After unveiling a tentative 2010-2011 budget with a tax levy rate increase of around 13.5 percent, the Sag Harbor School Board is now wrestling with how to handle the $6.7 million facilities bond which was defeated in December.

At Monday’s meeting, board member Daniel Hartnett said he believed that in the minds of the voting public, the bond centered on, not an upgrade of the school’s facilities overall, but a plan to repair the parking situation and add additional spaces at three school parking lots.

“This is not a parking bond. There is almost $5.6 million worth of health and safety work,” Harnett pointed out.

The bulk of the defeated bond focused on bringing the school’s buildings up to code and safety compliance through upgrades to the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems and other architectural projects. Hartnett pointed out the bond allows the district to pay for the projects over time, meaning people who will move to the area and use the schools will share in the cost.

On Monday, the board revealed an amended parking plan which would only repair and re-stripe the Atlantic Avenue, Jermain Avenue and Hampton Street lots. At the elementary school, the Hampton Street lot would remain at 26 spaces but the Atlantic Avenue lot would expand from 28 to 31 parking spaces, though the asphalt wouldn’t spill onto the basketball court.

The elementary school repairs would cost roughly $200,000 compared to $661,000 for the original repair and expansion plan. At Pierson, the Jermain Avenue lot would decrease from 36 to 28 parking spaces and include a clear ingress and egress. The repair and re-striping project will cost $200,000, whereas the original plan called for a $375,000 project.

“I talked to people who said that there were too many spaces [in the parking plan],” said school superintendent Dr. John Gratto. “I didn’t meet anyone who said the repairs were unwise.”

Dr. Gratto suggested holding off on the bond vote for another year. Whereas board member Mary Anne Miller argued the bond addresses pressing safety issues. Although she believed this spring may not be the best time to put the bond up for a vote, she wasn’t sure if the school should wait a whole year.

“Isn’t that how we got to this place by deferring the bond?” asked parent and long range planning committee member Chris Arbia, who also pointed out that the district wanted to pass the bond this year because it is retiring a $3 million bond from 1997 next year, which will lessen the tax impact of a new bond.

Given the projections for the 2010-2011 school year, Dr. Gratto believed it would be prudent to use these savings the lessen the tax impact of the school budget. He said supervisor of buildings and grounds Montgomery Granger had incorporated some of the items from the bond into his budget for next year. Board member Ed Haye believed perhaps these items should be put on hold to save money in the coming year. Haye added that the useful life of the bond items should be studied to make sure it is in sync with the life of the bond, around 10 to 15 years.

It appears the bond is paused for the moment as Dr. Gratto asked the long range planning committee to look back at the projects in the bond.

After February’s lively Bridgehampton school board meeting concerning district staffing, last Wednesday’s board workshop was much quieter, open and unusually short with no executive session following it as well. The workshop focused on the possibility of tuitioning in students from other school districts. As noted during the last meeting, discussion of the school’s 2010-2011 budget has been temporarily put on hold.

The conversation began after Superintendent Dianne Youngblood reported that she and Bridgehampton Principal Jack Pryor had a second meeting with eighth grade parents at the Springs school.

 “We focused our presentation on our course offerings, advanced academic courses and shared sports activities. It was a very nice discussion and we entertained some good questions from the parents whom we encouraged to call the school to arrange tours,” said Youngblood. “However, we haven’t received any calls as yet.”

Pryor said he received a call from the Springs School principal the other day to notify him that the Springs school district was sending a letter out to all parents of eighth graders encouraging them to look at Bridgehampton as an option.

Currently Springs and Bridgehampton are only considering having their 8^th grade class join Bridgehampton for High School. Older and younger students are not being discussed as yet according to Pryor. Limiting this process is “a new way to think about it,” he said.

Board President Elizabeth Kotz explained “from what I’ve read in the paper they may be experiencing some resistance from East Hampton concerning their contract.” She further added that Bridgehampton would only be taking in six new ninth graders if this came to fruition. 

Youngblood however was concerned “that we couldn’t let them know about non-resident tuition rates because I explained the board usually discusses that in July; but I want to encourage you to think about this now.”

Interim Business Manager George Chesterton encouraged the board to set the tuition rates sooner so that the district would know if new families were coming and how their tuition payments would offset the school’s costs.

Kotz agreed that “we should put this on the table for discussion.”

