Wainscott Eschews Tuition Discount

A proposed 49-unit affordable housing complex in Wainscott is once again in the spotlight following word that the Wainscott School District has opted not to sign a discounted five-year tuition agreement for students it sends to East Hampton schools and a discussion at an East Hampton Town Board work session on Tuesday in which the school district’s estimates of the number of schoolchildren who might live in the housing were disputed.

Eric Schantz, a senior town planner, told the board on Tuesday that he had analyzed the Wainscott School District’s figures on the impact of the proposed affordable housing and found it overestimated the number of children who might be expected to live there.

But David Eagan, the Wainscott School Board president, said the district stands by its numbers. Noting that he had not been at Tuesday’s meeting, he said, “There’s something broken with this process. The Wainscott School District is continually excluded from any of these discussions. . . . As the most impacted institution, we think it’s absolutely wrong not to be brought into this process.” He added that the district’s projections “were done by highly regarded, recognized professionals in the industry working along with our superintendent.”

Because of the uncertainties related to the affordable housing proposal, the Wainscott School Board did not sign the tuition contract with the East Hampton School District that Springs, Amagansett, and Montauk recently signed. Instead, during a special meeting on March 30, the board simply named East Hampton as its “receiving district,” and acknowledged that it would forego the new discounted tuition rate.

On Tuesday, Mr. Schantz compared census data, land availability, and town zoning regulations, saying they show little growth potential in Wainscott outside of the proposed affordable housing complex over the next decade. He also looked at the number of houses occupied seasonally versus year-round, with the balance being 70 percent seasonal to 30 percent permanent. The Wainscott School District had predicted between 43 and 55 new students over the next 10 years if the affordable housing were built, while he projects 38 additional students over that time. Of those 38, he said 28 would live in the affordable housing complex.

Michael DeSario, president of St. Michael’s Windmill Housing Associates, the nonprofit organization that would build and manage the development, said the number of three-bedroom apartments had been scaled down slightly and several units designated for senior citizens, who were unlikely to have school-age children. Originally proposed with 20 one-bedroom, 20 two-bedroom, and 8 three-bedroom apartments, Mr. DeSario said the plan now called for 21 one-bedroom apartments, 22 with two bedrooms, and 6 with three bedrooms.

“We felt that we were trying to be sensitive and compromising,” he said. “I don’t know that we can have tremendous variation in that.” The proposed housing complex “services almost a neglected part of our population. . . . This is a part of our community that is in need,” Mr. DeSario said. He also called for a public hearing on the matter.

Neil Hausig, chairman of the Whalebone Village Apartments, told the town board at the meeting that East Hampton has about 1,100 people on waiting lists for affordable housing, although he said the figure may include applications submitted for different complexes by the same people.

“To know that you will have a reasonable rent and a place to live for as long as you like makes all the difference in building stability in households and communities,” Gerry Mooney, site manager of Windmill Senior Housing and the Whalebone Village Apartments, said. “I implore you to do all that you can to build more affordable housing.” Supervisor Larry Cantwell, however, said the board also needed to carefully consider the “legitimate” issues raised by the Wainscott School District. “We’re trying to find that balance between a viable proposal . . . and a way to provide some assurance to the school district that it’s not going to be turned upside-down.”

If the Wainscott School District signed the new five-year contract it would have meant a 5-percent tuition discount. The district now has a discounted rate under a five-year contract that expires in June, and it anticipates continuing to send all its students to East Hampton.

 Stuart Rachlin, the district superintendent, said not signing the five-year contract means Wainscott will pay about $50,000 more in tuition next year.

However, he said it wouldn’t have been prudent to sign the five-year contract because of the affordable housing proposal and a separate one floated by Sag Harbor officials on land that’s in the Wainscott district.

Wainscott has 19 students in its school building this year, with 21 projected from kindergarten through third grade next year. There are 33 Wainscott students attending grades 4 through 12 at East Hampton. The district’s budget is approximately $3 million.

The district is calculating tuition rates for 2015-16 of $25,945 for general education students in grades 7 through 12 and $72,493 for special education students in the same grades. Tuition for students in grades four through six is expected to cost $26,729 for regular education and $73,068 for special education.

“It’s pretty cut-and-dry. Until we know what our future is, we just have to do the fiscally appropriate thing,” Mr. Rachlin said last Thursday. “If it means spending $50,000 more now, which gives us more flexibility in the future, I think that’s an appropriate stance.”