The ongoing lawsuit between the East Hampton School District and Sandpebble Builders, the contractor originally hired to manage the recent multimillion-dollar renovation of the district’s three buildings, turned ugly this week, with each side agreeing they would see each other in court.

    After a school board meeting and budget workshop last week, where a line item upping anticipated legal fees from $150,000 last year to $350,000 for 2012-13 brought incredulity from board members, the district’s attorney, Kevin Seaman, issued a statement blaming Sandpebble for the impasse.

    “The Board of Education has for a great many months at this point sought to generate settlement negotiations between its attorneys and the attorneys representing Sandpebble,” the statement reads. “These efforts have been to no avail as the position of Sandpebble’s attorneys, as recently as Feb. 6, 2012, is that they will not entertain any settlement figure that is not ‘in excess of $2.9 million’.”

    Mr. Seaman noted that the case had been in and out of the courts for four years, costing the district some $2.3 million in legal fees. Sandpebble had been contracted to oversee construction, but the project increased in scope and a different contractor was brought in. The company initiated litigation in 2006, claiming it had been fired illegally and suing for $3.75 million.

    In a swift response from Sandpebble, Victor Canseco, its owner, wrote, “I am shocked at the irresponsibility of the school board in the misrepresentation of information about its case with Sandpebble. After having lost in court — notwithstanding spending $2 to $3 million dollars in legal fees — the district is now trying to paint my company in a false light in the public’s eye.”

    While Mr. Seaman wrote that the school board is “extremely disappointed that it is not able to generate a settlement,” Mr. Canseco responded, “This is a situation where elected officials will say or do anything to divert attention from the budget reconciliation issues which they face as well as distance themselves from responsibility for what happened.”

     Mr. Canseco wrote that he had met with the former school board — which, with the exception of Laura Anker Grossman, the school board president,  is now made up of new members — over a year ago and made a confidential settlement offer which he claimed was rejected.

    The $2.9 million figure Mr. Seaman’s referred to comes from a report several months ago that Sandpebble might settle with the district for that amount. At this point, however, the district and Mr. Canseco seem to agree on only one point:  In Mr. Seaman’s words, “the district will have no choice other than to continue to expend legal fees through the discovery process leading to what will ultimately be a trial on the merits of the legal contentions of both the district and Sandpebble.”

The Doctor (Seuss) Is In

    Lorax lovers and others are invited to the Amagansett Library on Saturday to celebrate the birthday of Theodor Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss, who was born on March 2, 1904.

    Those who attend the 3 p.m. event will have a chance to read some books by the author of “The Cat in the Hat,” and make Seuss-inspired crafts.

Stages Winter Workshops

    Young thespians will have a chance to hone their skills this winter. Stages, a Children’s Theatre Workshop, is offering a variety of winter programs, including a performance workshop, for young actors ages 8 to 18.

    The program, which starts Monday, will culminate in a full-length musical on May 4. Rehearsals will be held three times a week.

    Younger actors will also have a chance to shine in Stages’ creative drama workshop, beginning on Tuesday and geared toward the 6 to 9-year-old crowd.

    Stage mothers and fathers can register their children by phone at Stages, which is in East Hampton.

Afternoons at Ross

    The Ross School is hosting a series of after-school events starting this week that are open to students of all schools and run the gamut from art to knitting to farm animal care. The programs, for kids in kindergarten through high school, include clay workshops, acting, chess for beginners, robotics, hip-hop dance, horseback riding, and more.

    A full list of offerings can be found on the school’s Web site, ross.org.

Reluctant Dragon

    All Hands Productions, a visiting puppet troupe, will bring the story of “The Reluctant Dragon” to Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre in Sag Harbor for two performances on Saturday.

    Loosely based on the Kenneth Grahame book, this production uses puppets to tell a story about friendship and understanding.

    Performances will be held at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Goat’s performance space at 4 Hampton Street. Tickets are $10, $9 for members and grandparents, and $5 for children under 3.

Making Books

    Joyce Raimondo, an art educator and author, will lead kids ages 4 and up in a bookmaking class at the East Hampton Library tomorrow afternoon.

