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In school districts other than Wainscott — where the budget proposal narrowly failed — voters approved 2023-2024 school budgets across the South Fork on Tuesday, May 16.
East Hampton School District residents have approved a $79,079,317 budget for the 2023-2024 school year. Community members voted 287-48 in favor of the spending plan, which is a 3.37 percent, or $2,472,694 increase from this current school year’s budget, and comes with a $57,351,202 tax levy.
“Thank you to the taxpayers of East Hampton School District for supporting our budget in a pretty overwhelming manner,” board President J.P. Foster said Tuesday night. “Thank you very much.”
Residents also gave the green light to a second proposition, approving the use of capital reserve funds to pay for five districtwide projects. The total, $3,564,929, will build a cafeteria veranda, repair high school and elementary school parking lots, install new middle school lockers and improve the grounds facility at no additional cost to the taxpayers. Results were 296-36 in support of the plans.
In the annual trustee election, John Ryan Sr. was reelected to his seat, while newcomer Emily Agnello will serve her first term on the Board of Education. With Jackie Lowery choosing not to run again, that left three vying for two seats. Agnello received 257 votes, while Ryan secured 243 and former board member George Aman collected 92.
“I’m am so pleased with the outcome of the election, Agnello said. “I am so appreciative of all the community members who came out to vote in support of me today. I have a lot to learn from the board’s current members and I’m eager to get started.”
Springs School District residents voted 355-194 in favor of a tax cap-piercing $35,406,133 budget for the 2023-2024 school year. The 64.6 percent is just over the needed 60 percent supermajority required for the budget to pass.
The approved spending plan is a 7.65 percent, or $2,517,247, increase from this current year’s budget and carries a $30,595,409 tax levy.
Community members also greenlighted a second proposition with 377 “yes” votes to 173 “no,” approving the purchase of a small passenger bus, including two-way radio equipment, security cameras and recording devices for the safety and security of passengers, at an amount to not exceed the estimated cost of $90,000.
With Board of Education Vice President Tim Frazier choosing not to run for another term, that left two vying for two open seats in the annual trustee election. Pat Brabant, running for reelection, gathered 401 votes, and newcomer Kate Sarris received 426.
Voters in the Montauk School District supported allowing the school to exceed the state tax cap, with some 67 percent of voters supporting the budget and the 18.5 tax hike it will bring with it.
The $22.7 million budget was approved with 167 votes in favor and 80 votes against, easily surpassing the 60 percent approval necessary to allow the school to adopt a budget that would raise the tax levy by more than the state-mandated tax cap.
Spending in the proposed budget was up about $1.7 million over the current budget, an increase of a little more than 8 percent — driven primarily by increases in teacher salaries, the costs of operating the district’s new bus fleet and a new summer recreation program.
The 2023-2024 budget will be the first in several years to not include hefty influxes of surplus funds, which the New York State comptroller’s office had told the district it must put back into the budget rather than holding in reserve. The district had put more than $2.8 million in surplus into the current 2022-2023 budget, keeping taxes artificially low and setting up this year’s big hike when the surpluses were finally reduced to a level the comptroller’s office would allow the district to carry over.
Lee White was the lone member of the School Board whose seat was on the ballot. He was unopposed for reelection and received 214 votes.
In Amagansett, voters overwhelmingly supported the school’s proposed budget, the Amagansett library budget and two propositions giving the district permission to buy a new school bus and upgrade the school building’s HVAC systems.
The district’s proposed $13.1 million budget won approval with 84 votes in favor and only 9 against. The proposition to purchase a new bus for $148,000 was approved 85-7. The proposition asking for permission to borrow $1.8 million to upgrade the heating systems, add air-conditioning to classrooms and rehabilitate the front walkway to the school building passed, 83-8. The Amagansett Library budget was approved, 89-4.
Two seats on the Amagansett School Board were also on the ballot and just two candidates running. Incumbent Kevin Warren received 70 votes for a second three-year term on the board and Addie Slater-Davison received 81 votes to secure the second seat.
The Sagaponack School District proposed budget passed with 13 votes in favor and none against. The $1.89 million budget was less than a 1 percent increase in spending from the current school year budget and will result in a 2 percent tax rate increase.
Thomas Schultz was the lone member of the School Board up for reelection on the ballot and received all 13 of the votes cast.
Staff Writer on May 17, 2023