Concerning out-of-district tuition, which is what a district pays, and non-resident tuition, which is what an individual family pays, there were two distinct opinions debated at the workshop.

 “I think we should stick to our current tuition rates,” said board member Joe Berhalter. “I don’t think we should jack up the rates just to make some money. I think we should stay with what we’ve got and the worst that will happen is after a year we could change it. People should come here because we’re a good school and because they want to be here. We’re also trying to broaden our base and attract good, qualified students. I think it would energize our community.” Currently, the district charges $15,000 for out-of-district students.

Board member Lillian Tyree completely agreed with Berhalter. “I think that’s logical.”

Berhalter continued, “I think we have a bargain basement price, and compared to private school it is very cheap. We should stick to this price until July 1 and if districts sign up before then it stays at this price, and if they sign up later it’ll be the new price in July.”

Kotz however noted “It does cost less to go here than to Sag Harbor, but I don’t want people to choose Bridgehampton for the cost but because it is the right fit for their students.”

Board member Doug Degroot agreed with Kotz.

“Right now if Springs shops by price for us they will save money no matter what (even if Bridgehampton raises prices). We’re so much less than East Hampton. I think the district price should be higher.”

Berhalter did want to reinforce “ I think if we are offering a choice to others, our kids should have the choice to go elsewhere as well.”

To which Kotz answered “But we have a high school here while these schools don’t.”

She also wanted the board to keep in mind that Sagaponack was also looking at their options.

In other news, Youngblood mentioned that Sag Harbor Superintendent John Gratto was interested in having the two districts share a business administrator. However, both Kotz and Berhalter wanted this discussion to happen once Bridgehampton had a new superintendent in place.

Youngblood also explained that the school has been talking with various departments concerning next year’s staffing and curriculum, and said “we are very close to having a final recommendation to present to you at the next board meeting.”

by Marissa Maier

Sag Harbor Elementary School science teacher Kryn Olson celebrated the first harvest yielded from the school’s garden and greenhouse in 2008. Olson, however, had spent five years getting the agricultural project off the ground.

Above: A digital mock-up of the outdoor classroom proposed behind the Sag Harbor Elementary School Building.

On Monday evening, Olson along with two district parents, Sam Panton and Ed Bruehl, presented a new plan to the board of education. The trio hopes to turn a triangular shaped plot of land behind the elementary school building into an outdoor, eco-centric classroom for young students. By funding the project exclusively through private donations, the group hopes the process from planning to completion will be expedited.

“We must start rethinking how we teach,” noted Olson. “We need to expose our children to sustainable agriculture and living practices.”

The concept of the project, explained Panton, is to teach children about the geological formation of the East End through growing native plant species at the site. Different planting areas would demonstrate a particular local eco-system, for example a fresh water wetland or a tidal wetland.

“We want the children to learn about Long Island and how the South and North fork were created,” noted Panton. “They will walk straight outside and see the sand and start to think about that concept.”

The project calls for an outdoor blackboard with a seating area surrounded by a semi-circle of linden trees, a meandering walkway, a large boulder, a rainwater retention system to irrigate the wetland areas, and planters for each classroom. A large part of the ground will be covered in crushed stone dust, which is a permeable surface. The group hopes to install a solar panel on the site, which could be placed on top of a storage container that already rests at the site, and a compost area to provide natural fertilizer for the rest of the property.

The outdoor seating area, added Olson, could be used for film screenings or concerts.

“We want to make this a sweet community area,” explained Olson. “[The project] is more community oriented.”

Bruehl added the boulder and other materials have already been donated. The labor, trees and solar panels will account for the largest expense. Bruehl noted the group intends to hold a series of fundraisers. Companies or families will be asked to individually sponsor one linden tree and a plaque acknowledging their donation will be installed near the tree. Teacher Janice Cosgrove offered her expertise in helping to raise funds.

“I was involved with an autism group and each year we raised enough for the salaries to pay for 40 teaching assistants,” said Cosgrove. “There are ways for this to be done.”

School board member Wes Frye inquired about the cost of maintaining the site once the work is completed. Panton said he designs outdoor spaces using “Zeroscaping” a concept of planting native plants that require little water. He seemed certain the school’s maintenance cost would decrease.

Though parent Chris Tice called the plan “phenomenal,” she noted the school is overrun with active children throughout the year. In the summer, Tice added, families visit the grounds while vacationing on the East End. She worried these heavy uses weren’t being taken into account.

