The Bridgehampton School District is facing about a 55-percent jump in transportation costs for the 2016-17 school year, while also facing contractual increases for teacher salaries, health care, and pensions. At its meeting on Jan. 27, the school board heard the news and pledged to think creatively and ask the community for suggestions on how to get around such a big increase for busing.

Bridgehampton has projected the cost of transportation to be $718,123 next year, up from $455,847. The figure excludes the cost of buses the district obtains through the Board of Cooperative Educational Services, which is also scheduled to go up, from $52,500 to $67,500.

“These numbers are so insane,” Doug DeGroot, a school board member, said.  “How is it not possible to get a better way to do it?”

Robert Hauser, the district business administrator, said that when the district uses private contractors, each bus costs about $60,000. In addition to BOCES buses, the district contracts with the McCoy Bus Company of Bridgehampton and the East Hampton and Sag Harbor School Districts.

“It could be one student on the bus or several,” Mr. Hauser said. “We try to exhaust our options with Sag Harbor, then we try East Hampton. If we can’t contract with one of the local districts, we go to the local contractor.”

The cost of transportation for a student who recently moved into the district and who is deemed to have special needs creates an unusual situation. It was agreed the student could, as before, continue attending the Springs School. As a result, it would cost Bridgehampton about $240,000 in tuition and transportation for the 2016-17 school year. Mr. Hauser said the arrangement has the district’s budget advisory committee considering transportation alternatives, including the purchase of the district’s own buses. Mr. DeGroot objected to that idea while other school board members said it should be explored.

Unlike most school districts, Bridgehampton, which successfully pierced the 2014-15 tax cap, will be able to raise its property tax levy by about 3 percent. The actual increase for each district is based on a number of factors. In Bridgehampton’s case, the increase is higher than the .12 percent the state allows because of certain exemptions and the tax base’s growth, which is the result of new construction and increasing property values in Southampton Town.

As a result, the 3-percent tax cap for Bridgehampton is expected to be one of the highest on Long Island. In dollars, that means the district can increase its tax levy by about $320,000. But the first draft of next year’s budget came to about $1.45 million, which was about 11.3 percent higher than this year’s $12.8 million budget.

“The number we come to, as we discuss it more, should come down,” Mr. Hauser said.

The increases in teacher salaries are due to a .5-percent raise negotiated with the Bridgehampton Teachers Association, along with contractual increases teachers earn for extra training and course work. A 14.4-percent jump in contributions to the New York State teachers retirement system and a 25.6-percent increase in health care costs are also anticipated. However, the district is expecting a small decrease in the state employees’ retirement system, for staff members who are not teachers, and is also expecting to spend less on after-school activities and legal expenses.

“This is our first preliminary budget. We have made literally no cuts to it,” Lois Favre, Bridgehampton’s superintendent, said during the meeting. “It’s just a ‘rollover’ and things we know we need. We’ll bring in budget advisory committee suggestions. We also will have a community forum to gather ideas, as we always do annually.”

That forum is set for March 9, although it may be scheduled earlier.

Winter Rec

Kids who need to burn some extra energy might look to a number of town-sponsored sports clinics that start next week at the Sportime Arena in Amagansett.

Mondays will bring flag football for 6 to 12-year-olds from 5 to 6 p.m. On Tuesdays there will be an inline skating clinic for ages 4 to 9 from 5 to 6 p.m. and a roller hockey clinic for ages 6 to 12 from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays will bring multisport activities for 3 to 5-year-olds from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m.

Friday night dodgeball for ages 6 to 12 starts on Feb. 12, from 4 to 5. On Saturdays starting Feb. 13 it’ll be soccer for 5 to 12-year-olds from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and baseball for ages 6 to 12 from 11 a.m. to noon. Each clinic runs for eight weeks and costs $125. Registration is at Sportime, at 320 Abraham’s Path.

Shark Peek

How do shark researchers get close enough to study their animal of choice? Greg Metzger, a marine biologist and marine science educator who studies sharks, will talk about the task and show off some of the equipment he uses as part of the Long Island Shark Collaboration during a program Saturday for kids 6 and up at the South Fork Natural History Museum. He’ll explain what can be learned by looking at shark teeth and let kids try on a fighting belt and clip into one of the shark rods used to reel in a shark for research. The adventure begins at 10:30 a.m.

