The East Hampton School District has prevailed in a salary dispute with Charles Soriano, who was named principal of the district’s middle school in the summer of 2012.

Mr. Soriano had been an assistant district superintendent, and the shift resulted in a base salary decrease of about $25,000, down to $180,000. He sought to have his previous salary restored, with his attorney arguing that the decrease went against tenure rules. In a decision announced on Nov. 26, MaryEllen Elia, the commissioner of the New York State Education Department, disagreed.

“We successfully argued that the middle school principal position was in the same tenure area . . . as the formerly held central administration position and thus the district was not required to gain Mr. Soriano’s consent to the transfer from the one to the other [lesser paying] position,” Kevin Seaman, the attorney representing the district, said in an email.

Richard Hamburger, Mr. Soriano’s attorney, said he continues to believe his client “was legally protected from a salary decrease when he was reassigned. . . .  Tenure is toothless if tenure protection only extends to occupancy of a position, and not to the salary that a tenured administrator is earning in that position,” he wrote in an email.

Mr. Hamburger said his client was deciding whether to appeal the commissioner’s decision.

The East Hampton School Board has made the 2016-17 budgeting process official. At its meeting on Nov. 4, the board approved key dates and decided to take a line-by-line approach. Dates were set for reviews of each school building administration’s proposed budgets in December, reviews of departments’ proposed budgets in January, and seven work sessions between Jan. 26 and April 12.

Rich Burns, the superintendent, said that in the past few years “we really went through all the pens, paper, and pencils in the budget.” He said he was not sure a line-by-line analysis would yield any results since the bulk of the district’s major expenses, such as salaries and health benefits, are contractual.

Jackie Lowey, a school board member, said the line-by-line approach was “an enormous time draw” but pushed for it anyway, saying “there’s enormous credibility with the community” when it is done that way. “This year is going to be an enormously difficult year,” she said. “I think the public needs to see this discussion.” J.P. Foster, the school board president, agreed. “We owe it to the public, as painful as it can be. . . . It’s like showing your work on a test.” Rich Wilson, another school board member, said, “We always find something by going line-by-line.”

The board also heard a brief update on the lawsuit between the East Hampton School District and Sandpebble Builders, for which jury selection was to have begun last Thursday. Mr. Burns called the situation “out of our control” and said a judge had adjourned the case until December or January for reasons that were so far unclear. He said several subpoenas had been issued and that several members of the administration had expected to be in court before the adjournment was announced. An executive school board session was held prior to Tuesday’s special meeting to discuss the litigation.

Also approved at the meeting was a trip to Nicaragua in April 2016 for 15 students in the buildOn club, a service club connected to a nonprofit organization that builds schools in developing countries. Last year, East Hampton students built a school in Senegal. The trip will be the third for East Hampton High School students, who raise all the money needed for travel and necessary supplies. Last year that totaled more than $100,000, although this year it will amount to about $59,000.

“It’s really taken off,” the principal, Adam Fine, said. “This community builds these schools.”

The school board also approved a trip for the 40 students in the high school orchestra to a music competition in Boston in May. The timing means students will not miss any classes, which Bob Tymann, assistant superintendent for instruction, said is significant because the district often has to struggle with balancing overnight field trips with missing class time. Troy Grindle, the district’s music coordinator, called the opportunity “a very special one.”

Update, Nov. 16: The date of the walk has been changed to Nov. 28. For more details, click here. 

Originally: The Tyler Project will hold a walk for awareness and the prevention of suicide next Thursday at 3:30 p.m. starting at East Hampton Middle School.

The walking route will go to Main Beach, where participants can take a bus back to the starting point. The sign-up fee is a suggested donation of $20, which includes a T-shirt. Educational literature pertaining to mental health and community resources will be available at the event.

“This is to let everyone know why this matters,” said Valinda Valcich, who founded the Tyler Project in memory of her son, Tyler, who took his own life in May 2014. The Tyler Project’s first walk for awareness was held last November.

Heritage Day

The Children’s Museum of the East End will help families celebrate their roots with a Heritage Day parade on Saturday at noon. Leading up to the parade, kids have been invited to float-making workshops, tomorrow from 3 to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. The cost is $10, free for members.

