Superintendents or assistant superintendents from Springs, Southampton, Wainscott, and East Hampton will discuss the 2-percent tax levy cap, shared services and consolidation, unfunded mandates, security concerns, teacher evaluations, and other subjects during a meeting in Southampton on Monday sponsored by the League of Women Voters of the Hamptons.

    The panelists will include Dominic Mucci, the Springs superintendent, Stuart Rachlin, superintendent of the Wainscott School, Richard Boyes, Southampton’s superintendent, and Robert Tymann, the assistant superintendent of East Hampton schools.

    The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at Rogers Memorial Library. It will be taped to air on SEA-TV, Southampton’s Channel 22. 

    The Montauk School Board had its first peek Tuesday at the 2013-14 district budget, an $18.6 million spending plan that reflects an increase of $106,594 and remains under the New York State-imposed 2-percent cap on tax levy increases. That amount, however, is subject to change as the board combs through the budget line by line in the coming weeks.

    Jack Perna, the school superintendent, pointed out the largest increases, among them teacher salaries, which will go up by $81,493 to a total of just under $3.8 million. Mr. Perna is taking a salary freeze at $164,338.

    Tuition fees for East Hampton High School will cost the district $372,742 less than this year because the current eighth grade class enrollment stands at 38 students, 12 less than graduated last June. The tuition total for 141 students to attend the high school at a cost of $26,864 per student, or $61,601 for those with special needs, is just over $4.1 million.

    Next year’s budget includes $70,000 in tuition fees for two students without special needs to attend the Child Development Center of the Hamptons Charter School in East Hampton. Tuition and related services, such as a summer program at the charter school, for children who do have special needs, will cost $425,000.

    Transportation fees are estimated according to the Consumer Price Index, and school officials are expecting a 3-percent increase, at a cost of $1.2 million for next year’s daily transportation, field trips, and transport to other schools outside the district, for which the district is required to pay.

    Mr. Perna told the board to study the document, which will be reviewed again at a budget workshop on March 19 at 4 p.m., to which the public has been invited.

Frogs and Friends

    Food and frogs — no, not at the same time — are on the agenda at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton this weekend. On Saturday at 11 a.m., kids 2 and older can make their own quesadillas. The cost is $18, including admission, or $5 for members. Sima at Sea will disembark at the museum on Sunday at 11 a.m. to read “Frogs and Friends” during a free story time. Reservations have been requested for both.

High School Art

    An opening reception for the second part of Guild Hall’s Student Art Festival, this one focusing on high school art, will be held Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. Along with the myriad artworks to see on the gallery walls, there will be student performances in the theater that afternoon. The exhibition will be up through April 14 and admission to the museum is free throughout.

Sculpture Class

    The Golden Eagle art supply store on Gingerbread Lane in East Hampton will offer a master sculpture class for children 7 to 14 on four Saturdays starting this week. Participants will work on freestanding or three-dimensional wall sculptures using mixed materials. Classes run from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The cost is $120, including materials. Advance registration has been required.

Suffer the Little Carrots

    What will happen to the carrots, the peas, the rutabagas? Will they ever get eaten, or will they languor on the plate, longing to help some willing child grow big and strong?

    Liz Joyce and Tina Mills will offer some guesses at the Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre in Sag Harbor on Saturday when they present the puppet show “The Vegetables’ Destiny” at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The show includes tabletop, hand, and rod puppets and 10 original songs by Ms. Joyce and Juliana Nash. Tickets cost $10, $9 for members and grandparents, and $5 for children under 3. The theater is on East Union Street.

    For those dreaming of a quick jaunt to the tropics, look no further than East Hampton High School’s auditorium, where “South Pacific” will be staged this weekend. The Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein musical, which unfolds on a faraway island during World War II, has been a perennial favorite since first produced on Broadway in 1949.

    But as students act, sing, and dance along to now-famous show tunes like “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair” and “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy,” it will mark the last musical in Serena Seacat’s 12-year-long career as the school district’s theater director.

    Each year, Ms. Seacat has supervised two productions at the high school along with one at the East Hampton Middle School and another at the John M. Marshall Elementary School. “It’s been a blessing to work with the talent out here on the East End,” she said during Tuesday night’s “South Pacific” rehearsal. “To pass onto them my passion for the performing arts, to watch them come out of their shells and explore the magic of theater — I’ll never forget it.”

    Ms. Seacat said she will be leaving the East End at the end of the school year for a  position as “artistic director for a new state-of-the-art theater in the Midwest.” While her successor has yet to be named, Ms. Seacat endorsed Debbie Mansir, who has worked as her assistant director for the past decade.