“People said we would have problems with the greenhouse and we haven’t had any problems,” countered Olson. “We want it to be so comfortable that people just enjoy it.”

School board president Walter Wilcoxen said Bruehl, Panton and Olson presented the plans to the long range planning committee. Wilcoxen seemed extremely receptive to the project and added, “This is such an educational opportunity and they have put an awful lot of work in.”

Board member Ed Haye pointed out the funds raised for the project needed to be carefully tracked to avoid a lawsuit should the project not move forward. Wilcoxen suggested they create an exact proposal for bookkeeping the donations and send the plan to the school clerk. The board, added Wilcoxen, will then make comments on the project and send it to the school’s attorney for further consideration.

A visitor to Sagaponack Village might believe the one-room schoolhouse on Main Street has remained untouched since it was built in 1885. Pint-sized students sit on old-fashioned wooden desks with inkwells and a cast-iron stove located at the front of the classroom keeps them warm. Though everything seems sleepy enough, changes are afoot in this small school district.

In January, Sag Harbor Schools Superintendent Dr. John Gratto and Pierson School Principal Jeff Nichols pitched the merits of a Pierson education to a group of almost a dozen Sagaponack parents. For the past year, said Sagaponack School Board President Charles Barbour, Sagaponack parents asked the board to explore the curriculum at neighboring school districts beginning with middle school. The village’s educational program runs from first through fourth grade only, at which point students have traditionally moved on to the East Hampton School District.

With the state poised to cut close to $200,000 in aid next school year, Pierson is looking for a much needed boost on the revenue side of their ledger and tuitioning-in Sagaponack students could help sustain programming, noted Dr. Gratto in a later interview.

“The fiscal condition of the state is restrictive and we are looking at ways to bring in revenue,” Dr. Gratto further explained.

When asked if the school would need to increase the academic staff, he remarked, “It depends on how many students there are in each subject. There is high enrollment in Spanish and science in some areas … [But] the cost of additional teachers would be offset by the revenue.”

For the 2010-2011 school year, Sag Harbor will charge out-of-district students $16,217 annually to attend grades kindergarten through sixth and $21,080 for grades seventh through twelfth. Full day tuition for special education students is $44,196 per year for the elementary school and $50,808 for middle and high school. The sending school district, however, must provide transportation for their students.

“We are also looking at the side of the cost to the taxpayer. Sag Harbor is definitely a little bit cheaper,” said Barbour, based on his preliminary research of the school’s contract with East Hampton. He noted though that East Hampton is in the midst of crafting next year’s school budget and their tuition rates are subject to change. East Hampton’s Business Administrator Isabel Madison couldn’t be reached for comment.

In exploring other districts, Barbour noted the board is seeking a well-rounded program with a host of extra-curricular activities and excellent test scores. At the presentation Dr. Gratto and Nichols highlighted the school’s class sizes, which boasts an average of 20 students per academic class, curricula focal points, including the Intel science projects, young playwrights program and the model United Nations, the selection of arts programs, athletics, the credentials of the faculty, and students’ regents and advanced placement test scores.

Sagaponack is currently in the midst of a five-year contract with the East Hampton School District. Dr. Gratto explained that school’s superintendent Lee Ellwood seems assured the school may end this agreement before the start of a new academic year. The Sagaponack school is presently comprised of 21 students. Four children are enrolled in the fourth grade. School clerk Jeannette Krempler confirmed one student plans to attend East Hampton in the fall of 2010. Barbour pointed out parents may decide where to send their children for middle and high school. Sagaponack, he noted, isn’t required to commit all of their funds to one school district.

“The kids who are in East Hampton, we want to keep them in East Hampton. We wouldn’t want them to have to change schools,” said Barbour. “We want to leave this as an option for parents and to make sure there is a choice for them.”

The Sagaponack school board is slated to discuss tuitioning-in their students to Sag Harbor at their next board of education meeting on March 4.

Springs School District

Last Thursday, on February 11, Dr. Gratto and Nichols made the same presentation to a group of around 15 parents at the Springs School in East Hampton. The Springs program spans from pre -kindergarten through eighth grade with a student population of around 550. After middle school, students have customarily passed on to East Hampton, but it appears many parents are rethinking this arrangement. Dr. Gratto reported that several parents appeared willing to sign their children up for Pierson that evening. He added that the Sag Harbor School will schedule a tour for prospective Springs students in the near future.

