School Budgets by the Numbers

Residents of local school districts will head to the polls on Tuesday to decide the fate of eight school budgets, including two that are over the state-imposed limit on tax levy increases.

That limitation had an almost uniform impact on local schools as they looked to curtail spending as much as possible and found ways to collaborate with neighboring districts to save money. For instance, Springs and East Hampton found themselves compromising on the cost of busing student athletes in shared sports, and Wainscott and Sag Harbor crafted new agreements for transportation and tuition that have the potential to save money for Wainscott while boosting revenue in Sag Harbor.

Two districts, Sagaponack and Montauk, worked out decreases in their proposed tax levies. However, in Amagansett and Bridgehampton, rising costs overwhelmed resources, and the threat of cuts to key programs and services was deemed too severe. Those two districts put forth budget proposals that attempt to pierce the tax cap, which will need a supermajority of at least 60 percent voter approval in order to pass. Voters will also cast ballots on Tuesday for school board candidates; four districts, Montauk, East Hampton, Sag Harbor, and Springs, have contested races.

Below is a district-by-district guide to what’s on the ballot for Tuesday.

AMAGANSETT

Voting hours: 2-8 p.m. in the school gymnasium, 320 Main Street, Amagansett

School budget proposal: $10,473,428

Library budget proposal: $995,223

School board candidates (two seats available): Kristen V. Peterson, Hank Muchnic

Notes: Amagansett’s budget proposal attempts to pierce the state-imposed cap on tax levy increases, so the district will need a super-majority of at least 60 percent of voters to approve the budget. With a proposed tax levy increase of 3.74 percent, it is estimated that for a homeowner with an assessed property value of $6,000, school taxes would rise by about $40 for the year.

If Amagansett fails to pass its budget, it could resubmit the same budget or propose a modified one for a second budget vote in June, but if it fails a second time, the district would be relegated to a contingency budget that includes no increases whatsoever. School officials have said such a scenario would lead to cuts of more than $300,000, including after-school and summertime activities, prekindergarten for 3-year-olds, teacher layoffs, and more.

An unanticipated increase in the amount of tuition paid this year to East Hampton schools led to a shortfall in the amount of leftover money available to be applied toward next year’s budget, and the tuition payments are expected to rise again next year. The proposed budget also includes a 1.5-percent salary increase for teachers, and preserves all programs and services currently in place at the school.

Related: Amagansett Board Grilled Over Budget

BRIDGEHAMPTON

Voting hours: 2-8 p.m. at Bridgehampton School, 2685 Montauk Highway

School budget proposal: $13,778,439

School board candidates (two seats available): Michael Gomberg, Jennifer Vinski

Notes: Bridgehampton’s budget proposal attempts to pierce the tax cap, with an 8.7-percent increase in the tax levy on the table, so a super-majority of voter approval is needed to pass the budget. Bridgehampton School officials opted to override the tax cap after realizing the kind of reductions they would have had to make would have severely impacted the students: Cuts to after-school programs, summer camps, driver’s education, career and technical programs, teacher and staff layoffs, and more were on the table. The proposed budget, however, preserves all current programs, services, and staffing at the Bridgehampton School.

EAST HAMPTON

Voting hours: 1-8 p.m. at East Hampton High School, 2 Long Lane

School budget proposal: $66,721,301

School board candidates (three seats available): James Foster, Alison Anderson, Wendy Geehreng, Rich Wilson

Notes: East Hampton’s proposed budget increases the tax levy by .68 percent, which is within the state’s allowable limit on tax levy increases for the district, while keeping year-over-year spending within a 1-percent increase. School officials are keeping expenses mostly level across the district next year, though the proposed budget includes some extra funding for buses and support in the areas of elementary school music and science, middle school math and science, and high school science, social studies, and math. Increases are offset by a significant savings in teacher salaries due to the retirement of about 20 veteran teachers and staff members. The district intends to replace them with younger teachers or teachers newer to the profession. The district estimates that for a house with an assessed value of $6,000, the school tax increase would be about $23 next year.

