Although a handful of East End schools have experienced various degrees of administrative turmoil in the last academic year, the Springs School community was unprepared for the chaos last week when both its principal and assistant principal went missing.

    Eric Casale, the principal, was whisked away to Southampton Hospital by ambulance last Thursday morning, after reportedly complaining of chest pains. Dominic Mucci, the district superintendent, who serves on a part-time basis, confirmed this week that Mr. Casale is now on sick leave, but said he hoped the principal would be able to return sometime next week. It was “up to his doctor to decide this,” Mr. Mucci said. Attempts to reach Mr. Casale were not returned.

     Adding to the confusion, Mr. Casale’s emergency departure occurred one day after what turned out to be the assistant principal’s, Katherine Byrnes’s, last day at the school. This came as a shock to parents, with many describing her exit as urgent and abrupt.

    At an unannounced special meeting of the Springs School Board yesterday, which convened at 7:30 a.m., the board accepted her resignation unanimously. No members of the public were present.

     Dr. Byrnes, who was hired for a three-year probationary period in August and paid a salary of $120,000, not including benefits, oversaw special education, managed issues related to discipline, evaluated teachers, and was tasked with reporting such data to New York State officials. She had previously been an elementary assistant principal at North Shore Schools in Sea Cliff.

    According to a North Shore human resources official, Dr. Byrnes had been hired on Aug. 16, 2010, and left the district on June 30, 2012. According to school officials, about 28 special education students have been in a self-contained classroom there this year. The 2013-14 budget for special education, for students from kindergarten through high school, is estimated at $2.5 million.

    “I can’t comment at all. I resigned for personal reasons,” said Dr. Byrnes, when reached by telephone earlier this week. She declined to comment further. 

    Mr. Mucci similarly declined to discuss the specifics of Dr. Byrnes’s sudden departure. Her resignation will be effective on May 31, and she will remain on the district’s payroll until then.

    “Oftentimes decisions that are made are not popular decisions. They may cause a lot of speculation and a lot of concern and confusion,” Mr. Mucci said. “What adds to that concern and confusion is that there are privacy issues at hand and that makes it tougher for the community to understand the whole issue.”

    While Mr. Mucci has repeatedly updated parents concerning Mr. Casale’s whereabouts, until yesterday the school had not announced any details concerning Dr. Byrnes’s departure the previous week.

    An e-mail sent to parents last Thursday night apparently added to the confusion. Although it made no mention of Dr. Byrnes, it introduced Louis Aiello to parents, explaining that he would assume many of her  duties. In the e-mail, Mr. Mucci wrote that Mr. Aiello “will be joining me in providing service and support to our staff and student body.” Subsequently, rumors and accusations ran rampant.

    Finally, at 8:53 a.m. yesterday, following the board’s vote, Mr. Mucci announced Dr. Byrnes’s resignation in another e-mail to parents. He also said he had rearranged his schedule “to be in the district daily until Mr. Casale’s return,” further indicating that Mr. Aiello, a part-time hire, would oversee the special education program. 

    Mr. Aiello is known in Springs, having served as interim director of pupil personnel services and special education during the 2001-2002 school year. He also is the chair of the Southampton School District’s interim committee on special education.

    But for some parents, the e-mail was too little, too late.

    “I wish a letter would have gone out sooner,” said Pat Brabant, a father of four children at the school. “Parents are confused, rumors are flying around, and no one knows what’s going on.”

    “As parents, it’s unsettling that we haven’t heard any communication,” said Adam Wilson, a Springs school board candidate whose son is in the eighth grade. Page Stewart, whose son is also in the eighth grade, was similarly confounded.

    “The lights are on, but nobody’s there,” Ms. Stewart said. She added that she had become incensed after calling the school and was unable to reach anyone, instead hearing an outdated message saying the school was closed due to Hurricane Sandy.

    “It represents the school in a nutshell, given all of the misconduct and lack of professionalism,” Ms. Stewart said. “We don’t have an assistant principal. She’s missing in action, and our principal went to the hospital last week, and there’s been no word on him, either.”

    In a prepared statement, Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, the board president, offered the following: “We wish Dr. Byrnes much success in her future endeavors. We will be hiring a new assistant principal for the 2013-14 school year. We are confident that we will have the position filled by Aug. 1, 2013.”

    When reached prior to Wednesday morning’s meeting, Ms. Burke-Gonzalez refused to comment further, citing issues related to matters of personnel, and saying that on the advice of the school’s attorney, her lips were sealed.

