Voting for school budgets and board members will be by absentee ballot this year by order of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Voters in local school districts will be receiving their absentee ballots soon, if they have not already received them.
Ballots must be returned by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, so they should be placed in the mail a few days earlier to ensure their timely arrival.
Those who do not receive a ballot, but believe they were supposed to, should contact their respective school districts by phone or email. Their post office boxes may not be on file with the Board of Elections; many school districts are seeing ballots returned as undeliverable and are making efforts to get them to voters using alternate means.
"As long as I can verify the information is correct, then I can give them the ballot," Julie Bistrian, the Springs School District clerk, said on Monday. "They can pick it up outside of the office or we can mail it to them. We are taking phone calls and emails and trying to accommodate everybody who calls us."
Budget summaries for local districts are below, along with links to more detailed information.
Amagansett
The proposed Amagansett School District budget for 2020-21 is $11.37 million, which takes into account expected increases in enrollment at the school and stays within the tax cap. Taxes on a house with an approximate fair market value of $1 million would see an increase of about $22 for the year. The district also has a proposition to spend $350,000 from a capital reserve fund on new playground equipment, and a new, five-year tuition contract with East Hampton is on the table. Kim Slicklein, Meredith Cairns, and Kevin Warren are seeking seats on the board. Two seats are open. Full details here.
Bridgehampton
In the Bridgehampton School District, a budget of $18.98 million with a spending increase of less than $300,000, is proposed. It falls within state limits on tax levy increases. A homeowner whose property has a fair market value of $2.5 million can expect to see a tax increase of about $55. Kathleen McCleland, Michael Gomberg, and Markanthony Verzosa are running for two seats on the school board. Full details here.
East Hampton
Voters can cast their ballots on a $71.98 million, tax-cap-compliant budget for the 2020-21 school year and weigh in on a proposition to give East Hampton access to reserve money for a kitchen for culinary education programs. The project itself already received voter approval and will not increase taxes. Three people are running for two seats on the school board. They are Jackie Lowey, George Aman, and John Ryan Sr. Full details here.
Montauk
The Montauk School District has proposed a $20.87 million budget, which is within the tax-cap limits, for next year. It will also have a second proposition on the ballot for a new, five-year tuition contract with the East Hampton School District for its high school students. Diane Hausman is running unopposed for a sixth term on the school board. Full details here.
Sag Harbor
Staying under the tax cap, the Sag Harbor School District has put a $44.33 million budget plan on the table. It recently updated tax impact information, initially provided inaccurately, to show an increase of $52 for East Hampton homeowners and $51 for Southampton homeowners whose residences have a fair market value of about $1 million. Full budget details here. There is also a separate proposition for a new school bus. Five people are running for three open seats on the board. They are Brian DeSesa, Alex Kriegsman, Sandi Kruel, Ronald Reed, and Helen Roussel. Candidate information here.
Springs
There will be three propositions on the Springs School ballot: the proposed budget of just over $30 million for the 2020-21 school year; the purchase of a new school bus, not to exceed $135,000; and a new, five-year tuition contract for high school students to attend East Hampton. The district is not attempting to pierce the tax cap. Pat Brabant and Tim Frazier, both current board members, are running unopposed to retain their seats. Full details here.
Wainscott and Sagaponack
Wainscott is seeking to override the state-imposed cap on tax levy increases for the second year in a row, with a $3.7 million budget plan. Sagaponack's proposal, at $1.7 million, stays below the tax cap. In both Sagaponack and Wainscott, there are tuition contracts on the ballot for children who age out of their home school districts. David Eagan is running unopposed for one seat on the Wainscott School Board, and Thomas Schultz is running unopposed for one on the Sagaponack School Board. Full details here.