    Three performances are scheduled this weekend — on Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m. and on Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 for general audiences and $5 for students and senior citizens. Senior citizens have also been invited to sign up at the East Hampton Senior Citizens Center for a 1 p.m. lunch preceding Sunday’s matinee.

    While Ms. Seacat has directed “South Pacific” at other venues, she was eager to bring the musical back to East Hampton High School. “The music is eternal. The message is profound,” she said. “And even though it was written way back, it’s so appropriate, even for today.”    Ms. Mansir added, “It’s all about tolerance and prejudice and overcoming it.”

    For several members of the “South Pacific” cast, Ms. Seacat has served as a steady and abiding presence, and, for most of her students, she is known simply as Serena.

    Josh LeClerc, now a high school junior, has worked on productions with Ms. Seacat every year since he was in the fifth grade. “It’s one of my favorite parts of high school. It’s really given me a sense of community,” Josh said. “She’s taught me everything I know about acting, about how to be an actor, and how to deliver my lines.”

    Josh, along with the cast of about 75 students, has attended rehearsals for at least 12 hours each week since the start of January.

     “It’s a lot of work,” conceded Josh, who will play Luther Billis in this weekend’s production. “But it’s worth it in the end.”

    Deyo Trowbridge, a senior, will play Lt. Joseph Cable. It’s his second year under Ms. Seacat’s tutelage. “Serena and Ms. Mansir have inspired me to do more in my life after high school than they’ll ever be able to know,” he said. “If I’m having a bad day, Serena always makes me feel like it’s all going to be okay.”

    As students took to the stage on Tuesday night, with microphones taped to their cheeks, Ms. Seacat looked wistful. She described the experience as “bittersweet.”

     “It’s such a passion of mine, and these kids have given me everything,” she said. “They’re really like my grandchildren. “

    Exposing her thoughts through the lyrics of the songs she writes is a “terrifying and beautiful” thing to do, said Sara Hartman, a 17-year old Pierson High School senior, who has just released her first extended-play recording and been accepted to Berklee College of Music in Boston.

    Five tracks of her first album were recorded by Cynthia Daniels, an Emmy and Grammy-winning music engineer who runs Monk Music Studios in East Hampton. “That’s when I knew I had something,” Sara said. “It was an honor to work with her.” The album can be heard and purchased on iTunes, and the songs are on Sound Cloud in their entirety.

    Sara began writing music when she was 14, she said in a recent interview, when all she knew was a few chords on the guitar. She learned to play the guitar at Crossroads Music in Amagansett, after beginning there with drums and eventually studying piano, bass, and a little violin too.

    Recently, during the HarborFrost celebration in Sag Harbor, she played the ukelele and sang to an appreciative and apparently mesmerized audience who sat on the floor of the Grenning Gallery. She also performed at a recent fund-raiser for Peconic Public Broadcasting at Guild Hall in East Hampton. But her biggest gig so far was at the Living Room, a club in the city, last winter, she said.

    Sara still plays drums in the high school band and sings in the chorus, and she gives her music teachers, Eric Reynolds and Suzanne Nicoletti, credit for her acceptance at Berklee. They guided and encouraged her through the grueling paperwork and auditions, she said.

    Writing music has helped her to deal with the stress of her teenage years, she said, which not only includes school work and financial concerns, but what was for her an all-too-familiar topic: the separation and divorce of her mother and stepfather, which became final last week. These experiences had become a “part of what I am,” she said. To “sit down and play music” was the way she dealt with life.

    She also expressed gratitude to the crew at Crossroads, whom she called “beautiful people,” noting that Anthony Liberatore, who often plays guitar beside her, allows her to shine without getting in the way.

    There are many other musicians whose talent she says amazes her, and some have graced her first album. They are Joe Delia, who played piano, Klyph Black on bass, Randolph Hudson III on guitars, and James Bernard on drums. Christopher Beroes-Haigis played the cello, and her Pierson High School chorus sang on one track as well. “Cynthia came into the school,” she said, seeming amazed.      

    She has since been working on new songs, which she likes even more than those already recorded, and has been putting rough demos on YouTube. She also has a Reverb-nation page, and a fan page on Facebook.

    Her school achievements have included being the first student from Pierson to be chosen for an all-county jazz ensemble, an experience she loved. The intricate patterns and the experimental, cutting-edge sounds of jazz were enjoyable, she said, and she is excited about doing more of it at Berklee.    

    Unable to win a scholarship to Berklee, Sara said she was going to have to figure out the finances “one year at a time.” And she is hopeful that financial help of some kind will come from the community.

    On Tuesday night, the East Hampton School Board convened the third of five budget workshops planned for the 2013-14 academic year.

    According to preliminary figures, while the high school’s budget is slated to decrease by nearly $25,000 from last year’s budget of $388,000, the district’s physical education, driver’s education, health, and athletic budget will see a $10,000 increase over last year of more than $1 million.