At the Libraries

Future babysitters, take note: The East Hampton Library will hold a three-hour training course for grades six through nine, teaching the skills necessary to take on the responsibility of caring for young children. A course certification will be provided for those who take part in the workshop, which is scheduled for Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m.

Kids 4 and older can explore the work of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright and try their hands at Navajo sand-painting this week at the library. Tomorrow at 4, youngsters will have the chance to design and build a model structure inspired by the famous architect, using natural materials. On Tuesday at 4, they can use sticks, rocks, sand, and glue to make a Navajo-style work of art. Advance registration is required for all programs.

On Saturday, Sarah Shepherd, known as the Island Herbalist, will bring her know-how to the Amagansett Library, where she will lead families with kids 3 to 12 in making an herbal craft at 3:30 p.m.

Corn husks will be the tool of choice during a painting workshop for ages 4 and up at the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton tomorrow. On Tuesday, kids the same age will use tissue paper and water to make a work of art. Both programs begin at 4:30 p.m.

Shinnecock Dance and Craft

Shinnecock dance and craft will be the focus of the morning at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton on Saturday. First the Shinnecock Dancers will give an interactive performance in native attire at 10:30 a.m. Then, at 11:30, Shinnecock educators will teach kids to make corn husk dolls and explain the significance of this traditional craft. Admission to each program is $15, including museum admission, or $2 for museum members.

A Focus on Food

At the East Hampton Library on Tuesday, kids 4 and up will look ahead to Thanksgiving in a cookie-decorating workshop at 4 p.m. The library’s family movie this afternoon at 4:30 is “Inside Out.” Next Thursday’s family film will be “Tomorrowland.”

In Montauk, apple pie will be on the menu on Saturday. In a family cooking class from 2:30 to 4 p.m., participants will make a pie that they can take home to bake.

College Advice for Immigrants

Immigrant teenagers thinking ahead to college will find some advice and helpful information tailored specifically to their situations next Thursday at the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton. The College and Beyond workshop begins at 6 p.m. Advance registration has been requested.

Jazz and Tap Workshop

Young dancers, get your tap shoes ready. On Saturday, Jason Samuels Smith and Sue Samuels of the Jazz Roots Dance Company will lead a jazz and tap workshop for young people and adults at the Southampton Cultural Center. The workshop runs from 3 to 5 p.m. and costs $20 for those under 18, $35 for older dancers. Those who attend have been asked to take tap and jazz shoes.

Later, at 6 p.m., the professional dancers will offer a public performance, with a discount for workshop attendees. Those under 18 get in free; those over 18 pay $20.

Our Fabulous Variety Show is accepting applications for its annual scholarship competition, which is open to high school seniors on the South Fork who have a background in the performing arts.

In its announcement this week, Our Fabulous Variety Show said the goal of its scholarship program was “to ensure that students from the performing arts achieve their goals while pursuing their degrees.”

To apply, a student must fill out an application form, include a one-page resume, and write an essay of between 500 and 750 words that addresses one of three topics: “How do the performing arts affect education and community?” “How have you benefited from the performing arts?” or “How will the performing arts be part of your future?”

A letter of recommendation from a teacher or professional colleague is also required, submitted to the organization at ourfabulousvarietyshow@ gmail.com.

Application forms may be found online at ourfabulousvarietyshow.org. The deadline to submit applications is Nov. 15. They may be sent in by email or physical mail to Our Fabulous Variety Show, P.O. Box 2424, Southampton 11969.

The winner of the scholarship will be announced on Dec. 5, following the 7:30 p.m. performance of “A Spectacular Christmas Carol” at the John Drew Theater at Guild Hall in East Hampton

The Sag Harbor School District released more details yesterday about its possible purchase of the old Stella Maris School property, amid some public frustration over the lack of information to date.

The classrooms in the old building have been found to be of adequate size and structurally sound in accordance with New York State Education Department codes, Katy Graves, the district superintendent, said yesterday. Initially, she said, there was concern that the classrooms might be too small.

The district has received a three-part analysis of the former parochial school building from Roger Smith of BBS Architects and Engineers, including what it would cost to stabilize it if it is not found to be structurally intact; how much it would take to bring it up to current state building code, and its potential uses for the district.

