In Heavy Turnout, Wainscott School Budget Narrowly Defeated; Eagan Reelected - 27 East
logo logo logo logo

Sag Harbor Express

East Hampton Press / News / Education / Government / Education / Government / News / Sag Harbor Express / 2159540

In Heavy Turnout, Wainscott School Budget Narrowly Defeated; Eagan Reelected

icon 1 Photo
Wainscott Superintendent Deborah Haab, clockwise from top left, music teacher Abigail Fleming, physical education teacher Seth Calero, and District Clerk Norma Bushman count ballots on Tuesday, May 16. STEPHEN J. KOTZ

Wainscott Superintendent Deborah Haab, clockwise from top left, music teacher Abigail Fleming, physical education teacher Seth Calero, and District Clerk Norma Bushman count ballots on Tuesday, May 16. STEPHEN J. KOTZ

authorStephen J. Kotz on May 17, 2023
Wainscott voters narrowly rejected a $6.16 million school budget in heavy voting on Tuesday, May 16. Because the proposed budget pierced the state’s cap on tax levy increases year to... more

You May Also Like:

An Awful Noise

People who don’t know, ask: What is that awful noise? And then it stops. A different tree now gradually comes alive; the leaves nearly vibrate as the buzzing builds. The sound of an individual cicada is, of course, not an awful noise — it’s just loud, and the pitch is not designed to attract the human ear. The loud things we generally live with are human sounds: parties, lawnmowers, farm equipment. Yesterday, while harvesting tomatoes in the middle of a 50-acre field, I could hear, in the distance, the distinctive crunch of a house being demolished. But, other times, what ... 16 Sep 2025 by Marilee Foster

Diversity and Inclusion Committee to Combine With Shared Decision Making Committee at Pierson

At the first Sag Harbor Board of Education meeting since the start of the new school year, board members shared some of the work they’ve been doing to try and organize and make better use of the various committees that exist to focus on a wide range of needs and initiatives. School Board President Sandi Kruel and Vice President Jordana Sobey, along with Veronika Rodriguez-Moya, the district’s director of pupil personnel services and ENL (English as a New Language) coordinator recommended putting the district’s diversity and inclusion committee in with the shared decision making committee. It was a recommendation that ... by Cailin Riley

Finding Balance — A Lifelong Journey to Wellness

When I was invited to write a monthly wellness column for this paper, “thrilled” doesn’t ... by Jessie Kenny

Team Whalers Makes History With 20th Championship at Sag Harbor HarborFest

Perfect weather and large crowds combined to make Sag Harbor’s annual HarborFest a huge success ... by Stephen J. Kotz

From Fatherhood to Finances, Bridgehampton Brotherhood BBQ Supports Local Men

During the many years she’s served as executive director of the Bridgehampton Child Care & ... by Cailin Riley

Doris Ola Mae Riddick Madison of Water Mill Dies August 31

Doris Ola Mae Riddick Madison of Water Mill died on August 31. She was 87. ... by Staff Writer

Saving the Waterfront

A little over 50 years ago, the Suffolk County Farmland Preservation Program was launched, based on a first-in-the nation concept of sale of “development rights.” Then-Suffolk County Executive John V.N. Klein was pivotal, in 1974, to the inception of that program. This month, the Suffolk County Legislature unanimously passed the Conservation of Working Waterfronts bill, with the current county executive, Ed Romaine, playing a critical role, too. It also involves future development. For centuries, farming and fishing have been at the economic foundation of Suffolk County. Great strides have been made in preserving farming in Suffolk — and keeping Suffolk ... by Karl Grossman

Captain Courageous

Because of a bevy of other headlines, somewhat overlooked earlier this month was the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The signing ceremony aboard the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945, was a formality, because the war essentially ended two weeks earlier, when Emperor Hirohito told his people that Japan was giving up. That allowed the Allies to begin liberating the POW camps containing thousands of inmates. A particularly brutal one was Omori, on the outskirts of Tokyo. The following is an excerpt from toward the end of “Running Deep,” which will be published next month. On ... by Tom Clavin

Tracking Reality

Thank you for “Water Hogs” [“The Water Hogs of the Hamptons, 2025,” Residence, 27east.com, August 28], a deeply necessary, smart service to us all, tracking the reality — what the press can do. I teach a course in the spring, “Language as Action: Reading & Writing Water,” and I will use “Water Hogs.” Kathy Engel Sagaponack 15 Sep 2025 by Staff Writer

Rare Treasure

I am urging the Southampton Town Board to keep this land as is, regardless of classification [“Fate of Southampton Town-Owned Poxabogue Field, Within Sagaponack Village, Is Debated at Town Board Meeting,” 27east.com, September 10]. I understand that it is in consideration to be returned to an agricultural use, but it has become an increasingly rare treasure here on the East End: an “old field” environment that now serves as habitat for wildlife, as well as having become a natural water quality buffer to Poxabogue Pond. As development continues to insidiously encroach on our wild neighbors, we threaten that very unique ... by Staff Writer