    After viewing some unusual handmade books, participants will be invited to create their own, featuring pages that turn in different directions with creative folds.

    Advance registration is required for the program, which runs from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Art Show and Sale

    On Saturday and Sunday, Pierson High School is offering the public an opportunity to buy art by some of the East End’s most renowned artists, all for $100 each.

    The exhibit of works on paper by professional artists will feature the art of John Alexander, Bill King, Rick Gold, Lynn Matsuoka, Pamela Topham, Lucille Colin, Blair Seagram, Elaine McKay, Kathryn Solow, Peter Solow, Josh Dayton, April Gornik, Joe Pintauro, Randall Rosenthal, and many more.

    Organized by Peter Solow, the event will help raise money to support the Pierson students’ artist trip to Italy in April, which this year boasts 23 participants.

    The show will run both days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

    A group of approximately 20 East Hampton High School students departed last Thursday for the Harvard Model Congress in Cambridge, Mass., where they took on different roles in government for four days. About 1,500 students from across the country participated.

    The East Hampton students included Jen deGroof, Sarah Johnson, Nadia Barcenas, Mary Jernigan, Collin Kavanaugh, Nicole Daniludis, Elias Van Sickle, Mario Mayorga, Melanie Mackin, Laura Perez, Sarah Talmage, Mike Burns, Andrew Davis, Cesa Cabrera, Skye Marigold, Courtney Bennett, Nick Zablotsky, and Aoife Forde. They had to assume the role of a senator, congressman, or other member of government, giving them a chance to expand their points of view and understanding of government.

    Harvard Model Congress gives high school students the opportunity to learn how government functions and about current world issues. Students served on a variety of different congressional committees from a mock Agriculture Committee to a Homeland Security Committee, among others. They engaged in open debates, caucuses, trials, press conferences, and testimonies, giving them a better education on the political process.

    Students also got to meet people from all over the country, to practice public speaking, and much more. Harvard Model Congress also has programs on the National Security Council, the District and Supreme Courts, and lobbyists, teaching student delegates how each of these plays a role in the government.

    The East Hampton students had a chance to visit Harvard University and sit in on classes and to visit Boston.

—

    Alissa Clermont was also a participant in the Harvard Model Congress.

    The anecdotal story is this: Cole Porter was sitting in Sardi’s when — quite separately — the famous evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson walked in, followed by Texas Guinan, the celebrated saloonkeeper and actress (known for coining the term “Hello, suckers!”). From this odd combination, Mr. Porter came up with the main character in “Anything Goes,” Reno Sweeney.

    Another story is that Vinton Freedley, the producer, pitched the story — which takes place on an ocean liner — to Porter after spending months living on a boat to avoid his creditors.

    Either way, the perennial Broadway favorite makes its way to the East Hampton High School stage this weekend.

    Featuring some of Mr. Porter’s most well-known songs, like “You’re the Top,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “It’s De-Lovely,” “Friendship,” “Easy to Love,” and the title song, the production can be seen in the auditorium tomorrow and Saturday at 7 p.m., and Sunday at 3. The public is invited to attend. Tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and children under 12.

    The East Hampton School Board slogged through over three hours of a budget workshop on Tuesday night in anticipation of coming up with a hard tax levy number that the state is expecting from all schools in New York by today.

    “We’re not going to pierce the cap,” Laura Anker Grossman, the school board president, said. “We feel that we can stay within the levy and have a curriculum that supports our children.”

    She was referring to exceeding the 2-percent cap on tax levy increases. To exceed that cap requires approval by 60 percent of district voters, an 11th-hour move to which some school districts may have to resort.

    Isabel Madison, the district’s business administrator, took the board and audience through the equations, which added up to a tax levy amount for East Hampton residents of $44.88 million for a proposed 2012-13 budget of $63.22 million. It was still too early to unravel the tax rate per $100.

    The tax levy increase, on paper, shows as 4.431 percent, but this is allowed under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s cap, since there are many exemptions to the law, including a district’s debt service and capital construction projects, along with building and bus leases, if they apply.