Following the presentation, the Springs School Board reportedly decided to put a referendum to a vote in May. The referendum, piggybacking on the budget vote, would give parents the choice of sending their children to Pierson or Bridgehampton, as well as East Hampton after the Springs program ends in eighth grade.

In 1597, Sir Francis Bacon wrote in the Religious Meditation of Heresies, “Knowledge is power.” Nearly four centuries later, the ubiquitous quote is applied to many different situations including the formation of the Special Education Parent Teacher Association (SEPTA) of the East End. For Cynthia McKelvey, co-founder of SEPTA and a Sag Harbor parent, the goal of the newly-formed organization is to educate parents on the special education process and empower them to play an active role in their children’s Individualized Education Plan, or IEP.

Navigating the world of special education services can often be confusing and overwhelming, reported McKelvey, who speaks from personal experience. McKelvey’s daughter, who is now seven-years-old, was diagnosed with a form of autism at a young age.

“All I knew about autism was [from the movie] ‘Rain Man.’ I drove home and said ‘what is autism,’” recalled McKelvey after her daughter was initially diagnosed. She then embarked on a journey of not only learning about autism, but finding a correct and more specific diagnosis for her child.

“Sometimes it is easy to just take someone’s word for it. If you go with the process and aren’t really taking the time to learn more you miss really important parts of the process,” said McKelvey. “Once a parent is more educated and understands the process they can understand their child’s IEP better. It is less intimidating.”

McKelvey explains that after a diagnosis is made the school arranges a committee for special education to plan that particular student’s IEP. The committee is comprised of the pupil services director, the people who evaluated the student, the parents, a parent advocate, and in some cases a teacher.

During the meeting, noted McKelvey, “You are talking about your child’s weaknesses and that is hard to hear.”

McKelvey further pointed out that IEPs are often filled with professional special education lingo and concepts that are often foreign to the layman, especially when discussing a student’s test scores.

At the first SEPTA meeting in January, McKelvey recalled that when she mentioned IEPs it appeared everyone shook their heads. The first meeting was attended by close to 38 people, proving to McKelvey that there is a need for this type of organization on the East End. Whereas in larger school districts, noted Dr. Lisa Scheffer, the Director of Pupil Personnel Services, SEPTAs are the norm. McKelvey pointed out the East End SEPTA chapter is the first of its kind in the area. SEPTA is open to the whole East End community, and McKelvey hopes it will attract attendance from residents in other school districts.

In addition to educating parents on IEPs, McKelvey says the organization will act as a kind of forum for parents to exchange information and lend emotional support to one another. She explained that a parent could come to the group to report, for example, on how a gluten-free diet is helping their child. Since both Dr. Scheffer and special education teachers will attend the meetings, McKelvey noted it would be the perfect opportunity for teachers in other districts to show how teaching aids are working in their classroom before Sag Harbor makes an investment in these tools or services.

SEPTA will host their next meeting on Wednesday, February 24, at 7 p.m. in the Pierson High School Library. In order to nominate the SEPTA board and accept the chapter’s by-laws, at least 25 SEPTA members must be present at this meeting. Membership costs $10.

“I cannot wait to see how many people come to the second meeting,” said McKelvey.

Growing up, Latisha J. Ellis has many fond memories, but as a girl she also remembers the awkward summer she had to switch from an undershirt to a D-cup bra seemingly overnight. At the same time she watched schoolmates become mothers over the course of a summer, pushing strollers instead of handling backpacks and preparing for college or the SATs.

Those very experiences have shaped the course of Ellis’s professional life – a teacher and current literacy specialist in the Southampton School District, now earning her doctorate. It was one of the reasons the Bridgehampton native approached current Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst five years ago, when Throne-Holst was head of the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center, about creating a guidance group for teen girls facing similar, and growing, challenges.

In school fulltime, Ellis was challenged to maintain the group and maintain her studies, and the program dwindled. Shortly after Bonnie Cannon took leadership at the center two years ago, the program was revived and has found a strong base of young women to serve in Bridgehampton and beyond.

The Girls to Women workshop, nicknamed G2W, is for young women in ninth through twelfth grades and meets every Thursday at the center at 6:30 p.m. G2W aims at providing support and information for girls transitioning into womanhood in the face of social challenges at school, home and in the community.