Later that day, at 1 p.m., families can head to Poxabogue Park in Sagaponack for a winter exploration and scavenger hunt with the museum’s Crystal Possehl. On Sunday at 10:30 a.m., Melanie Mead will lead a family program on all the crystals found in nature, from sugar to gemstones. There is a $3 fee for the materials needed for a crystal art project.

Advance registration is required for all programs.

Year of the Monkey

The Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton will celebrate the Chinese New Year, and the upcoming year of the monkey, on Saturday with a workshop for ages 3 to 7. Kids will learn about the holiday, play games, and make crafts to take home. The fun begins at 10:45 a.m. The cost is $17 including museum admission, $5 for members.

Tomorrow’s Pizza and Pajama Night at the museum will include a reading of Peter Brown’s “Mr. Tiger Goes Wild.” The program runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and is free for members, $10 for others. Reservations are required as space often fills up in advance.

Library Love

The East Hampton Library will give high school students a chance to take a practice A.C.T. on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. An ACT tutor will administer the test.

Saturday is also Take Your Child to the Library Day, and for little ones 4 and up that means songs, music, and parachute play from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m.

Whether you’re into Valentine’s Day or totally against it, the library will have you covered next week. Kids in sixth through eighth grade can decorate fortune cookies and make candy kabobs from 4:45 to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. On Friday, Feb. 12, the library will host an Un-Valentine’s Day party for high schoolers, who can expect snacks and celebrity darts among other fun from 3 to 5 p.m.

Legos, Stop-Motion

Families can work together to make Lego windmills on Friday, Feb. 12, at the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill. Stephen W. Schwartz, an architect with SWS Architects in Livingston, N.J., and Building Blocks Workshops will take 70,000 Lego blocks to the Parrish for this building event from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. There is no cost for children and students.

A few spaces may still be available in tomorrow evening’s family workshop at the Parrish, this one on stop-motion animation. Instructors from the Good School will lead people in making short animated films, from designing sets to creating characters and plotlines.

Advance registration is required, as workshops often fill up.

The Parrish’s Student Show

The Parrish Art Museum’s Student Exhibition, featuring work by more than 1,000 students, will open with a reception for younger children on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. There will be comedy, juggling, balloons by Jester Jim, and hot cocoa and cookies to enjoy while exploring the show, which will be on view through Feb. 28. Admission is free, as are a number of family activities offered while the exhibition is up.

It will include collaborative works by students from 38 schools and original field drawings by participants in Parrish workshops with the artist Alexis Rockman. The first of these is a stop-motion animation workshop with artists from the Good School on Friday, Feb. 5, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Participants will design sets and characters and create a plot for their own short films. Reservations are required. A reception for high school artists will be held on Feb. 6.

Looking ahead to the February break, the Parrish will offer art workshops in a range of mediums from Feb. 15 through 19 for children 4 and older. Workshops for ages 4 to 6 will run from 10 a.m. to noon; those for kids 7 and up run from 1 to 3 p.m. The cost is $40, $30 for members, and advance registration is a must.

Guild Hall Reception Redo

A reception for Guild Hall’s Student Arts Festival Part I has been rescheduled from last Saturday to this Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. Student performers will take the stage in the John Drew Theater, and visitors can explore the show of work by students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Admission is free.

February Theater Camp

Registration is under way for My Life: The Musical, a theater camp for ages 8 to 12 that will run at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor during the February school break.

Ava Locks, the theater’s director of education, will oversee the five-day camp, which will be taught by Emily Selyukova and Paul Hartman. Ms. Locks has worked Off Broadway, in regional theater, and in television and film. Ms. Selyukova, a Pierson High School graduate, is pursuing an acting career. Mr. Hartman, also a graduate of Pierson, is headed to Berlin in the spring to study and pursue a career in musical theater.

Campers will work on acting, singing, dance, and performance skills while also learning some musical theater history. The camp will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Feb. 15 through 19 and will culminate in a performance for family and friends that Friday. The cost is $425; advance sign-up is required.

The Ross School recently announced it has earned accreditation from the New York State Association of Independent Schools and reaccreditation from the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools.

In a news release, school administrators said the recognition “provides external validation of an accredited school’s accomplishments in specific areas of expertise and enables schools to take accreditation to the next level.”

