculum budget includes such items as textbooks, workbooks, science lab materials, art supplies, fees for the grading of Regents exams, and conferences for teachers and administrators.

“I believe the budget is completely fair and appropriate,” the principal said in an email yesterday. “Teachers have budgeted for what they need to run the current high school program. I believe it completely maintains our challenging academic program. Of course, I would love to add staff and create more new programs, but at this time it is not appropriate.”

The salaries of teachers and other staff members are included separately in the administrative budget, which was presented to the board on Feb. 9. Tuesday’s session was the district’s second of the 2016-17 budget process. The school board has not made any final spending decisions yet.

The proposed high school budget would increase spending in science, social studies, and math, but decrease spending in English and foreign languages and on guidance department materials. Funding would remain the same for the business, drama, art, family and consumer sciences, music, and technology departments. The high school would keep consistent its contribution of $5,000 to the South Fork Behavioral Health Initiative, which is a joint effort with the state, county, Family Service League, and other school districts to improve students’ mental health.

Among the big-ticket items in the high school budget is a proposed $16,500 for 150 new TI-84 Plus graphing calculators, which are state-mandated for students taking Regents exams in algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. Patty Conigliaro, the school’s math coordinator, said the existing calculators are about 10 years old and on the verge of being inadequate.

“The calculators we have right now are really ancient with the graphing technology we are supposed to be supplying,” Ms. Conigliaro said. With 150 new ones, “at least we can start the process of replacing everything we have.”

Ms. Reveiz ran her programs in bilingual education last year on a budget of $39,187, and this year has proposed cutting about $2,000 from that total, a decrease of about 5.3 percent. The budget includes expenses such as bilingual library materials, computer programs, resource workbooks, magazine subscriptions, and conference and training opportunities for teachers.

“Every little bit helps,” Ms. Reveiz said. “If we can put it toward something more meaningful, then why not? We’re about streamlining.”

“We appreciate it,” said Richard Burns, the district superintendent .

Yesterday, J.P. Foster, the school board president, said that while budgeting is still in the early stages, the board left with a good feeling about the proposals from Mr. Fine and Ms. Reveiz.

“So far, so good,” Mr. Foster said. “I think it’s responsible, is probably the best way to put it. We still have 8 or 10 meetings to go . . . but from the teachers on up to the superintendent, everyone has worked really hard, knowing we are in a really tight situation.”

The Sag Harbor School District has announced it will hold its first public workshop pertaining to the potential purchase of the former Stella Maris Regional School on Wednesday. The workshop will follow the release of a 42-page document on Tuesday containing information and a survey to gauge taxpayers’ opinions about the possible purchase.

The decision to hold a workshop next week came about two weeks after an online petition surfaced asking the district for an immediate public meeting about Stella Maris, but Katy Graves, Sag Harbor’s superintendent, said the petition had no bearing on the decision to schedule the workshop. The focus of this first meeting will be an introduction to the material and to the survey itself.

“All this information was starting to become rather deep. The board of education recommended that we have a workshop just about taking the survey itself,” said Ms. Graves, who has requested that residents read the documentation before taking the survey.

The workshop is planned for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Sag Harbor Elementary School. It will be formally advertised in a districtwide mailing to all households that will be sent out later this week. The information on Stella Maris itself, including the real estate appraisal, potential uses of the building, and the possible effect on the budget, will be available at the John Jermain Memorial Library and both schools and will be posted on the district’s website, sagharborschools.org, on Tuesday morning.

“I really wish they gave more than one week’s notice,” James Sanford, who started the petition and who opposes the purchase of the Stella Maris property, said Tuesday. “I hope it’s an open format where residents can have an open dialogue and aren’t limited in input to asking questions. That’s what I’d really like to see.”

Stella Maris was a Catholic school that closed in 2011 after experiencing declining enrollment and financial woes. The property has been listed for sale at $3.5 million. The Sag Harbor School District has been formally exploring the purchase of the property since last summer. 

Playbuilding in Southampton

Kasia Klimiuk of Our Fabulous Variety Show will lead an eight-week “playbuilding” workshop for ages 10 to 18 starting next week at the Southampton Cultural Center. The workshop will build on foundational acting and improvisational skills as well as “playbuilding, or creating original theater centered in the ideas of the participants,” Ms. Klimiuk said in an email. Participants will “reflect on what it means to be a theater-maker and active, engaged citizen in society.” 

