As school districts across the East End tallied budget and school board votes Tuesday night, all eyes were on Montauk, where a $38.41 million renovation bond ended up failing by just 43 votes, with a record number of people weighing in.
Montauk’s budget passed as did budgets in Sag Harbor and all of the districts that send students to East Hampton schools, and there were no upsets in the few contested board races. Voters in Sagaponack, Montauk, Amagansett, and Springs also approved new five-year tuition agreements with East Hampton.
In Montauk, 692 people cast votes, 671 of them in person and 21 by absentee ballot. Last year, only 188 people voted. The $24.56 million budget passed 403 to 280; the bond vote was 318 in favor and 361 against.
“I really just want to thank everyone in the community who participated in this renovation bond vote,” said Joshua Odom, superintendent and principal of the Montauk School, after the official results had been read. “And while the outcome is not what we hoped for, we respect the decision of the voters, and we remain deeply committed to the needs of our students, our staff, and our school community.”
The bond was intended to pay for a major renovation, which would have included a new gymnasium and improvements to the current school building. Mr. Odom thanked the school board, the PTA, and the team at BBS Architects, who developed the proposal. “They’re tremendous,” Mr. Odom said, “and for everyone who devoted time and energy to this proposal, your work sparked important conversations about the future of our school.”
In the lead-up to the vote, Mr. Odom held a series of informational sessions in the community to discuss the problems the board and administration were hoping to fix with the renovation.
“We know there’s things that have to be addressed,” he said on Tuesday night, “so we’ll make an alternate plan that’s perhaps more palatable to the community as we move forward.”
“Personally, I’d rather go faster than slower,” he said yesterday, “but . . . we’ll be getting feedback from everyone, trying to figure out the best path forward.”
Another proposition in Montauk, to use nearly $2.93 million from the school’s capital savings to upgrade its
HVAC systems and demolish and rebuild the Fisher house on the school property, also failed, though by a smaller margin, with 342 voting “no” and 334 voting “yes.” The tuition contract was approved 470 to 210.
Leigh-Ann Hess, Montauk’s current PTA president, was elected to an open school board seat for a five-year term, receiving 368 votes. There were 200 write-in votes cast, 193 of them for Tara Coleman, who mounted a write-in campaign for the seat being vacated by the board’s longtime president, Diane Hausman.
Springs
In Springs, the $38.41 million budget passed easily, with 244 voting for it and 50 against. Turnout was much lower than in the past two years, when the district had to pierce the state-mandate cap on tax levy increases.
Voters also approved two propositions, one authorizing a new five-year tuition agreement with the East Hampton School District (245-48) for Springs high schoolers; the other re-authorizing a repair reserve fund (251-42). The district will be allowed to set aside up to $7.5 million over time, some of it coming from an existing repair fund and some from excess balances.
Two incumbent school board members, Erik Fredrickson and Emma Field, each finishing their first three-year terms, were re-elected with 238 and 259 votes respectively. Gerard Picco, who was running for the first time, got 43 votes.
Mr. Fredrickson, the board’s president, is the C.E.O. of the Fredrickson Consulting Group. A father of three, he is a fitness coach and volunteer youth sports coach. Ms. Field, who also has three children, grew up in East Hampton and works in her family’s general contracting business; she has a background in art and design.
“We do this for the students, and we want to be responsible to the students and to the community as well,” Mr. Fredrickson said after the results were announced. The board will be drawing up a new set of district goals this summer, he noted, and “We’re encouraging people to come out and join the committee as well, so that we can take in as much information as we can.”
“I think we have a great team, and I’m excited to see where the next three years takes us,” Ms. Field said.
Amagansett
In Amagansett, Wayne Gauger, the president of the school board, and Kristen Peterson, a 10-year member and former board president, were re-elected to three-year terms, prevailing over a challenger, Joe Karpinski. Voters overwhelmingly passed the school’s 2025-26 budget.
Ms. Peterson had 159 votes, and Mr. Gauger won a second term with 148 votes. Mr. Karpinski, a critic of the board and a parent of three students at the school, got 74 votes. He declared his candidacy after Maria Dorr, the principal, was found not guilty and reinstated following a monthslong hearing over the alleged 2023 theft of an envelope containing a gift card.
“I know I ran with honesty and dignity,” Mr. Karpinski said in an email Tuesday night. “This changes nothing. I stand where I did this morning, with more flexibility being on the outside. I will continue to hold this board to their own claims. . . . Time to hold their feet to the fire more than ever. I’m not going anywhere, I’m still here.”
Amagansett voters approved the district’s $14.05 million budget, 174 in favor and 38 opposed. They supported the tuition agreement with East Hampton 188-24. Under the agreement Amagansett will send its seventh through 12th graders exclusively to East Hampton schools.
A proposition to authorize the appropriation of $162,887 from a capital reserve fund to purchase a new school bus was approved, with 183 in favor and 29 opposed, and voters also authorized the district to create a new capital reserve fund, 169 in favor to 39 opposed.
The Amagansett Library’s budget proposition for $1.52 million, which does not impact school taxes, was also approved, 174 in favor and 36 against.
East Hampton
The East Hampton School District’s proposed 2025-26 budget — an $88.14 million spending plan — passed with 271 voting for it and 42 against. Voters also supported a proposition to spend just over $3.28 million from the capital reserve fund for a new playground at the John M. Marshall Elementary School, and a new science research lab at the high school. Neither project will impact taxes, as the money has already been set aside. The vote was 280 to 33.
East Hampton received the go-ahead by a vote of 271 to 36 to establish a repair reserve fund that will allow the district to save up to $7.5 million over time, and a new capital reserve fund that can accrue up to $10 million over time (278 to 39).
The incumbent school board candidates James (J.P.) Foster and Sandra Vorpahl, and a newcomer, Belinda Bellas, were running unopposed for the three open seats on the board. Mr. Foster, the board president, got 278 votes, Ms. Vorpahl 290, and Ms. Bellas 246.
Sag Harbor
In Sag Harbor, the proposed $52.36 million budget passed with 369 saying “yes” and 76 “no.” Voters also supported a proposition to use $975,000 from the capital reserve fund for repairs to the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems (394-52). Two incumbents, Grainne Coen and Ronald Reed, were running unopposed to keep their seats. They got 379 and 373 votes respectively.
Sagaponack and Wainscott
Sagaponack voters approved the district’s $2.085 million budget 23-0, and okayed the tuition agreement with East Hampton 21-2. Sagaponack families can choose among Sag Harbor, Bridgehampton, or East Hampton schools for their fourth through 12th grade children. Voters also okayed agreements to that effect with the other two districts. Elizabeth Barton won the uncontested race for school board.
The Wainscott School District’s $4.99 million budget passed 57-8, and the incumbent school board member William Babinski, who was running unopposed, was re-elected.
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Note: This article has been updated since it first appeared online.