Education

Kites will soar above Main Beach on Saturday in a “fun-raiser” for the Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center from 2 to 5 p.m. Plus: Teen community service opportunities, drum-making for kids, story time, and more.

Now that a slim majority of Sag Harbor School District voters rejected the district’s proposal to buy five wooded lots on Marsden Street for future school expansion, the community has a tall task ahead of it: mending the wounds from the bitter, nine-month battle over the controversial plan.

Tours and art sessions for kids are back in person at the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center in Springs starting Saturday, May 27. Plus: Pizza and pajama night at CMEE, STEM activities in Bridgehampton, an an all-ages tea party in Sag Harbor.

Bridgehampton High School has recognized Hugo Kapon as its 2023 valedictorian and Luna Paucar as its salutatorian.

After several months of heated debate over the Sag Harbor School District’s controversial plan to buy five wooded lots on Marsden Street, Tuesday’s vote did not end in favor of the district. The tally was 1,081 votes in favor and 1,156 votes against — a difference of 75 as the issue drew a record voter turnout.

Also in the news this week: More administrative changes in Springs, free lunches in East Hampton, student film screenings, and writing contest winners.

From Bridgehampton to Montauk on Tuesday, school district voters supported most ballot propositions and all but one 2023-24 spending plan. The two key exceptions were in Sag Harbor, where the budget passed but the controversial Marsden Street land buy was rejected, and in Wainscott, where a tax-cap-busting budget failed by three votes.

"We didn't plan this, but it worked out beautifully," Chris Mandato, East Hampton High School's band teacher and music department coordinator, said of the special distinction Thursday's large-ensemble concert holds: The band, orchestra, and chorus will each perform an original song written by a Long Island musician with a connection to East Hampton.

The Springs and Montauk Schools successfully passed cap-busting budgets Tuesday night, but in Sag Harbor the Marsden Street purchase went down while everything else there won approval. In Wainscott, voters rejected a contested budget proposal.

From the impact of inflation and the lingering effects of Covid-19, to ever-growing concerns over safety and fluctuating student enrollment, school districts here are grappling with rising costs, as reflected in their proposed spending plans for the next school year. From Bridgehampton to Montauk, here is a district-by-district breakdown of spending plans, board candidates, and propositions.

Melanie Hayward and David Eagan are facing off for a seat on the Wainscott School Board in the district’s first contested board election in 12 years.

Three candidates are running for two seats on the East Hampton School Board this year, making it one of only two contested races on the South Fork. The contenders are Emily Agnello, a first-time candidate who grew up in East Hampton; George Aman, a former board member seeking to return, and John Ryan Sr., an incumbent seeking a 10th term.