    Meanwhile, questions remain.

    Despite months of haggling over line items in East Hampton School District budget workshops — and more than $1 million in cuts — Tuesday night’s public hearing on next year’s $64.2 million budget was docile. Though the school board normally convenes in the district office, the hearing was relocated to the high school library in anticipation of a larger crowd, but few members of the public turned out. Even fewer spoke up.

    Richard J. Burns, district superintendent, led the audience methodically through a 19-page PowerPoint presentation. In it, he aimed to answer: How did we get here? And how will your tax bill change? Specifically, he addressed an issue that has confounded board members, administrators, and taxpayers alike: the 2 percent tax-levy cap.

     “Two percent is not 2 percent,” Mr. Burns said, explaining that those expenses that are mandated by the state are exempt from the final calculation. “When exemptions are included, 2 percent is actually 5.017 percent,” he said.    However, in order to remain within the 2 percent limit on an increase in the tax levy, which became state law in 2011 and which the board has accomplished when  mandated expenses are not considered, cuts of $1.06 million had been made in the first draft of the budget, which was proposed to the board back in January.

    The bulk of spending cuts centered on personnel reductions (with six teachers given part-time positions and two retirees not replaced). In addition, the driver’s education program will no longer be part of the curriculum, but will be run as a paid program during summers as well as before and after school. East Hampton, Mr. Burns said, had been one of the last remaining districts on Long Island to offer it as an in-house program during school hours.

    Speaking of the overall curriculum, Mr. Burns emphasized that the same courses would be offered next year even though parents can expect to see what he described as a “bump in enrollment.” Nevertheless, he said, course enrollment would “stay in the mid-20 range, which we feel is an effective range educationally.”

    Compared with the $64.2 million budget, the tax levy is $46.7 million, or a difference of nearly $18 million. State aid, tuition, and the district’s fund balance are the other revenue sources. This year’s budget represents a 2.21-percent increase over last year’s $62.8 million budget. Making sure that it was understood that the state cap is not on budgets, but on the increase in tax levies, Mr. Burns said it remained to be seen whether the district would be able to come under the 2-percent cap in future years without decimating essential programs. That fate was only narrowly escaped this past year, according to several board members.

    When it came to prospective tax bills, Mr. Burns noted that the tax levy increase of 5.017 percent would bring an estimated tax rate increase of 2.62 percent. He repeatedly emphasized that the rate was an estimate because they are subject to changes in overall assessed property values. Urging residents to examine their tax bills, he said that if the assessed value of a house is $6,000, next year’s increase would be $152.20. If the assessed value is $8,000, taxpayers can expect a yearly increase of $209.60.

    Coming up next is the vote on the budget and school board election, scheduled for May 21. If the budget were to be defeated, Mr. Burns said the district would have to weigh the “dire” possibility of adopting a contingent budget based on the prior year’s tax levy. To do so would require additional cuts.

     “I’m scared to death if we have to go with the contingent budget and where we’re going to cut $2 million,” Mr. Burns said. “I don’t even want to go down that road yet.”

     Of the budget process as a whole, Jackie Lowey, a board member, offered her assessment. “On a personal level for me, I’m proud of living in a community that’s willing to spend money on education. Last year, we voted to approve our budget and our children have a brighter future and our property values are higher because of the education offered in our district,” she said. “We cut $4 million dollars in the last two years. We worked very hard to eliminate things viewed as wasteful.”

Decoupage Book Collage

    On Wednesday from 4 to 5 p.m., kids can celebrate Children’s Book Week by creating tributes to their favorite books at the East Hampton Library. Children can either take their own picture books or pick one from the library to make collages. The event is open to 4-year-olds and up; those under 7 must be accompanied by an adult. Children ages 4 and up have been invited to build sculptures with cardboard shapes, sticks, beads, and other fun stuff on Friday, May 17, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the library. Creativity will be sparked as kids figure out how to join materials together without using glue.

“Martha Speaks”

    The Children’s Museum of the East End and the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor will jointly present a performance of “Martha Speaks” at the theater on Saturday at 11 a.m. The new musical is based on a series of books and a PBS television series of the same name. The show, which runs about an hour, is recommended for children 5 to 9. Reserved seats cost $15; same-day tickets cost $20.