“When I was growing up, I realized how few people there were around me that gave me the information I needed about this experience, or were insightful about growing up as a woman of African American culture,” said Ellis. “No one used language like “a community in crisis.”

At the same time, Ellis grew up like all teens on the East End and beyond, facing the challenges of peer pressure amidst raging hormones and social stigmas.

“You tend to go to your friends for answers instead of adults,” said Ellis. “And what do your friends really know about this?”

Ellis, 35, has found an honest relationship with the nine Bridgehampton three Southampton girls who take part in the program – not only hosting weekly discussions, but reaching out to those she hears are in need of advice, taking students to visit colleges and teaching them etiquette at East End restaurants.

She provides the girls with advice and counseling on the issues they are facing at school, at home and in the community at large ranging from substance abuse and underage sex to peer pressure, and discovering their sexual identity.

The key, she said, is she is relatable and positive about every situation – someone who can be trusted with the trials and tribulations of teens not comfortable with sharing their innermost questions or concerns with just any adult.

“I try to get their attention in a positive manner,” she said. “It is all about trust. And the kids can still relate to me and that is appealing.”

She said the group also gets together for outings like a recent trip to see the Harlem Globetrotters, or spending the day roller skating.

“I think it is fun for them, and for me it’s a supervised activity that they want to do,” said Ellis. “Believe me, they would rather be out on their own, so I have to come up with some really good stuff to do to get them to come on down.”

Despite that statement, Cannon noted the girls come back every Thursday for the regular session, a sign that Ellis is having an impact.

Growing up, Ellis was educated by women who said, “Baby, I walked in those shoes, so you don’t have to,” she said.

“That is what I try to employ now,” she said. “ There were things I was afraid to ask, because I didn’t want to be judged or in trouble for simply asking the question.”

Ellis has adopted a “no wrong, or right” philosophy, although still instills what are healthy and unhealthy behaviors – a discussion at the core of her talks with students. Humor coupled with understanding, is also a key to reaching teens in this day and age, she said.

“I feel like, today, we don’t have a lot of time,” Ellis admitted. “These kids have more information at their fingertips than any adult can imagine. My responsibility is letting them know exactly what they are getting into so they can make an informed decision.”

Self-esteem, she added, is at the root of many challenges teens face, whether it be because of family life, school or bullying.

“I had a bully for 10 years of my academic life,” said Ellis. “It was hard. I had no outlet, I felt powerless.”

Learning how to healthily negotiate bullying, sexual pressure and peer pressure into substance abuse are some of the more difficult trials girls, and boys, face today, said Ellis. She tries to take the pressure off, and create a safe haven for questions and concerns to be raised.

“We have fun,” she said. “Sometimes we just sit and girl talk, but I do monitor progress reports, grades and try to encourage positive conversations. I want them to know that words are important and words can hurt. We need to have respect for others, but we also need to have respect for our own bodies.”

The program’s success, said Cannon, has empowered the Center to looks towards a Boys to Men program this spring. Interviews for the male counterpart to Ellis are commencing next week.

“Everyone has a story and everyone in your life shapes the individual you are,” said Ellis. “No one has a perfect situation, ever. And when you don’t, you feel like you are standing alone. Here, I am willing to be the big sister, the cousin, the big mamma sometimes. But I will never be your nemesis.”

Despite wrapping up the meeting in just an hour, the Sag Harbor School Board and the community discussed a wide variety of issues at the board of education meeting on Monday, February 8. The topics of the evening included an update on the teacher contract negotiations, the prevalence of alcohol use among underage athletes, an update on the school’s investigation of the International Baccalaureate program, and parent groups partnering up to get out the vote this spring.

After the school board offered to meet on February 7 and the Teacher’s Association of Sag Harbor (TASH) proposed 16 alternate dates, both parties have now agreed to meet on Saturday, February 27, confirmed school superintendent Dr. John Gratto. The full school board will be present at this bargaining session, except board president Walter Wilcoxen who will be away.

At Monday’s meeting, leading TASH member Jim Kinnier said he was “happy to hear” that the board was available to meet in the near future.

“I urge all parties involved to focus on everyone’s shared interest. We want a vibrant community. I think focusing on the goal of having a strong school and being flexible is really important,” noted parent and wife of a Sag Harbor educator Helen Atkinson-Barnes. “I would like to see this settled. I want to move on and I think everyone else does too.”