Workshops will meet on Thursday evenings from 5:30 to 8 from March 3 through early April and will prepare that month for a final performance of original plays on April 21. The cost is $225. Sign-up is with Ms. Klimiuk at [email protected]. 

Music and Movement for Tots

Two spring music and movement classes for toddlers and preschoolers will begin next week at the Ellen Johansen Music Studio in East Hampton. 

Cycle of the Seasons: Suncatchers, a program to encourage musical development in 3 and 4-year-olds, with an emphasis on imaginative stories and listening skills, will meet on Tuesdays from 3 to 3:45 p.m. The cost, including home material, is $325 for 15 classes. Dance With Me: Family Music for Toddlers, for ages 15 months to 3 years, will run on Wednesdays or Fridays from 10 to 10:35 a.m. The cost for 15 classes and home material for families is $275. 

Ms. Johansen, a music and movement specialist for young children, has taught Musikgarten classes for 25 years. Reservation is by phone at 418-5497 or online at ellenjohansenmusicstudio.com. Her studio is on Stratton Square. 

Shy Animals and Patterns

Sometimes being shy is a good thing. On Saturday, the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton will take a look at some of the East End’s shy animals and “explain why being shy and quiet in the natural world has tons of benefits,” according to the museum. The program is for ages 6 to 8 and will begin at 10:30 a.m. 

Children 9 and older will look to tiling patterns in the natural world to create their own nature-inspired art on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in a workshop led by Melanie Meade. Advance registration has been requested for both programs. 

Happy 100th

The Amagansett Library is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a party for the whole family on Saturday at 1 p.m. There will be cake and birthday hats, and a quilt made  by community members of all ages will be on display. Additional programs for adults will also be offered that day. 

On Sunday at 2 p.m., the library will mark leap year with a story and craft time all about leaping. 

Show Us Them Choppers!

Saturday will be Dentist Day at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton. From 10 to 10:45 a.m., a dental professional will be on hand to talk teeth: How many do we have? How do we keep them healthy? Then maybe those next trips to the dentist won’t be so worrisome. The program is for families with children ages 3 to 7. The cost is $14 including museum admission, $2 for members. 

Looking ahead to Friday, March 4, the museum will celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday during its monthly Pizza and Pajama Night from 6 to 7:30. Kids will listen to one of his classics and make a Seuss-themed craft. The evening is free for members, $10 for others. Advance registration is required.

Moody’s Investors Service, which evaluates municipalities, schools, businesses, and other entities on their ability to repay short-term debt, announced last week it had upgraded the Sag Harbor School District’s credit rating.

Moody’s upped Sag Harbor to Aa2 from its previous grade of Aa3. The Aa2 rating is just two notches below the best possible rating Moody’s offers. In a news release, Moody’s said Sag Harbor’s new rating “reflects the district’s continued practice of conservative fiscal management” and “incorporates the district’s sizable and wealthy tax base, modest debt burden, and manageable pension liability.”

Katy Graves, Sag Harbor’s superintendent, said the upgrade would benefit taxpayers because a high credit rating allows the district to borrow money at lower interest rates. The district borrows money every year in the form of a tax anticipation note, or TAN, to finance operations until the revenue from property taxes comes in. Sag Harbor is also in the process of issuing $9 million in bonds to fund a capital project, approved by voters in 2013, that includes installing a turf athletic field and improvements to Pierson Middle and High School’s cafeteria, auditorium, and basement, among other projects.

“When we go out for a bond or for a TAN, it’s costing us less as a district to utilize those moneys,” Ms. Graves said. “We’ll pay less in interest for those as a district. That’s really good news.”

The upgrade from Moody’s is the second time in the last three years that Sag Harbor’s bond credit rating has gone up. Ms. Graves said the district voluntarily took Moody’s up on an evaluation, and it paid off.

“It was a brave move to go out there and do that to assess where we are, but it saves the district so much money,” she said. “Now, funds that would have gone into the budgeting process as interest have been reduced significantly. . . . These small captures are so important for the long run because over and over again, it comes back to you.”