    Taken together, the preliminary 2013-14 budget calls for more than $65 million in spending.

    At the start of Tuesday’s meeting, Isabel Madison, the assistant superintendent of business, indicated that while a lot of moving pieces still remained, about $600,000 would likely need to be shaved from the budget before all is said and done.

     “There will for sure be cuts,” Jackie Lowey, a board member, later affirmed. “The question remains, could 10 percent be cut from each budget without slicing into crucial programs?”

    The purpose of the workshops, during which board members pore over budgetary items in line-by-line detail, is to provide transparency and openness to a process that can be difficult for outsiders to follow. The public, while invited to attend, cannot comment or ask questions. So far, not one member of the public has showed up. 

    But lacking sufficient documents, the already granular discussion becomes nearly impossible to grasp.

    At the first workshop, in late January, copies of the documents being discussed were withheld from audience members. At the next one, in mid-February, detailed documents related to the elementary school and middle school’s budgets were provided — with the latter stretching to more than 100 pages.

    But on Tuesday night, the board again reversed its course. While it provided audience members with documents, they were not the line-by-line items that board members received, once again making the discussion almost impossible to decipher.

    Adam Fine, the high school principal, presented his budget, while Joe Vas, the district’s athletic director, answered questions related to his.

    “If we had to say we needed to cut 10 or 15 or 20 percent from your budget, could we do it?” asked Ms. Lowey.

    “Yes,” said Mr. Fine. “If need be, we could even cut more.”

    Already, the high school plans to phase out its American Sign Language program, and board members discussed the possibility of doing the same with Chinese, which would ultimately provide a savings of $10,000.

    “It doesn’t seem like a lot to save for a language of the future,” said Alison Anderson, a board member. Subsequently, the board discussed the possibility of sending East Hampton students to the Ross School for Chinese instruction. Ross requires Mandarin throughout its K-12 program.

    As Mr. Vas approached the podium, Ms. Lowey remarked that “there are like-to-haves and need-to-haves in this budget. You are going to have to cut this budget. It’s not going to stand as is.”

    The disputed items included $10,000 for the Bonac on Board to Wellness, a health and fitness program; $2,000 on school uniforms, and nearly $10,000 on new sports benches, among several others.

    Also at issue was whether or not to continue the driver’s education program. Rather than eliminating it, Ms. Anderson spoke of making it a paid program. “We’re the only school on Long Island to offer it at all,” she said, urging that the board revisit it at a later date. Liz Pucci, a board member, asked that driver’s ed be discussed at next week’s board meeting, “so that parents can hear it.”

    In the coming weeks, two additional workshops are planned for March 21 and April 9. The meetings begin promptly at 6 p.m. in the district office, at the high school on Long Lane.

Building a Portfolio

    Linda Capello, accompanied by Dorene Quinn, a professor at the State University at Oswego and Pratt Institute, and Yvonne Buchanan, an illustrator and professor at Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, will give a four-session course in building an art portfolio for college admission at Guild Hall in East Hampton, beginning next Thursday.

    The cost for the four hour-long workshops, from 5 to 6 p.m., is $90, or $80 for the children of Guild Hall members. Registration in advance is with the Guild Hall main office.

Tree Secrets at SoFo

    Children 5 and up will learn about trees in a program at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton on Saturday at 1 p.m. The program, which is called “Do Trees Sleep,” will be given by Tyler Armstrong, the museum’s nature educator, and will include a walk outside to see how trees survive the winter and get ready to grow again once the weather warms.

    The cost is $5 for each child, which includes admission to the exhibits. Reservations have been suggested.

Roll Up Your Sleeves

    Budding clay artists have been invited to get their hands dirty in a pottery workshop at the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, Saturdays through March 23 at 2 p.m. Open to those 7 and up, the cost is $120 or $90 for the children of museum members.

Spring Theater Programs

    Stages, a children’s theater workshop, has announced an after-school program for children from 8 to 18 at the Southampton Town Recreation Center on Major’s Path. Students will attend rehearsals on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, beginning next week, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. through April. The company will present a musical, to be determined, from May 3 to May 5 at the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor. The cost is $475.

    A creative drama workshop for children 6 to 10 will meet at the recreation center on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. The cost is $275. Registration details for both programs are available at stagesworkshop.org.

Bay Street Camp

    Susan Galardi and Bethany Dellapolla will lead a week-long kids vacation camp at the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor starting on March 25. Registration is being taken now for the $385 five-day program, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Exercises will include acting, singing, dance, and comedy. According to the theater, the camp generally fills up, so early reservations have been advised. The box office can be phoned with questions.