Bee Themes and Beach Time

    Crystal Possehl, a nature educator, and Lodo the River Otter, her puppet, have invited kids to the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton on Saturday at 1 p.m. for a story about what baby bees look like, how they work together, and what life is like inside a hive. Afterward, children will make their own model bees and take a short nature walk in search of spring blooms. There is a $3 materials fee. Also at the museum, 2 to 4-year-olds can sing and dance to the sounds of the beach to help them heighten their awareness of nature’s own music. On Sunday at 10 a.m., Lindsey Rohrbach will lead children in exploring a beach in East Hampton, where they’ll practice making nature sounds. A story time will complement the morning’s adventure. Enrollment is limited; reservations are required.

Mom Crafts, Authors Panel

    Families will be welcomed at a Mother’s Day-themed story and craft time at the Amagansett Library on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Children can also make decoupage boxes for their mothers. At 6 p.m. that day, in honor of Children’s Book Week, ages 9 to 90 have been invited to a panel discussion at which authors and illustrators of children’s books will describe how curiosity drives their research and inspires their creativity — whether in nonfiction or fiction. The panelists, all with local ties, include Melvin and Gilda Berger, authors of the Scholastic Question and Answer series; Kate and Jim McMullan, the authors of “I Stink!” and “I’m Bad!”; Erica Farber of the “Fish Finelli” series of mystery books set in East Hampton, and Maureen Sherry, whose debut novel, “Walls Within Walls,” is a middle-grade tale of a treasure hunt set in New York City. Those interested in attending have been asked to register in advance.

    The Sag Harbor Elementary School will have an open house on Monday at 6:30 p.m. The evening, whose theme is “a celebration of our children,” will include classroom visits and tours of the school’s gymnasium, computer room, music room, art room, science lab, and library.

    Student-led instrumental and vocal groups will provide entertainment. Guides will be available and tour groups will assemble for school district residents whose children do not currently attend the school.

    The Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies has selected nine graduate students as Andrew Sabin International Environmental Fellows, with each to receive up to $40,000 for postgraduate work.

    The Andrew Sabin Family Foundation created the Sabin Fellowship program at Yale in 2011 to provide scholarship support for students from developing countries, and to provide additional postgraduate awards to those students returning to their home countries. 

    “I am excited to support these dynamic and energetic scholars from around the world through scholarships and by jump-starting their environmental careers,” Mr. Sabin, who lives in Springs, said in a press release.

    “My goal is to lower their debt burden while in school, and then offer a powerful incentive for each of them to return to their home countries and regions as quickly as possible to work on pressing environmental issues. In the long run, I’m hoping to help create a global network of committed young environmental leaders who are tackling tough issues like climate change and biodiversity loss.”

    On Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Dowling College in Oakdale will sponsor its first Latino summit. Its purpose is to expose high school students and their families to college and career opportunities. Activities include a panel discussion with graduates and current students, a campus tour, a workshop on financial aid and scholarships, admissions tutorials, and information regarding immigration laws and regulations.

To R.S.V.P. visit  dowling.edu/latinosummit.

The Arts at Ashawagh

    A Celebration of the Arts, opening at Ashawagh Hall on Tuesday evening, will highlight the Springs School’s visiting artists program, with work by both students and artists from the community who worked with them. Student films will be screened at the opening reception, which will run from 4 to 6 p.m. The show will be on view through next Thursday.

    The visiting artists program is a school community response to budget cuts affecting arts programs, run with the cooperation of the school’s art teacher, Colleen McGowan. A raffle offering a range of prizes from local businesses will raise money to pay the artists who work in the school. Prizes include such things as four weeks of summer art camp at the Ross School, a week at the Pathfinder Day Camp in Montauk, a package of tickets to the Stephen Talkhouse, Guild Hall, or the Bay Street Theatre, and gift certificates for Whitmores, Sportime, Gurney’s Inn and Spa, the Harvest or East by Northeast restaurants in Montauk, Bostwick’s or Indian Wells Tavern, massages, and even teeth whitening.

    Tickets cost $5 each or $20 for five and can be purchased at the Golden Eagle art store in East Hampton, Crazy Monkey Gallery in Amagansett, Round Swamp Farm on Three Mile Harbor Road, or the Springs School. The drawing will be held on May 21 at the spring concert. Winners do not need to attend the concert.

“Grease” Onstage

    The young actors of Stages, a Children’s Theatre Workshop, will bring “Grease” to the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor this weekend, with performances Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2. Tickets cost $15.