    East Hampton’s debt service is $6.54 million per year.

    Charles Soriano, the assistant superintendent, presented a line-by-line budget pertaining to his office. It showed overall a decrease from $1.2 million in 2008-9 to $917,781.38 for 2012-13.

    Approximately $90,000 was saved by moving programs traditionally held at the Ross School back to the new art wing of East Hampton High School. Dr. Soriano told the board that the savings would be moved into staff development.

    “The state provides the standards to follow,” he said. “But standards are not curricula. Teachers should write curricula based on their experiences, so it’s personal to this school, to this area, and it means something to the students. That’s the gold standard for how it should be done,” he said.

    The board, and some audience members, said that the additional $90,000 for staff development was a good idea. One audience member said she didn’t think it was enough.

    “You’re right,” Dr. Soriano said. “In the grand scheme of things, it isn’t, but I’ve just increased it by almost $100,000, so I’m elated.”

    With that exception, along with new textbooks that are necessary in the elementary and middle schools, the board looked at ways to cut, including purchasing its celebratory sheet cakes for less that $165, and 1,000 lanyards for identification badges for under $1,000.

    “I know it’s just nickels and dimes,” said Jackie Lowey, a board member. “But there’s a cultural shift that has to happen in this district.”

    Patricia Hope, another board member, agreed. “We want to be able to say to the community that we are cutting everything we can,” she said, adding incredulously, “A thousand dollars for string?”

 Puppet Programs

    The Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre in Sag Harbor is offering up a tulip-y tale on Saturday: “The Adventures of Princess Spring Blossom.” Michelle Beshaw, a Brooklyn puppeteer, brings the story, which is about the adventures of the denizens of Tulip Forest during a spring festival. Performances are at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., and tickets cost $10, $9 for grandparents and members, and $5 for children under 3.

    The theater also offers puppet play groups on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 9:30 a.m., when children under 3 (and their grown-ups) can stop in for songs, games, and a Minkie the Monkey puppet show. The cost is $15 for members, $25 for drop-ins.

    A “messy and fun” Tot Art program filled with projects for the 2-to-4-year-old set happens on Friday mornings at 10:30.

Hats Off to Dr. Seuss

    The East Hampton Library will celebrate spring today at 4 p.m., when those 4 and older can make springtime scenes using colorful tissue paper for a collage.

    Celebrating Dr. Seuss is de rigueur in March (his birthday was on Friday), and the library will honor Theodor Geisel with a special “Hats Off to You” story time on Saturday from 10:45 to 11:15 a.m. Listeners 3 and up have been invited to wear their favorite hats and make a craft.

Multicultural Festival

    Visitors will be transported around the world at tomorrow’s multicultural festival at Pierson High School in Sag Harbor from 6 to 9 p.m. They can feast on international specialties while dancing to the music of various countries.

    The suggested donation for admission is $5, which goes toward the gardens at the schools in Sag Harbor and also to a nonprofit international organization called charity: water, which focuses on providing safe drinking water to people in developing nations. For those who want to recreate the experience without the crowd, a multicultural cookbook will be available for purchase.

Idol Hands

    Hamptons Idol is returning for its sixth year on March 17. The Southampton Youth Bureau will hold this singing and dancing competition from 7:30 to 11 p.m. that day. The price of stardom, or rather watching it, is $10 plus a nonperishable food item. For additional information, the Youth Bureau can be reached at 702-2425. Its Web site is southamptontownny.gov/youthbureau.

    The Springs School Board is considering eliminating a special education teacher in the 2012-13 school year as part of its efforts to bring the district budget in line with the state’s new 2-percent cap on property tax levy increases.

    All public schools in the state were waiting on the final protocol to come from Albany regarding the cap. March 1 was to be the deadline for boards across the state to submit their hard numbers for the property tax levy calculation, based on equations to be sent from the governor’s office, but as of the night before, no one had yet heard a gubernatorial peep.

    Last year’s approved budget was $24.8 million, but Springs has yet to release a hard number for 2012-13.