In both instances, the accreditation was the culmination of initial self-review and then comprehensive external review and on-site visits. Accreditation was based on many criteria, including curriculum, student life and activities, health and safety, school organization, faculty and leadership, and facilities.

The Middle States Association also recognized the Ross School as a “program of distinction in global literacies,” which is an updated version of the Middle States Association’s previous “international credential,” which Ross first received in 2005.

Music, Drama, Dance

The weather may have another plan for Saturday, but if all goes according to schedule, Guild Hall will hold a reception that afternoon from 2 to 4 for the first part of its Student Arts Festival, which features the work of students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The afternoon will feature performances by the Amagansett School chorus, the school’s recess drama club, and the East Hampton Middle School dance team as well as individual musicians.

The show is up through Feb. 21, and the museum is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5. Admission is free. The downstairs studios will be open all day for children up to eighth grade to work on projects after touring the show.

To the Stage!

Kate Mueth and the Neo-Political Cowgirls will gallop into Guild Hall’s John Drew Theater to offer a monthlong performance workshop for girls 8 to 12 and 13 to 15 starting on Feb. 2.

Participants will create their own site-specific dance theater pieces while also using journal work and theater games to get comfortable on the stage. The class, according to a release, “will focus on monologues and creative physical staging.”

It will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays through March 3 from 4:30 to 6 p.m., with a final performance planned for March 7 at 7 p.m. The cost is $230, $220 for members, and advance registration is required by phone or with [email protected].

Family Yoga, Computer Coding

Families can stretch their muscles and calm their minds during a family yoga class at the Amagansett Library on Saturday at 2 p.m. with Leigh Anne Eberle. A computer coding class on Tuesday at 4 p.m. will have kids in second through sixth grade learning the basics of Scratch programming. Advance sign-up has been requested for both programs.

Clay Arts to Teen Nights

Ruby Jackson, a Sag Harbor artist, will lead 2 to 4-year-olds as they make their own homemade clay and then create what they will on Wednesday from 11 to 11:45 a.m. at the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor.

Wally the dog will be on hand at the library to help young readers 5 to 12 practice their skills on Saturday at 11 a.m. Advance registration has been requested.

Friday nights are teen nights at the library, and tomorrow from 6:30 to 9 John Jermain kicks off its first monthly teen trivia night. Pizza and snacks will be offered, and computers will be available for use.

SoFo’s Starry Night

The South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton has a family exploration and scavenger hunt planned for Poxabogue Park in Sagaponack on Saturday at 10 a.m., weather permitting.

A night-sky program at the museum on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. will include a reading of Steve Tomecek’s “Stars” and a starry night craft for ages 3 to 5. There is a $3 materials fee in addition to museum entry. The museum has asked that people sign up in advance for both programs.

That the Springs School District is likely to ask taxpayers to approve a bond for repairs or the expansion of its school building became evident this week as officials said they were close to hiring a new architect and construction manager for a potential capital project. What to do about the overcrowded and aging building has been under discussion for two years.

Carl Fraser, the district’s interim business administrator, mentioned the possibility of a referendum multiple times during Monday’s school board meeting, and identified next fall as the potential time for it.

Liz Mendelman, the school board president, confirmed after the meeting that the district would probably have a bond referendum. She referred to a survey completed by members of the district’s facilities committee in September, which indicated strong support among its members for a referendum, although the committee did not present that finding to the board.

“The survey results show the group did reach consensus that we did need to go to a bond referendum. I think that gives us a good direction to move in,” Ms. Mendelman said.

While the facilities committee had briefly discussed capital projects estimated at costing between $15 million and $20 million during a series of meetings between May and September, Ms. Mendelman said on Monday, in response to a question, that no specific amount is on the table.

Eight architectural firms and five construction management firms replied to the district’s most recent call for proposals. Among the architects is BBS, the Patchogue firm that has already presented the district with some design concepts. Also among the firms that responded to the request was Sandpebble Builders, the Southampton company that has sued the East Hampton School District alleging wrongful termination of a construction contract.

Mr. Fraser said Monday that the timeline for choosing an architect needed to be pushed into February because he and other school officials spent a great deal of time interviewing six potential architects, more than had been anticipated.

“We’re doing our due diligence by bringing back three or four finalists for a second interview, doing field work with these folks, and also ensuring that the fees they have provided are in fact their best,” Mr. Fraser said. The firms’ references will also be checked and a “concept committee” is likely to begin looking at actual designs in March.