    First performed on Broadway in 1972, “Grease” was brought to the big screen in 1978, with Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in the starring roles. The Stages production is directed and choreographed by Helene Leonard and features over 30 actors between the ages of 8 and 18, with musical accompaniment by Amanda Jones on piano and James Benard on percussion and bass.

Nature-Themed Fun Day

    A morning of free hands-on fun and games, arts and crafts, seed planting, a marine touch tank, and guided hikes is in store during a Peconic Family Fun Day on Saturday at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton.

    The activities, which will run from 10 a.m. to noon, aim to teach kids 5 to 10 about water management, sustainable agriculture, recycling, and environmental stewardship. The event is co-sponsored by CMEE, the South Fork Natural History Museum, Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Peconic Estuary Program, EECO Farm, Group for the East End, Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt, the Ross School, Sylvester Manor, and the Peconic Land Trust.

    In addition to the activities at CMEE, the South Fork Natural History Museum across the street will have family nature walks at 10:30 and 11:15 a.m.

May Fair in Sag Harbor

    Our Sons and Daughters School will welcome spring with a May fair open to all in Sag Harbor on Saturday. There will be crafts and games, puppet shows, face painting, and baked goods and snacks from 1 to 3 p.m. at 11 Carroll Street, off the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike and opposite Bay Burger. The event is a fund-raiser for the school, a preschool and kindergarten program inspired by the Waldorf movement. Tickets cost $5, plus extra for crafts and games.

Folk Music and Dance

    A festival of cultures at the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill will feature traditional folk dances and music, family art workshops, and museum tours from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday. The event is free with museum admission, but space is limited, and advance registration has been suggested.

On Cinco de Mayo

    Kids can celebrate the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo on Tres de Mayo, that is, Sunday, at the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton. A fiesta starting at 3 p.m. will include Mexican crafts, a pinata, food, readings, and dancing on the library’s back deck.

Maracas and More

    A fiesta story and craft time is on the schedule Saturday at the Amagansett Library. The family program will have kids singing and dancing and making their own maracas. The fun will start at 3:30 p.m. Advance registration has been requested.

For Mother’s Day

    At the East Hampton Library and the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor, kids will have a number of chances to make something special for their moms in advance of Mother’s Day.

    Kindergartners through third graders can paint spring flower picture frames on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at John Jermain. On Wednesday at the East Hampton Library from 4 to 5:30 p.m., those 7 and up will make notebooks and flower pens for their moms. And next Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. there’s a Mother’s Day story and craft time at the library for kids 4 to 6 with an adult. Shh, don’t tell Mom. Advance sign-up is required for each of the programs.

Channeling Picasso

    Young artists can channel their inner Picasso during a four-week art class starting Saturday at the Golden Eagle in East Hampton. Participants will study a different period from the artist’s career each week, then create their own art in that style. Karyn Mannix will be the teacher for the class, which will meet weekly from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The cost is $120. Advance registration is required as space is limited.

   To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Amagansett School District’s founding, the school’s sixth graders have created the Then and Now project, which looks at the district from its creation to the present.

    The yearlong endeavor has given students a unique look at the past. With their teachers’ assistance, they have collected memorabilia, photographs, stories, and other cultural materials that chronicle the school and the hamlet’s history. Students worked together to conduct classroom research, visited the local history section of the Amagansett Library, and documented personal insight through live, in-class interviews with alumni to create a comprehensive and diverse look at the school.

    In a statement, Eleanor Tritt, the school’s superintendent, said that “The Then and Now project has been a rewarding experience for all those involved and has uncovered the many hidden gems that make the Amagansett School a success. Through the collaborative efforts of our students and the community we were able to produce this priceless piece of cinematography that contrasts where we have been with where we are today.”

    The multimedia production will be featured in a viewing for the community on May 8 at 1 p.m. in the school gymnasium. Alumni are invited to meet in the school’s library at noon to share a light lunch and conversation prior to the screening of the video.

    Those interested in attending have been asked to R.S.V.P. no later than Wednesday by sending an e-mail to [email protected] with the attendee’s name or by calling the school. Alternatively, a form can be printed from the district’s Web site, aufsd.org, and mailed to Then and Now, Amagansett School, P.O. Box 7062, Amagansett 11930.

    The Amagansett School has a new principal. At its meeting on Tuesday night, members of the school’s board voted unanimously to appoint Robert M. Brisbane to the position.