Parent Chris Tice asked both parties to publicly commit to “stay all night” on February 27 until a deal is struck. Tice asked the board and TASH to discuss this suggestion and return with an answer by the next board meeting on February 22. Wilcoxen suggested she pose this question again at the upcoming board meeting.

Alcohol and Athletes

Montgomery Granger, school director of physical education, health and athletics, recently attended a New York State Public High School Athletic Association conference in which the American Athletics Institute presented the findings of a study regarding student athlete’s use of alcohol. Overall, the study revealed that nearly 60 percent of student athletes consume alcohol, with Nassau and Suffolk County showing the highest levels of underage drinking, noted Granger. He added that the school community is still in the process of digesting this information, which has been distributed to the administration and the nutrition and wellness committee. Granger said the school could feasibly conduct an in-house anonymous survey to learn the levels of underage drinking among athletes in the district. At the BOE meeting on Monday, Granger noted the county passed a law in 2007 prohibiting the serving alcohol to people ages 21 and under. The school currently requires athletes to sign a contract which includes a provision which discourages drinking alcohol.

“The goal isn’t to stigmatize. It is to identify the problem and help them,” remarked Granger.

Update on International Baccalaureate

Foreign language teacher Toby Marienfeld noted she and five other teachers recently visited the Northport School District to observe the International Baccalaureate program in action. She said the visiting team spoke with administrators, instructors, guidance counselors and students. On the way home, the Sag Harbor group talked amongst themselves. Marienfeld reported the group’s feelings on the IB program were mixed. She, however, was disheartened that they only met with Pierson Principal Jeff Nichols to discuss their visit and not with the school board and superintendent.

In his budget presentation, Nichols outlaid $15,000 for basic IB training and $10,000 in application fees. Marienfeld argued that if the board is moving forward with the IB program she would hope the input of the educators would be included.

Wilcoxen explained the school is in the midst of investigating the IB program and enrolling educators in level one workshops is the final stage of this process. After the training is complete, Wilcoxen said the board would gather all parties, including the teachers who visited the Northport school, to vet out the pros and cons of implementing this type of curriculum in Pierson. Board member Dan Hartnett added the board hoped to investigate the IB program over a couple of years, which also spreads out the expense. Hartnett works for the East Hampton School District, which has been exploring IB for the past few years, he noted.

Get Out the Vote

Parent Laura Avedon announced that her parents group hopes to work with the PTA, PTSA and SEPTA to encourage voter registration for the school board election and budget vote this spring. Wilcoxen noted these groups aren’t allowed to support a specific candidate but could help in any efforts to “get out the vote.” Avedon pointed out her group compiled data from the last two school votes and discovered roughly 25 percent of the votes were cast by parents in the community.

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by Marissa Maier

At the Sag Harbor Board of Education meeting on Monday evening, Pierson principal Jeff Nichols brought out a five-inch wide binder. The hundreds of pages jammed into the blue binder contained Nichols’ and elementary school principal Matt Malone’s spending projections for both buildings in the next school year. The duo went over nearly every spending line at the BOE meeting on Monday evening, after working with educators for the past few months to craft the spending plan. Their proposed budget ranged from the regular, such as instructional salaries, to the exotic, like pre-kindergarten supplies and equipment, completing a rock climbing wall at the elementary school and conducting a graduate survey.

The instructional salaries accounted for the bulk of the proposed 2010-2011 budget. Salaries for educators from kindergarten through twelfth grade were around $8.48 million. This budget line increased by roughly $559,000 from last year. School superintendent Dr. John Gratto noted that Nichols and Malone estimated these figures around a 2.5 percent annual salary increase plus step, or the board’s last public offer proposed to the teachers. The school will likely spend about $316,000 on salaries for special needs teachers, accounting for a $29,500 increase. The total guidance counselor salaries are slated at roughly $423,000, which is up by about $18,000 from last year. The nurses’ overall contracts cost close to $109,000 including a $4,000 increase. Co-curricular salary payments, for clubs and after school programs, were estimated at $226,000, showing a rise of about $11,400. School business manager Janet Verneuille pointed out that these numbers only account for salaries and do not include retirement contributions.