This discussion Monday night was followed by another contentious public comment session, during which some residents and a former employee clashed with others, including a former school board member, over issues such as fiscal transparency, allegedly harsh treatment of certain employees, the process by which the superintendent was hired and his salary and work record, and the overall tenor of the district and board meetings.

Similar to their reaction during the Dec. 14 school board meeting, the board and administration did not respond to controversial claims made during the meeting. Ms. Mendelman also declined to comment yesterday, citing confidentiality related to personnel and legal matters.

“Some people feel you are ripping them off . . . and it’s going to hurt our kids, so it better change quick,” said Debra Foster, a resident and former school board and East Hampton Town Board member.

Michelle Grant, a parent of two students, told the board that she had not heard negative things that other residents say are being bandied about. “I hear a lot of very happy people that are still happy with the school,” she said.

Tracey Frazier, a fifth-grade Springs School teacher who is married to the board’s vice president, Tim Frazier, said the situation was like a bad divorce. “I understand that in these personal issues that are being presented to us there are two sides. I hope they work it out,” she said. “ I think that the most important thing that this meeting, this community, this forum, deserve is respect and presenting both sides of the issues.”

“It may be a bad divorce,” Tatiana Tucci, a former clerical employee, told the school board and administration, “but your lack of transparency leads to a lot of issues. As an employee, I approached you with my concerns, and I was shut down and the doors were closed.”

John Grant, who in June finished his sixth year on the school board, defended his former colleagues. “The attitude, the way things are brought to the forefront here, and the way things are asked is impossible to comprehend,” he said. “There is not some conspiracy theory happening here. There are no agendas.”

An audience member interrupted him just then, saying, “How do you know?”

A $2,000 donation from the Springs School PTA has enabled the school district to expand its library media program with the purchase of a three-dimensional printer and a related set of learning materials.

“It’s going to be awesome,” William Hallman, the library media specialist, said at the Dec. 14 meeting of the Springs School Board, when the PTA’s donation was announced. “The great thing about the printer is that it comes with a curriculum. It’s fun, but it’s not going to be just for fun.”

The printer is a Konica Minolta brand with a curriculum called STEAM Trax, which refers to “science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.” STEAM Trax includes kits for students in grades three through eight. Mr. Hallman said Springs will begin with kits for eighth graders and then add one grade per year after that. Examples of printer projects tied to lessons include making shells for hermit crabs and modeling coastal barriers such as seawalls for topographical maps.

“There are so many things you can do other than making figurines or covers for your phone,” he said.

Springs isn’t the first local school to acquire a 3-D printer. East Hampton has a MakerBot, and Bridgehampton owns two CubeX printers. Judiann Carmack-Fayyaz, who teaches robotics at the Bridgehampton School, said she has found that such printers “have been tricky to use” but are ideal for programs in design and robotics.

Mark Lappin, the president of the Springs PTA, said the money for the printer came from the recent book fair held in Springs. The district is contributing $1,200 toward the printer from its library budget. While Mr. Lappin said he himself has never had the opportunity to try out a 3-D printer, he said his son has done so at East Hampton High School and found it enjoyable.

“I think it’s a good thing,” Mr. Lappin said. “It’s also going to teach the kids coding. That’s one of the highest-paying jobs for kids once they get out of college these days.”

Hundreds of students from East End schools have been rehearsing for the last several weeks for the Hampton Music Educators Association festival concerts. The middle school show is Saturday at 6 p.m. at Southold High School, and the high school show will be on Jan. 23, also a Saturday, at 7:30 p.m. at Eastport-South Manor High School.

Eric Reynolds, a Sag Harbor teacher who heads the Hampton Music Educators Association, said this year’s middle school show will feature traditional melodies and rhythms of the sub-Saharan African cultures. The choir selections include spirituals, Western classical vocal works, and lighter, jazzier fare. The high school band will perform more contemporary symphonic selections, along with an original piece titled “Returning Home” by the band conductor, Chris Bernotas, a teacher from Mountain Lakes High School in New Jersey.

Mr. Reynolds said the concerts are meaningful for several reasons, including opportunities for new friendships, new skills, and access to scholarships.

“The festivals provide an educational and social opportunity that they may not have experienced otherwise,” he said in an email. “Our students experience performing in ensembles that may double, triple, and even quadruple the size of their school ensembles. Our H.M.E.A. students find this experience to be excitingly challenging, musically enriching, and personally rewarding.”

