Out on a Limb in Springs

The Springs School is crowded. There is no doubt about that. A committee charged with finding solutions, however, stopped short of calling for a major construction project.

This may have been a mistake that will cost the kids, at least in the short term. Springs is in a bind, and it comes down to money. Its school-age population is proportionately massive and property taxes there are often described as the highest in East Hampton Town. A persistent refusal on the part of town officials to undertake townwide property reappraisal, which is likely to be of help, may be leaving millions of tax dollars untapped in underassessed miles of high-value Springs waterfront. And a decade of weak housing enforcement dating back to Jay Schneiderman’s time as supervisor has made the hamlet a poster child for overcrowding.

Springs is also pressed by its neighboring school districts. Waiting for cooperation from Amagansett and East Hampton, as has been suggested, is far from a sure thing. East Hampton has its own large classes and space needs, and Amagansett, which maintains a climate of exclusivity, isn’t likely to take meaningful steps to aid children just over the hamlet line, even though many Springs parents work keeping up the houses in its wealthy areas. It is not surprising that the Springs School facilities committee stopped short of calling for a bond to pay for major renovations and expansion. There is a fear that district voters might say no. But this does not make the need go away. Facing it, the committee has recommended adding modular classrooms and other measures intended to provide more room.

However, we believe that nothing short of a major construction effort is needed — and a concerted effort to sell the plan to voters. In the end, Springs will continue to be forced to tap its own resources in assuring an adequate school to meet all its students’ needs.