    At a budget workshop on Feb. 29, Kathee Burke Gonzalez, the school board president, introduced Colleen Card, the school’s business administrator, to discuss the high school tuition rates, and some other salient points.

    “The rules of engagement have changed,” Ms. Burke Gonzalez said. She called the decisions to be made this year “critical.”

    Last year, Springs paid $25,677 per high school student to the East Hampton school district. This year, per the tuition contract signed last year, the price rises to $27,345 per student, more than 6 percent. This year there were 273 Springs students at the high school, but there are 8 fewer expected in the 2012-13 school year. Because of increased tuition costs, however, the tuition amount due to East Hampton will climb from $7.01 million to $7.24 million.

    The tuition for students with disabilities at the high school has jumped from $55,292 per student to $63,114. There are six Springs students with disabilities at the high school this year, and two more are expected to join them next year. The Springs principal, Eric Casale, said that he had reviewed the school’s special education programs and “to not only meet their needs but also be fiscally responsible,” the decision has been made to subtract one special education educator from next year, “either by excessing or through retirement,” he said.

    The “real cost” of a step one teacher was also explored. Although the teacher’s salary would come in at $54,000, the district is also responsible for paying 11.84 percent of that salary into the teachers retirement fund, and an additional 18.5 percent of the salary into the New York State employees retirement system. Health insurance can run from $9,000 to $21,000, depending on whether the teacher is single or has a family, and Social Security and Medicare payments are another 7.65 percent. A teacher hired at a salary of $54,000 costs the district $84,599, Ms. Card explained.

    In a statement, Nancy Olson and Amy Turner, two Springs teachers and co-presidents of the Springs Teachers Association, commended the board on holding the community forum. “We are aware that the recent tax cap legislation and economic crises present you with very difficult choices this budget season,” Ms. Olson read. “As we have stated in a recent press release, the S.T.A. is committed to doing its part to help preserve the valuable programs that benefit kids here at Springs School.”

    The letter suggested that the board reconsider its new administrative model and forgo adding an assistant principal.

    “Although we recognize the advantages of adding an assistant principal, under our financial circumstances, we believe it would be preferable to apply that money to the preservation of programs for students and distribute these administrative duties to existing staff,” Ms. Olson read.

    An earlier letter from the S.T.A. stated, “We are pleased to say that, although there is still much to be worked out, the S.T.A. and the district have a tentative agreement that calls for salary freezes and benefit concessions totaling over half a million dollars in savings to the district.” As of the meeting on Feb. 29, though, the teachers are still receiving their “step” increases annually, according to Michael Hartner, the school superintendent.

    “This community cannot afford the ever-increasing taxes,” Carol Buda, a retired teacher and Springs resident, said during the public comment period. “It is literally forcing some people out of their homes. I don’t want to see the school fall apart,” she added, “but there are 30 teachers here making $100,000-plus. If a teacher is married to another teacher, or a policeman, I think that puts them in Obama’s 1 percent.”

    Others in the audience echoed the sentiment and the school’s motto — “Springs School: Where Children Come First” — and were upset that possible cuts discussed at the budget meetings and the community forum held on Feb. 11 seemed to focus on eliminating school programs.

    “If you slash and burn this year, what are you going to do next year?” Ms. Buda asked.

    Rameshwar Das pointed to the fact that the school tax in Springs is four times that of Amagansett.

    Kristy LaMonda, a Springs teacher and resident, said her father “grew up steps from this school, the youngest of 12 kids who all went here.”

    “I feel like I’m constantly defending this school,” she said. “It’s not that we [the district] are doing anything irresponsible with the money we’re given. We have no oceanfront property, we have no business district.” What Springs does have, as several speakers pointed out, is a 27-percent population jump in the past four years.

    “There’s a sense of entitlement in this community,” said Dawn Flagg, a Springs resident. “Some people have been out of a job for years. Nothing is free. When I wanted my kids to go to preschool, I paid for it.”

    “If you have a job and you have security, that’s something to be grateful for, instead of looking for the next green leaf from a tree that isn’t there.”