    The appointment of Dr. Brisbane, who holds certifications in the areas of school district administrator and nursery, kindergarten, and grades one through six, is effective May 6. He will be acting principal through June 30, at which time a three-year contract will commence. The principal has been hired at an annual salary of $160,000.

    Dr. Brisbane holds a doctorate in education from St. John’s University and two master’s degrees in education administration and reading strategies and practices. He has worked as an assistant superintendent, a supervisor at the Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services, and as a middle school principal, assistant principal, and an elementary school teacher.

    A letter signed by Eleanor Tritt, the school’s superintendent, was sent home with students yesterday. In it, she wrote that Dr. Brisbane “embodies the nurturing, child-centered advocate that our district prizes. [. . .] I am confident that in a very short amount of time you will see that Dr. Brisbane will be able to focus on the needs of students, parents, and staff.”

    Parents, Ms. Tritt wrote, will soon have an opportunity to meet Dr. Brisbane and “to learn why we are so impressed with him and why we are looking forward to the impacts he will make on our school.”

    “We were very exited about bringing him on board,” Ms. Tritt said yesterday. “He’s excited about coming on board as well. I’m sure everyone will feel very comfortable with him very soon.”

    At the board meeting, Ms. Tritt also announced that all six of the current 10th graders who attended the Amagansett School will be among those inducted into the National Honor Society tonight at East Hampton High School. Peter Davis, Bryan Gamble, Conrad Kabbaz, Emma Newburger, Melanie Schwagerl, and Bridget Stonemetz are the Amagansett School’s inductees.

    “We congratulate these students and take great pride in their achievements,” Ms. Tritt said.   

    It’s budget season, and the Springs School Board has voted unanimously to adopt a $25.4 million budget for the 2013-14 school year.

    Next year’s proposed budget includes a tax levy increase of 1.3 percent and a projected tax rate increase of 3.37 percent over last year. By comparison, last year’s $24.6 million budget included a 2.97 percent increase in the tax levy and a 3.19-percent increase in the tax rate, based on the previous year’s budget.

    Springs residents whose houses are valued at $600,000 paid $165 per household last year; this year those householders are projected to pay $180. Houses valued at $800,000 paid $220 last year; this year’s projected rate is only $20 more, or $240.

    In Springs on Monday night, at the fourth budget workshop of the year, about a dozen residents sat through a presentation that examined the proposed budget, a district-wide five-year overview, an examination of its fund balance, and the proposed tax rate and tax levy.

    “One of the goals was to develop a fiscally responsible budget to meet our educational goals. We believe we’ve done that this year,” said Eric Casale, the Springs School principal. “Even given our budget constraints, we believe we’re offering our students one of the most rigorous educational programs on the East End.”

    This year’s budget process stands in stark contrast to the prior year, when the school cut $792,000 from its preliminary budget. No cuts are planned for the coming year.

    Thomas Primiano, the school treasurer, noted that the projected budget represented a $123,017 reduction in spending from $25.5 million proposed at the first budget workshop in February. Despite such reductions, the $25.4 million budget represents a $782,380 increase in spending over the previous year.

    The budget includes a list of capital projects that will cost the district nearly $300,000. Among big-ticket items are a front vestibule and ramp at a cost of $75,000 and a parking lot and repairs along Ed Hults Lane for approximately $80,000.

    There is $642,000 for employee benefits, $231,000 for payroll, and a $354,000 reduction in East Hampton High School tuition after Springs negotiated a lower rate earlier this year. Come September, Springs also plans to add a sixth school bus “to meet our growing demand for more seats,” according to Elizabeth Mendelman, a board member. The school enrolled 667 students last September, but projects an enrollment of 695 this fall.

    Board members also debated whether to choose a Teachers’ Retirement System “pension-smoothing  plan” of 14 percent or go with 16.25 percent. While the lower-priced plan would save around $175,000, the district would essentially be borrowing money from itself that it would be forced to repay, with interest, in coming years. Both Springs and East Hampton ultimately rejected the plan, opting for a 16.25 percent rate for the coming year.

    “We’re in a cautious place, but feel we’re in a better situation than a lot of districts,” concluded Mr. Primiano.

    The budget will be made available to the public on May 7, followed by a public hearing on May 13. Finally, the budget vote and school board election, which has three candidates vying for two vacancies, will take place on May 21.