Malone also mentioned expenses arising from establishing a pre-k program. He proposed $10,000 for equipment, play area and toys, $10,000 for classroom supplies, $10,000 for a fence and $91,800 for midday transportation for the program. Though, Malone mentioned the school would save $78,000 in transportation costs if the school purchased its own bus fleet.

He also proposed spending $3,000 to complete a rock climbing wall at the elementary school. Malone slated another $5,000 for a contract with BOCES to provide electronic elementary school report cards. Nichols proposed $5,000 for a visiting artist or professional, which he noted has long been a facet of the curriculum.

Nichols slated $2,200 in spending for a graduate survey. He explained the school supplies BOCES with basic information on Pierson’s graduates. Then BOCES tracks the students’ progress and rate of retention in institutes of higher education.

By the next meeting, on February 22, the board expects to present a rough summary of the total budget, data on state aid revenue, fund balance projections and town property assessments. He added that Governor David Paterson is proposing to cut $195,000 in aid to Sag Harbor. Dr. Gratto said it was a bit premature to make a verdict on whether or not the board will have to make cuts to the budget.

“There are so many questions. If we have to make a cut what will it be?” asked board president Walter Wilcoxen.
Board member Mary Anne Miller added, “I think it is important to spend as much time as possible having these discussions.”

The cost to replace windows in the Bridgehampton School will top a million dollars, the school district’s board of education learned last Wednesday night. But district residents will likely have the chance to vote on a school budget that is actually more than $100,000 less than the present year’s spending plan.

Paul Rodgers, the school’s primary architect, presented his estimated figures for the school’s window replacement project so the board can go to the voters in May with a realistic number. Rodgers and the board have been working out the details of this project since August of 2009.

Rodgers told the board that in the end the costs would total around $1,350,000. This would include the actual windows, installation, and additional code related repairs that need to be made to the school.

“We are putting these numbers up for the bond vote and we are rounding up because if you don’t cover the cost of the work with the bond you’re basically dead in the water,” said Rodgers. “If you come in under and pay less then you don’t pay the full cost of the bond. The only downside is that this larger amount may make the bond less palatable for the voters.”

Rodgers broke down the numbers for the board and the one audience member that attended the workshop. He explained the aluminum windows the board requested would cost $450,000, $375,000 for removal and installation, $100,000 for repairs that need to be made to the kindergarten exterior, $180,000 for code related repairs, and $20,000 for architectural fees.

Board member Doug Degroot reminded the board these are only projected estimates used by the board to come up with a sufficient amount of money to put up for a bond vote. They were not actual bids yet.

 “You can’t even legally get the bids until you get approval for the bond from the voters. This is just a guideline.” Degroot elaborated.

Chesterton further explained, “you actually have no choice but to go with the lowest bidder (once you legally go out to bid), unless there is some major problem with the lowest bidder. What [Rodgers] is helping us to do is to go out with a higher number to the voters so we have enough money to complete the project. We’ll have permission to borrow up to that amount but we’ll only borrow the amount for the cost of the project once the bids have come in and not more than that.”

Board Member Joe Berhalter wondered why the installation estimate had to be almost doubled by Rodgers.

“Schools are required by law to pay prevailing wages, which is typically 40% more than a local contractor would pay for a mason,” said Rodgers. “I know it is unfair, but I don’t make the rules.”

Degroot asked when the windows could actually be replaced.

“With the bond vote in May, we’ll have two months after that of preparing the appropriate documents and then we have to wait for another month or two to get them back from the state, so realistically we’re looking at the fall,” said Rodgers. “Perhaps some of this work can be done in late summer, like the code work and the kindergarten.”

Rodgers ended his presentation by explaining ”there has got to be a public education campaign to make people aware of what is needed and why it will cost what it does.”

Directly following the window presentation, interim business manager George Chesterton passed out the first working draft of next year’s school budget.

“The purposed budget of $9,869,766 is $143,000 less then the budget that was approved last year because we have five teachers that are retiring at the end of the year due to an incentive we put out,” said Chesterton. “We’ve looked at the number of students we have in the building, and we will be having a reduction in personal costs which is why we will not be hit by increasing retirement costs.”

Board President Elizabeth Kotz reminded the board that a budget needed to be adopted sometime in April. Chesterton reminded her it should be April 1 “to give voters time to review the budget.” He went on to say, “This is a budget that clearly shows we are conscious of the financial difficulties that are out there.”