    For the most part, the topics at Tuesday night’s East Hampton School Board meeting were positive ones, ranging from a proposal for a garden at the John M. Marshall School to fund-raising on school grounds. But Mary Laspia, a Gould Street resident, who had been before the board in December to complain about the noise generated by cooling equipment on the roof of the high school, was back, and shaking visibly.

    “It’s a loud, droning noise that wakes you up,” she had said in December, describing “sleepless nights and tortured days.” The issue had not been resolved.

    “This has been a year. Nothing has changed. I am not taking this crap anymore,” she said, her voice cracking. “If you send me one more person with one more noise meter, I’m going to shove it down their throat,” she said.

    “We’ve arranged a meeting with Ms. Laspia in the very near future to address her concerns,” Richard Burns,  the interim district superintencent, said yesterday morning. “In fact, a whole team is meeting with her to try and resolve this.”

    On a happier note, Kate McCarty, a kindergarten parent, East Hampton graduate, and landscape architect, floated the idea of a “discovery garden” at the elementary school. The goal, Ms. McCarty said, would be to “transform the courtyard into a beautiful sanctuary,” where children could learn about nature and protecting the environment through age-appropriate hands-on activities.

    The cost of the project, which would include edible plants, a boardwalk, mossy and digging areas, and a worm bin, among other things, would come from private donations, to be “umbrella-ed” by Project MOST, the nonprofit school advocacy organization. The board agreed to continue discussing plans with Ms. McCarty, noting that long-term maintenance and state guidelines had to be ironed out.

    The matter of the district’s fund-raising policies was addressed at the meeting by Patricia Hope, a board member on a committee formed to take a closer look at the policies.

    Reading some of the group’s findings, she said, “We’ve come up with an overview.” Fund-raisers “must directly support the East Hampton Union Free School District.” This brought an immediate response from some members of  the audience who wondered, for example, about an event “benefiting a student whose house has burned down.”

    Each request would be looked at on a case-by-case basis, Ms. Hope said. Mr. Burns added, “This is still totally open to discussion.”

    “We’re just trying to prevent misuse of public property,” added George Aman, another board member.

    Ms. Hope said she was amazed by some of the rules set forth by the Department of Education, including a statewide kibosh on selling baked goods that were not prepared in a kitchen approved by the county Health Department. “We will have to decide which rules to obey and which to ignore,” she said with a smile.

    The board also heard news of a pleasant nature about an international heritage fair at the elementary school on Friday, which brought out 800 people, and a teachers versus students basketball game at the East Hampton Middle School, which raised about $1,300, half of which will go toward a fund in memory of Herman Stephens, a much-loved custodian who died in the fall.

    Also boosting spirits were kudos for last weekend’s production of “Anything Goes” at the high school. The Sunday performance was preceded by a lunch for senior citizens, with over 200 attending from the over-65 set.

    The performance, Mr. Burns said, “really showed that there is so much more to education than just standardized test scores.”

    “Academics, arts, and athletics,” offered Ms. Hope.

    In addition to Ms. McCarty, Paul Fiondella, an East Hampton resident who frequently speaks at board meetings, had a troubling concern.

    “There are 150 people in the district making over $100,000 a year,” he said.        “We’re already paying $2.8 million in pension contributions. When these people retire, how can you sustain this? This is what happened in Greece,” he said.

    “We’re negotiating with the unions,” Jacqueline Lowey, a board member, responded. Since the matter involved personnel, she said the board could not comment further.

    “There are teachers in the district who are sensitive to this.”

    Project MOST is known for its after-school programs that serve approximately 280 students at the John M. Marshall Elementary School in East Hampton and the Springs School. But that’s not enough for Tim Bryden, the executive director of the 10-year-old program, who would like to see Project MOST’s numbers grow to 600 eventually, if the funding becomes available.

    “Kids need to learn,” Mr. Bryden said passionately from his home office in Springs, a desk strewn with papers before him. “The children themselves are asking to learn more.”

    Far from a baby-sitting service, Project MOST offers programs in yoga, science, technology, art, gardening, and even a newly minted chess club.

