Springs Eyes Costly School Expansion

It was a packed house at Springs School on Monday night as more than 50 residents, teachers, and parents grappled with overcrowded conditions and weighed a multimillion-dollar expansion.

Following concerns expressed at last month’s meeting by Eric Casale, the principal, that the school was now at “101 percent capacity,” the board listened to a presentation by Roger Smith, president and principal architect of B.B.S. Architects and Engineers, a Patchogue firm. Mr. Smith last visited the board in June, when he made a presentation related to spatial analysis. This time, however, he showed sketches for a possible expansion, with costs estimated at between $12 million and $20 million.

Based on current and future needs, Mr. Smith suggested the addition of 16 classrooms and a gym. “If you’re counting numbers, it sounds like almost a building,” he said. “It kind of is.”

Under his plan, the existing school building would house grades pre-K to 5 (currently, three classes of pre-K, two kindergarten classes, two first-grade classes, and an English as a second language room are housed off-site), with a new structure built to accommodate a separate middle school and gymnasium for grades 6 to 8. Construction would be in two phases, breaking ground in June 2016 for eventual occupancy by September 2019.

Mr. Smith told the board that the new structure would put Springs at 85 percent occupancy, allowing it future room to grow. A cafeteria and a middle school library were not included in the plans. The architect also noted that the existing building is not strong enough for the addition of a second story.

At a “rough ballpark” of 32,000 square feet, and at $400 per square foot, he estimated construction costs between $12 million and $15 million. Such estimates do not include “site work,” he said.

Given the expense, the district would likely fund the project through bonding. Should Springs voters agree to a $15 million bond referendum, said Thomas Primiano, the board treasurer, homeowners whose properties are valued at $600,000 would see an initial annual tax increase of $275. Should final construction costs approach $20 million, the increase would rise to about $365.

“It’s cheaper than a private school,” said Karen Pardini, a parent.

Over the past decade, the school hasseen enrollment soar by nearly 200, from 555 students in 2004 to 743 as of this week. District-wide, in grades pre-K to 12, Springs now enrolls almost 1,100 students.

Mr. Casale told the audience that while 66 students had graduated from Springs in June, East Hampton High School now reports an enrollment of 85 Springs ninth-graders. “It’s a huge spike,” said the principal. On Tuesday, Elizabeth Mendelman, the board president, clarified: 15 students are new to the district and 4 others are repeating the ninth grade.

Projecting future enrollment accurately has been a persistent source of frustration. Though the district budgeted for 267 students at East Hampton High School, 285 attend. Nineteen Springs children were budgeted for at the Child Development Center of the Hamptons, where 31 now attend. Annual tuition at East Hampton High School costs roughly $25,000 per student; C.D.C.H. costs around $22,500. All told, the district now faces a $650,000 budget gap due to higher enrollment and increased tuition costs.

Several members of the audience expressed concern later in the meeting about the issue of illegal occupancy, several families living under one roof. As Ms. Mendelman explained, whether a house is occupied legally or not, New York State law requires school districts to educate all children residing within district boundaries.

Carol Buda urged school officials to check up on residents twice each year, saying that “there seems to be a lot of moving around among renters.”

Though U.S. Census figures project further increases in Springs’s school-age population, Ms. Buda’s husband, David, questioned the need for a 950-student structure. “This is a building for 950 students and a price tag that’s significant,” he said. “Why would you want to bring in those pre-K and kindergarten students that are currently being outsourced in a more efficient manner than build a new space to accommodate them?”

Several teachers and parents promptly fired back, citing aging portables and inclement weather that poses an additional hurdle when transporting young children from building to building.

But with class sizes swelling, Christina Friscia, a parent, said students already face overcrowded conditions, and that four years was simply too long to wait. “My concern is, we don’t have any space. What’s going to happen right now? Where do our kids go for the next four years?”

“We need to figure out our needs for the short term and come up with a master plan that makes sense for the long term,” said Ms. Mendelman on Tuesday. “It’s a process we need to go through. This is the first step. This is just the start.”

Mr. Smith’s full presentation can be found on the school’s website.

Later in the meeting, which lasted over two and a half hours, Carl Fraser, a consultant, said that a corrective action plan had been submitted to the state following a recent audit. A copy of the full plan is available on the school’s website, springsschool.org.

Earlier this year, state auditors concluded that Springs had accumulated an unrestricted fund balance nearly four times the allowable amount. They also recommended improved oversight of employees’ sick-leave accruals.

“The work is completed,” said Mr. Fraser, who was hired in September. “I’ve been getting us back on track in terms of accuracy in record-keeping.” He said the district was working to bring its unassigned fund balance within state limits and has budgeted to hire an additional employee to better track attendance. Among other fixes, the purchase of a new accounting system is also being explored.

Earlier in the meeting, Lisa Matz, the PTA president, said its recent “turkey trot” fund-raiser, to benefit the school’s swimming and ice-skating programs, had raised $9,500. The swimming program costs $13,000 each year, and the PTA is hopeful that additional donations will offset the difference.

The board will next meet at 7 p.m. on Jan. 12.