Education

The unexpected resignation of Kevin Warren, who was appointed to fill a board vacancy in October 2019 and was elected to a full term last year, means that a school board race that would have been contested is now technically uncontested in Amagansett.

Since last fall, students from the Amagansett School, the John M. Marshall Elementary School, and the Ross School, as well as those in Project Most and the Marine Explorers Program at the East Hampton Town Marine Museum, have been learning about Indigenous cultures and applying what they discovered to hands-on projects that are now on display at the Clinton Academy. Plus: kids' movies, butterflies, poetry, tea time, and more coming up for kids and teens.

With last week's adoption of the Sag Harbor School District's 2024-25 budget and associated propositions, and the filing of school board candidate petitions on Monday, the official ballot for the district's May vote is now set in stone.

For the Springs and East Hampton School Districts, the good word came from Albany on Tuesday morning, just in time. The State Legislature is poised to adopt a new budget that preserves school funding to at least as much as what districts received this year. The news allowed both districts to make last-minute adjustments to lower their respective tax levies for the May 21 vote, though both are still over the cap.

A representative from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office met with Springs Middle School students recently to tell us how dangerous drugs are, including cocaine, oxycodone, and marijuana, and especially fentanyl, which is so dangerous that even the tiniest amount can be lethal.

The elimination of four special-education teaching positions is still on the table at the Amagansett School, despite the school board pulling the official resolution off Tuesday's meeting agenda.

Tomorrow and Saturday, the student actors and singers of South Fork Performing Arts will take on a beloved musical tale that needs little in the way of introduction — “The Wizard of Oz.” Plus: puzzles and chess, custom mug making, snacks and stories, and more coming up for kids and teens.

For kids and teens this week: art and community service projects, teddy bear tea time, dance, STEAM activities, and more.

For the partial solar eclipse on Monday, many Springs School teachers took their students outside for the viewing, and they all stared up at the sky in amazement in their dark eclipse glasses.

Local students will shine onstage this weekend in Sag Harbor, with the Pierson High School Drama Club putting on the musical “The Lightning Thief” at the high school and the dancers of Studio 3 taking the stage at Bay Street Theater for “The Enchanted Forest.”

The East Hampton High School choir sang Friday night at New York City’s legendary Carnegie Hall for the Choirs of America Festival. About 300 people made the trip from East Hampton to attend the concert.

Facing a perfect storm of cost increases in nearly every area of the budget, the Springs School Board is likely to adopt a $37.8 million, over-the-tax-cap budget, meaning school district voters will be faced with a difficult choice on May 21 when they head to the polls for the annual budget vote.