Early Deadline for Music

    Hamptons Music Camp’s summer 2013 early registration deadline is tomorrow. Applications are being accepted for students who would like to take part in a program from Aug. 5 to Aug. 16 with instructors from several top conservatories, including Juilliard and the Royal Academy of Music.

    Private lessons for everyone from beginners to proficient performers will be available. One program, a world-music listening class, will expose students to many of the globe’s traditions. Morning yoga and movement classes will get the day started. There will also be courses in composition, music theory, and improvisation, among others.

    Classes will be held in Hoie Hall at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lunch and snacks will be provided. Application information can be found at hamptonsmusic.org. There is a registration fee of $80, which is nonrefundable. Tuition for the two-week program is $2,100, for one week $1,200.

    The East End Arts School in Riverhead has been chosen to take part in the Royal Conservatory Music Development Program as a “founding school candidate and assessment center,” according to a release from the not-for-profit school and art gallery.

    As an assessment center, the school will offer preparatory courses for those on eastern Long Island looking to participate in the development program, which involves 150 organizations promoting national standards for music education and consistent quality in teaching that emphasizes both theory and performance.

    An information session open to parents and students will be held on Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. at East End Arts, at 141 East Main Street in Riverhead. Registration and more information are with Steve Watson, the group’s education director, at 369-2171.

Theory assessments will take place on May 11 and May 12, performance assessments on May 22, and sessions to help students of all skill levels prepare for them will be held in the spring. More details are on the group’s Web site.

Big Kids at the Goat

    Older children who think they’ve grown out of the Saturday shows at the Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre may want to return this week, when Brad Shur, the puppeteer-in-residence at the Puppet Showplace Theater in Boston, brings his show, “Magic Soup,” to Sag Harbor.

    Based on a collection of traditional Yiddish stories, “Magic Soup” follows a young man whose search for a family recipe brings folk tales to life. Showtimes are at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tickets cost $10, $9 for members and grandparents, and $5 for children under 3.

The Circus Is Coming!

    The Arestov Family Acrobats, Wilson’s Wonderdogs, the gravity-defying Amazing Sladek, and a miniature horse called Tom Thumb will visit Pierson High School in Sag Harbor on March 3 with the Yankee Doodle Circus.

    Performances, at 12:45, 3:15, and 5:30 p.m., will raise money for the Teachers Association of Sag Harbor’s scholarship fund. Tickets will cost $33 at the door for adults and $15 for children under 15, but those who buy them by Tuesday can save $5 on the price of an adult ticket, plus get free admission for two children.

    Advance tickets can be purchased online at getcircustickets.com.

Birds in Winter

    Lindsey Rohrbach, a nature educator at the South Fork Natural History Museum, will speak on Sunday about how birds survive the winter, why they sing less when it’s cold outside, and why they’ll sing more when the days get longer.

    The program will begin at 10 a.m. and will include time inside and outside the museum, when children will be able to feed birds right from their hands.

    Advance registration has been requested. The museum is in Bridgehampton, on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike.

Clay Station

    A four-week pottery workshop at the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill will give kids 7 and older the chance to create their own ceramic pieces using coil, slab, and sculpture techniques as well as the potter’s wheel.

    Wendy Gottlieb will teach the class, which will run for four Saturdays starting on March 2. It costs $120, $90 for Parrish members. Space is limited and advance registration is required.

    In less than two weeks this month, the East Hampton School Board suspended five of its employees — three bus drivers and two mechanics. At the board’s Feb. 5 meeting, members voted unanimously to retroactively suspend two of the district’s bus drivers, effective Feb. 1. Two weeks later, in a Feb. 15 note sent by Richard J. Burns, district superintendent, to parents and staff, he announced that an additional three transportation department employees had been suspended for an indeterminate period of time. The employees are being paid during the suspensions.

     “I want to assure that this action has no bearing on the past or current operational safety of our buses; nor is it related to any interactions between our students and our transportation staff,” Mr. Burns wrote. However, since the suspensions are a personnel matter, Mr. Burns declined to comment further.

    The district’s 32-member transportation department now employs 29 bus drivers. Some members of the school community are questioning whether, in the absence of five employees, the district will be able to continue providing adequate services once classes resume next week.

    Edmond Bletterman, who previously oversaw the department, retired in October. Since his departure, the department has lacked leadership, although Joel Freedman was designated head school bus driver. Those with whom The Star spoke indicated that squabbling among bus drivers has resulted, with senior drivers taking on additional trips — whether to field trips, sporting events, or athletic games — that pay more because of overtime. Nevertheless, questions persist.

    “As this is an ongoing investigation, the district will keep you apprised of any new developments which we are legally able to share,” Mr. Burns’s letter concluded.