    “We’re working to add 35 percent more time to the school day, to expand educational opportunities,” Mr. Bryden said.

    At a time when many schools are forced into a program-cutting corner, Project MOST is seeking to expand enrichment education. But how important is it for children to learn more than reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic?

    According to Afterschool Alliance, a national advocacy group, “the hours between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. are the peak hours for juvenile crime and experimentation with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and sex.”

    On the positive side, according to Americans for the Arts, young people who participate in the arts — and arts are included in Project MOST — for at least three hours a day, three days a week are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, three times more likely to be elected to class office, four times more likely to participate in a math or science fair, three times more likely to win an award for school attendance, and four times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem.

    Project MOST charges parents $45 a week for the 3 to 6 p.m. program, which meets daily, and the rest of the yearly budget of approximately $356,000 is raised by payments from the districts, grants, and private donations.

    On Sunday, one of the more popular fund-raisers, Empty Bowls, was filled to capacity with supporters of Project MOST and the Springs Seedlings Project, an offshoot of the after-school program. The Hamptons Marathon is also a boon, Mr. Bryden said, bringing in $30,000 this year.

    “We’re working closely with the schools to develop more project-based learning,” he said. There is also a recently developed summer camp program, which was started to familiarize children with the beauty and bounty in the area.

    But the three Rs get attention, too. “We offer academic support for all learners,” Mr. Bryden emphasized. “No kid in the school should ever get behind.”

    There is a remedial reading group, “but it’s done in a way that’s fun and engaging,” he said. “More than half the kids here have jumped up several levels. Their reading has improved, and we only started in October with this,” he said. “We’re tapping into the love of reading, simply for the pure joy of it.”

    He wants to make the “strategic alliance” between the districts and the program “smooth and seamless,” with more offerings focused on drama, chorus, the environment, intramural sports, and art.

    Like other programs, however, Project MOST has had to tighten its proverbial belt, making cuts in administrative staff. Mr. Bryden and Rebecca Morgan do almost all the work themselves. There is no secretary or Web manager.

    Mr. Bryden, unfazed by the changes, is confident that the project will survive and grow. “We’re asking the schools to maintain or strengthen their support,” he said.

    “It’s such a thrill to see these kids learn,” he said, smiling. “I love to see the kids being amazed.”

    Peter Friscia, a social studies teacher at the East Hampton Middle School, is exceptionally proud of his students this week. Fourteen eighth graders accompanied him to Hofstra University on Sunday to participate in the Long Island regional competition of National History Day. Two of them, Jason Karlin and Jimmy Makrianes, made it to third place, and Alexandra Ebel will advance to the state competition next month with her second-place project.

    Training East Hampton middle schoolers to vie for National History Day recognition is a tradition started by Gary Zay, Mr. Friscia’s predecessor. Although many have competed, this is the first year that students have taken home honors for their projects.

    The theme was “revolution, reaction, and reform,” and the object was to choose a historical topic related to that theme and then present the work as a paper, exhibit, performance, documentary, or Web site. The middle school winners competed in Web site categories.

    Jason and Jimmy’s project, in the group Web site category, focused on Henry Ford’s assembly line, and their research included a trip to Detroit to the Rouge plant and the Henry Ford Museum.

    It took months of research, Jimmy said, and there were many rules — the text had to be limited to 1,200 words and the Web site could not contain more than 100 megabytes of information.

    “That wasn’t a problem,” Jason joked.

    Alexandra had been fascinated by a recent study of Native Americans, and her project, Plight of the Sioux Indians on the Great Plains, reflected her interest in that subject. She took second place in the individual Web site category.

    Jason and Jimmy will not be able to continue on to the state tournament. The team of 19 students they led was 2 short of the number needed to advance.

    Alexandra is looking for ways to polish her presentation before it heads to Cooperstown, N.Y., for the April 23 state championships. “I made a lot of stupid mistakes,” she said, all of them technical.

    But for Mr. Friscia, the glass is more than half full. “We were competing against schools that run an elective for this,” he said. “It’s part of their day. For us, we were touching base during lunchtime and after school. The kids did great.”