“The moment children step in the door it’s a game-changer. New York State has very, very strict standards,” Ms. Graves said.

“The important point is, this is an opportunity. It may not be an opportunity we want to follow, but it is an opportunity we need to explore pursuing at this time. We’re not going to see a school building in Sag Harbor become available ever again.”

She indicated that the district might have more to say within the next two weeks. If a significant sector of the community supports the purchase, Ms. Graves said, a bond referendum could be held as early as February.

Stella Maris, originally known as St. Andrew’s Parish School, was founded by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary in 1877. It closed at the end of the 2010-11 school year after a sharp decline in enrollment left the school in the red. The Star reported in May 2011 that its debt had reached nearly half a million dollars.

The most recent asking price for the property was $3.5 million.

Stella Maris has been the topic of at least five executive sessions of the Sag Harbor School Board since mid-July, when officials had it appraised; that figure has not been released. In August, Ms. Graves said the district would launch “an investigation” to collect feedback from taxpayers, families, Sag Harbor educators, and school leaders from neighboring districts. The most recent executive session was held on Tuesday.

There has been no public discussion of the proposal to date. School officials met yesterday with an outspoken critic, Jim Sanford, a resident who lost a bid for a school board seat in May and who subsequently joined the district’s facilities planning committee. Mr. Sanford has said that the school administration needs to justify a possible purchase. In a phone conversation on Tuesday, he said the acqusition would put too much stress on an already tight budget, and that he wanted to see “a stated need.”

“With student enrollment flat or down, and no discussion of overcrowding at the schools as any problem, I don’t understand what the use of this building is going to be,” Mr. Sanford said. “They’ve used $11,500 on an architect and diverted buildings and grounds [staff members] to work on it. They’re very serious about this, yet they say it’s too early for a public discussion. I have a tough time wrapping my arms around that fact.”

According to Robert Freeman, executive director of the state’s Committee on Open Government, if the public is already aware that a school board is considering buying a property, then publicity might not substantially affect the purchase.

“When you’re negotiating, the last thing you want to do is tell the world. The rug will be pulled out from under you, you won’t be able to make the best deal,” Mr. Freeman said. “But if the parcel is known, how can publicity affect that?”

“The fact that a governmental entity is involved in a real estate transaction or potential real estate transaction doesn’t automatically provide the basis for conducting an executive session,” he explained. “It involves common sense. ‘What would happen if we had to discuss this issue in public’? If the answer is, ‘Gee, this would hurt,’ maybe there is a basis.”

Asked whether a public discussion would be detrimental to negotiations, Ms. Graves said that was “a complete unknown” right now. “We have been keeping this in executive session because we are gathering the information we need to potentially negotiate on behalf of the public for a potential real estate transaction,” she said.

The district has invested taxpayer money into the process, she added, and the executive sessions protect that investment. “We wouldn’t want other folks that might be looking at that property to then have that information available to them,” Ms. Graves said.

New security procedures went into effect yesterday in the Sag Harbor School District, according to an announcement posted on the district’s website.

“To proactively ensure the safety of our students, faculty, and staff and to create the best new building safety plan, we brought in a series of companies to audit our security systems and procedures,” the announcement reads. “Using their recommendations and our own research, we built on our existing security strengths and have been working to complete several safety upgrades to each of our buildings over the summer and into this fall.”

Upon their first visit to the school, visitors will now be asked for photo identification, and a security system will store the information. Upon subsequent visits, people will only have to give their names to receive a visitor’s tag. Large events, such as sports games or theater performances, will not require this check-in process.

About 70 more security cameras have been installed throughout both school buildings, and the school administration has also developed an “enhanced lockdown system” for use in both practice drills and real emergencies. The system “provides an added level of protection and incorporates an array of tools to safeguard our schools from outside dangers,” according to the district. It can be activated through alarm buttons that have been installed in various places, and through a cellphone app used by administrators, and it generates public address announcements and emergency instruction messages for students and staff members.

More water, temperature, and carbon monoxide sensors have also been added.

“Our children are safest when everyone complies with and supports the procedures we have in place,” the district said in its announcement

Dillon Kab isn’t waiting until she graduates from college — or even high school — to jump-start her career in the world of business management.

