The East Hampton School Board hosted its third of four community forums on Nov. 12 to address a $64 million bond that taxpayers will see on the ballot in May. If approved, the bond would cover improvements at all three schools in the district without an increase in taxes, due to a debt repayment process that winds down in 2029.
The district proposes that instead of giving the average homeowner a $200 annual tax reduction when the debt expires, taxes should remain steady to address immediate repairs and longer-term improvements at the elementary, middle, and high schools.
Superintendent Adam Fine presented the district’s latest list of needs last week. The proposed work totals about $35 million, leaving just under $30 million for items the community might want to add. The administration worked with the district’s architect to identify the essential upgrades for each school in the district. The board is seeking community input to narrow down the list of additional projects that should be included.
“We tried very hard to lower the amount of money in the needs column to open up the wants a little more, but at some point, the high school auditorium — I was principal here for 10 years — the high school auditorium needs to be redone and it can’t be redone cheap,” Mr. Fine said. “It’s got a lot of work that needs to be done. It’s from 1970. You can only take so many things off the list that are $500,000 or $300,000 or $200,000.”
Each of the schools is slated to get $1 million in security upgrades. The other essentials vary.
The high school also needs to add a concession area, repair a buckling gym floor, make outdoor bathrooms A.D.A. compliant, put a new roof on the rear wing of the school, and resurface the track. Those add up to $21.5 million.
The middle school needs new boilers, air-conditioning, work on the facade, stairway glass, windows, and an auditorium roof for a total of $9 million.
The John M. Marshall Elementary School has the shortest list of needs at $6.4 million. It includes classroom bathrooms, new windows and a sound system in the gym, repairs to the gym’s windows and roof, and general masonry work.
The list of district wants ranges from a $50,000 pollinator garden at the high school to a more than $43 million pool.
“When we started talking about the pool idea, the pool started at $30 million. By the time our architect got it seven or eight months later, it’s now $43 million,” Fine said. “We’re creating a pool here that would serve the community and our school. There need to be two separate locker rooms in there, bleachers, and stands for people to watch their children.”
Cara Weaver, a parent and occupational therapist at the middle school, spoke up in support of adding multiuse space to the middle school list of wants. “It feels like we’re busting at the seams,” Ms. Weaver said. “We’re storing instruments in the hallway. We’re having lessons in the hallway. Every year someone comes into my classroom to see if my closet could be an office.”
Caitlyn McDonald, a parent who lives on Dayton Lane, complained about the noisy air-conditioning at the adjacent elementary school and was in favor of a $100,000 line on the want list to reduce sound from the A.C. system.
Mr. Fine says the school principals, parent teacher associations, and the Rotary Club have been part of the ongoing discussions. The board is working on a community survey to get additional feedback and would like to include a mix of ideas in the final district proposal.
Another issue the district may have to deal with is a bill in the State Legislature that would require public entities in Nassau and Suffolk Counties to engage with a unionized shop for project labor agreements. Sam Schneider, the East Hampton School District’s assistant superintendent for business, said that bill could significantly reduce the $64 million bond’s purchasing power. Mr. Schneider said the state vote might not happen before the May bond referendum, but it will affect East Hampton regardless of when it passes.
The next community bond workshop will be Dec. 17 at 10 a.m. in the high school library.