MONTAUK

Voting hours: 2-8 p.m. at Montauk School, 50 South Dorset Drive

School budget proposal: $18,978,163

School board candidates (two seats): Patti Leber is running unopposed for one seat; Cynthia Ibrahim and Thomas Flight are running for a second seat.

Notes: The Montauk budget proposal stays within the tax cap limitations. It actually carries a decrease in spending of about $15,000 from the current year’s budget, with the associated tax levy decrease coming in at just under 1 percent and the tax rate expected to drop by $5.39 down to $544.40 per $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. The school expects to see savings on high school tuition, with fewer students heading to East Hampton next year, which allows the district to keep its home programs intact.

SAG HARBOR

Voting hours: 7 a.m.-9 p.m. at Pierson High School, 200 Jermain Avenue

Budget proposal: $38,773,988

Propositions: Vote yes/no on bond referendum in the amount of $10,233,500 to purchase and renovate the former Stella Maris Regional School.

School board candidates (two seats available): Susan Kinsella, Susan Lamontagne, Chris Tice, Roxanne Briggs

Notes: With a tax levy increase of 2.98 percent, Sag Harbor’s 2016-17 proposed budget stays below the state tax levy cap while maintaining all current programs, services, and staffing levels, school officials say. For a house with a market value of $1 million, school taxes could rise about $150, though that amount will fluctuate depending on whether the house is located in East Hampton Town or Southampton Town.

SAGAPONACK

Voting hours: 7:30-8:30 p.m. at Sagaponack School, 400 Sagg Main Street

Budget proposal: $1,776,756

School board candidates (one seat available): Cathy Hatgistavrou

Notes: Sagaponack’s proposed budget shows a mere $4,251 increase over last year’s budget. With an increase in state funding and tuition payments from nonresident students paying to attend Sagaponack School, the resulting proposal carries a very slight tax levy decrease. The district will spend less on classroom equipment, textbooks, and tuition to other schools, but will spend more on teachers’ salaries, field trips, activities, and supplies. The budget also includes $37,000 for new playground equipment, which will be supplemented by donations from community members.

SPRINGS

Voting hours: 1-9 p.m. at Springs School, 48 School Street

Budget proposal: $27,630,067

Proposition: Vote yes/no to enter into a three-year installment payment plan for the purchase of one large, 66-passenger school bus, for which the first year’s cost of $42,000 is included in the proposed budget.

School board candidates (two seats available): Adam Wilson, Amy Rivera, David Conlon

Notes: The proposed Springs School budget stays within the state-imposed limit on tax levy increases, while keeping year-over-year spending to an increase of just under 1 percent. School officials slashed spending in several areas, including some teacher and administrator salaries, to offset rising expenses such as tuition for high school students and health benefits. School officials say this proposed budget maintains all of the district’s core academic programs. If passed, it is estimated that for a Springs house with an assessed value of $800,000, taxes would rise by about $12 per year.

WAINSCOTT

Voting hours: 2-8 p.m. at Wainscott School, 47 Wainscott Main Street

Budget proposal: $3,036,916

School board candidates (1 seat available): William Babinski Jr.

Proposition: Vote yes/no on two tuition agreements with the Sag Harbor School District, one for Sag Harbor Elementary School and one for Pierson Middle/High School.

Notes: Wainscott’s proposed budget would decrease the tax levy by 1.16 percent and overall spending by about $27,000. It would be the fifth consecutive budget in which spending decreased, and the fourth in which the tax levy dropped. The budget maintains the current programs and services and adds a full-time teaching assistant, as the number of students at the school is expected to increase. Residents are also asked to vote yes or no on tuition contracts with the Sag Harbor School District, which would ultimately give families the choice of sending their children to East Hampton or Sag Harbor schools after they have finished third grade at the Wainscott School.