About 350 students from 18 middle schools and more than 300 students from 10 high schools will take part in the performances. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 10 and younger, and can be purchased at the door.

A Dec. 31 article in The Star, “A Garden Grows in Bridgehampton,” and a subsequent correction inaccurately stated the ownership of property that may soon be leased to the Bridgehampton School.

A parcel to the east of the school, at Montauk Highway and Lockwood Lane, is owned by Francis J. Francese, Susan Nanovic Flannery, Paul J. Pinto, Nancy M. Flannery, and John M. Flannery. It is managed by the Hampton Classic, which has the authority to maintain it or find someone to do so, which led to its offer of a three-year lease to the school, which is interesred in expanding its gardening program.

The owners of a parcel to the west, more adjacent to the school, is owned by two trusts, the Anthony S. Babinski, Jr. Revocable Trust and the Theresa G. Babinski Revocable Trust. The school district initially announced during a recent school board meeting that it would be leasing that parcel, too, but was in error. It was discovered that that property is not manged by the Classic and was not part of the lease offer.

Previously, it was leased to Small Potato Nursery, which sells topiary and Christmas trees and recently planted sunflowers. Small Potato has expressed concern that it would lose its space if the school obtained a lease, and it has consulted an attorney. A follow-up article will be published in a future issue.

Student Art Show Opens

The first part of Guild Hall’s annual Student Arts Festival, featuring work by students in kindergarten through eighth grade, will open on Saturday. The colorful showcase of student talent will be on view through Feb. 21.

The museum is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5. There will be free open studio time for children up to eighth grade all day on Saturdays and Sundays. A reception is planned for Jan. 23.

PechaKucha for Teens

The Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill is planning a teen version of its popular lightning-round PechaKucha talks in February and is accepting applications through tomorrow from teens interested in presenting 20 slides, each of which they can discuss for 20 seconds.

Ten teens will be chosen to present talks on Feb. 26. To submit an entry, prospective speakers have been asked to send three sample images in JPG format, along with a one-paragraph description of the presentation topic, by email to [email protected]. Applicants must include the name of the school they attend and their grade level.

Live From the Red Planet

Families can get an inside look at Martian landscapes and the work of NASA’s Curiosity Rover during a presentation this afternoon at 4 at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton. Horton Newsom, a professor of geochemistry and Mars Science Laboratory researcher, will join participants via Skype for a discussion about the Red Planet, and kids will get to watch a live video feed from the planet’s surface. The cost is $10 and includes museum entry. Members get in free.

On Saturday at the museum, kids 3 to 7 can listen to a reading of Wong Herbert Yee’s “Tracks in the Snow” at 10 a.m. and then learn how to make air-dry clay “tracks.” The program costs $17 including admission, $5 for members.

Reservations are required for both.

Yellowgold Alights

Morgan Taylor’s “Gustafer Yellowgold,” a multimedia performance centered on a creature who comes to Earth from the sun, will land at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor on Saturday at 11 a.m. The production is part of the Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre productions and is ideal for children of all ages. Tickets cost $15 through the Bay Street box office.

On Sunday at 2 p.m., the theater will screen the 2015 animated film “Inside Out,” about a girl whose emotions are all conflicted after a move to a new city. Tickets cost $5.

Library Action

Fiorella Vassallo, a local artist, will work with kids at the Montauk Library on Saturday at 2 p.m. to create a kid-size winter wonderland mural that will be displayed through the rest of the season. Those wishing to take part must register in advance with the circulation desk and wear painting clothes.

At the Amagansett Library, kids can speak up and speak out during a Lions Roar story time on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. After a reading of Michelle Knudsen’s “Library Lion,” kids will work on a craft celebrating Martin Luther King’s Birthday. Materials for a drop-in paper flower craft will be on hand at the library all day on Sunday.

The East Hampton Library has three movies on the schedule for the younger set this weekend. The classic “Mary Poppins” will be screened for families this afternoon at 4:30. On Tuesday there will be a teen screening of “Avatar” in 3-D at 4 p.m. Next Thursday, families can get lost in “Tangled” at 4:30 p.m.

Kids in grades six through eight can enjoy cupcakes while chatting about new books during a book club gathering on Wednesday at 4:45 p.m.