The Ross School senior has launched her own business, called Connecs, in which she carries out fund-raising campaigns for nonprofit organizations — as if taking Advanced Placement classes, playing varsity volleyball and for a soccer league outside of school, applying for colleges, and serving as a class representative in the student government weren’t enough to keep her busy.

Through Connecs, Dillon creates fund-raising campaigns and marketing plans for nonprofits, including merchandising, website development, and social media. She runs the fund-raisers, too, and donates 85 percent of what she collects to the organization. The remaining 15 percent funds the business side of things, such as printed promotional materials and Internet hosting. She even runs two websites on her own, including connecs.net, her company’s main website.

Dillon’s first project is Ties for a Cure to benefit the Max Cure Foundation, which supports pediatric cancer patients and their families at the Stony Brook University Cancer Center. Selling designer ties that were given to her for her project, she has donated $2,000 so far to Max Cure, a charity introduced to her by her father.

Next up, Dillon has her sights set on helping the Curing Retinal Blindness Foundation, an organization founded by a family member who has children affected by that genetic disorder. For that project, Dillon is searching for a sponsor to donate goods or services she can sell in the same way she is selling the designer ties.

“So far, I’ve been constantly busy,” Dillon said. “But because I love what I’m doing and I’m giving back, I feel good and I get something back from my hard work.”

The effort is part of her senior project at the school, which requires each of its students to complete an in-depth project in an area of interest such as civics, arts, or science.

The senior project is “always daunting but really exciting,” said Dillon, who hopes to attend New York University’s Stern School of Business next year. “As you grow up here, you find out what you’re interested in. For me, it’s business.”

It’s fair to say business acumen runs in the family. Dillon is the daughter of Patricia and Vyto Kab, a pair of entrepreneurs who founded several businesses, including SleepTech, a polysomnography practice that had 18 hospital-based locations in New York before they sold the company in 2004. A former professional football player, Mr. Kab was a tight end with the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants in the 1980s. The family lives in Southampton.

“Dillon is a born leader. She has been like that since she was little,” Ms. Kab said. “She is very determined, and when she puts her mind to something, she gets it done.”

The idea of connecting business with nonprofits is called social entrepreneurship, and it’s a subject Dillon said she first learned from her parents’ charitable work. She later signed up for an elective in social entrepreneurship taught by Carrie Clark, who is Dillon’s senior project mentor. Ms. Clark said her student’s idea is a unique one.

“We’ve had a lot of students interested in business . . . but very few students have been able to actually execute on a business idea, so it certainly stands out that way,” Ms. Clark said of Dillon’s project. “She has been so great about putting together so many moving parts in an innovative way.”

A plan is in place to plant new trees to replace the seven that were removed last month from Pierson Hill in Sag Harbor.

All seven were deemed dangerous because they were in poor condition and could have been an insurance liability, according to Katy Graves, superintendent of the Sag Harbor School District. She said some were diseased, some were infested with insects, and others had had their root systems compromised. An eighth tree originally identified as hazardous was saved through some careful pruning and maintenance.

Ms. Graves said in the future the district would be budgeting more money for the regular care and maintenance of the district’s trees on both of its campuses. Those that had been removed — four Norway maples, two black oaks, and one black locust tree — will be replaced with purchased or donated trees.

“We’ve already had people step forward who are interested in making donations of trees to be placed in spots where we lost trees,” Ms. Graves said by phone on Friday. “People love our Pierson Hill. They value it and understand the historic value of it and the beauty of it, but they want it sustained for generations to come.”

Four separate arborists and tree-removal experts evaluated the trees at Pierson Middle-High School. They also examined those at Sag Harbor Elementary and deemed them safe.

The Pierson trees were first identified as a problem several months ago after a particularly windy storm brought one down. “I think there was a lot of anxiety when the first tree came down,” Ms. Graves said. “I was fielding a lot of questions from families.”

Eric Bramoff, the district’s director of facilities, said the work was completed for just over $20,000 during early September, before students returned to school. “Everyone understood how pressing an issue it was,” he said. “I think the community at large is interested in seeing how we’re going to replace them, and we have a plan in place going forward.”