Courtney Sale Ross, the founder of the Ross School, is the inaugural recipient of a Global Citizen Award from the University of California at Los Angeles, the Ross School, which has campuses in East Hampton and Bridgehampton, announced last week.

The university said the new award was intended to recognize those who work toward “transformational change for the children of the world through visionary leadership in education in the global era.”

Mrs. Ross received the award last week at a ceremony celebrating the 70th anniversary of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, which was formed after the end of World War II to promote peace.

At the event, Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, the Wasserman dean of education and information studies at U.C.L.A., who nominated Mrs. Ross for the award, called her educational philosophy “groundbreaking.”  Irina Bokova, the director-general of UNESCO, called the Ross School “an inspiring example of a 21st century education.”

In a statement, Mrs. Ross said she was honored by the award and to have had “the opportunity to help lead the effort to develop solutions to the difficult challenges we face. I look forward to a continued collaboration and cooperation with today’s education leaders. It is the only way we will be able to expedite global consciousness.”

Kevin Gersh, who runs several private schools and programs for students with special needs elsewhere on the Island, won overwhelmingly positive support from more than 30 families at a meeting at the Child Development Center of the Hamptons on Feb. 10. It had been called in anticipation of the State University’s Charter School Institute giving him approval to take over the school’s management.

C.D.C.H. would be Mr. Gersh’s first foray into  charter schools, though not his first program that blends general education and special education students in an inclusion setting. He is the founder of the Gersh Academy schools for students with autism and the co-founder of the West Hills Montessori School. News of his potential management takeover came to light about two weeks ago. 

 Mr. Gersh told parents that the  major challenge would be adding enough pupils to keep the school afloat. His goal for next year is attracting 25 new students, he said, while at least 50 more is the ultimate goal. There are now 57 students enrolled, whereas at the school’s peak it had 95.

School officials recently reported C.D.C.H.’s finances had leveled following a troubled year in which it lost at least $350,000. Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, the Old Bethpage not-for-profit that has managed the school for many years, has been handling many of its expenses, and toward the end of 2015 began looking for a new entity to manage the school.

Revenue for the school comes from tuition paid by the public school districts from which its students come, which varies widely based on those districts’ average per-pupil costs. Students in the general education program may come from districts within a 15-mile radius of C.D.C.H., while students in special education may come from within a 50-mile radius.

Parents at the meeting asked Mr. Gersh if he might undertake a summer camp or before and after-school programs for the children of working parents who have trouble finding those services. Others asked him to expand the school through eighth grade. It now serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

“There’s nothing we can’t do. . . . We are an organization that is child-first,” Mr. Gersh said.

Kevin Fleming of Riverhead, who has a son at C.D.C.H., said after the meeting that he was ecstatic that Mr. Gersh may be coming in. Mr. Fleming and his wife, Janice, had looked at the Gersh Academy in West Hempstead for their son, who has special needs, but the private school tuition put it out of reach.

“C.D.C.H. was the closest thing to Gersh Academy that we could find,” Mr. Fleming said. “To find this out was just amazing. Absolutely phenomenal. We know that this is going to be an asset to the community. We’re looking forward to it. C.D.C.H. is doing an amazing job with our son, and to have Kevin Gersh come along is just a win-win.”

Maria Ortiz of East Hampton, whose son recently transferred to C.D.C.H. from the John M. Marshall Elementary School, said she had confidence in Mr. Gersh. “Everything is going to be better for the children,” Ms. Ortiz said.

Fiona Fleming of Sag Harbor, who also has a son at C.D.C.H. and who recently joined its board of directors, said, “Once we get our name out, and with this organization helping us, we’ll have a lot more enrollment.”

The meeting was conducted bilingually for those whose first language is Spanish. Sheila Fridman, the co-founder and executive director of the Gersh International Puerto Rico schools, was the translator.

Mr. Gersh said his inspiration to provide excellent education for children came from his own background as a student with special needs. In a recent interview, he said he has dyslexia and attention deficit disorder, and found school very difficult. In fact, he said, he had attended seven different colleges, but could not graduate.

“Basically, the goal is to customize the learning process around children’s strengths and weaknesses. You support them where they’re weak and push them where they’re strong, instead of teaching children all the same way like the way I was taught,” he said.

“My life is education. That’s what I do, I educate children,” he said. “I saw an amazing opportunity to bring quality service to the East End of Long Island.”