East End School Budgets Dealt Some Defeats for 2023/24

Twin Forks 2023/24 school budgets were dealt some blows by voters, but most were successful, and boards saw new and returning members.

East End voters rejected the Wainscott Common School District’s proposed budget, blocked spending propositions in Sag Harbor and on Shelter Island and unseated some board of education members on May 16.

Wainscott was one of two out of 124 school districts on Long Island — the other was in West Hempstead — in which voters rejected the proposed budget. In Wainscott, the budget failed in a 91-56 vote because a 60% majority was needed for passage of the $61 million proposed budget with a 49% spending increase — and challenger Melanie Hayward unseated board of education member Dave Eagan.

While the other 23 Twin Forks school district budgets passed, a pair of propositions on ballots in two districts did not. The most high profile failure was in the Sag Harbor Union Free School District, where voters approved its proposed $48 million budget with a 4.5% spending increase but rejected a proposal to spend $9.4 million to buy property.

But voters did OK a plan to create a $10 million capital reserve fund and to spend $75,000 on the Sag Harbor Historical Museum.

Alex Kriegsman and Sandi Kruel were re-elected to the school board and Daniel Marsili won a vacant seat.

The other proposition failure was in the Shelter Island School District, where voters approved its proposed $12.6 million budget but nixed a plan to spend $102,000 to transport students to nonpublic schools. School board members Dawn Hedberg and Tracy McCarthy were re-elected and Anthony J. Rando beat Emily R. Parsons for an open seat.

Other district votes in the Hamptons and on the North Fork were less dramatic. Voters in the Amagansett Union Free School District approved its $31.9 million budget and two propositions to spend $1.8 million to make building repairs and another to spend $148,611 to purchase a new school bus. Kevin Warren was re-elected and Addie Slater-Davison won a vacant seat.

The Bridgehampton School’s proposed $21.7 million budget passed, and board members, Kathleen McCleland and Markanthony Verzosa were re-elected without opposition.

The East Hampton Union Free School District’s $79,079,317 budget passed, as did propositions to spend $3.925 million on building repairs. Emily Keogh-Agnello and John Ryan Sr. beat George Aman for the school board.

Voters OK’d a $28.3 million East Quogue Union Free School District budget and a proposition to spend $830,028 for the Suffolk County Cooperative Library System. Board members Kristin Jankowski and Kristi LoRusso were re-elected over challenger Fallon Moscicki.

The Fishers Island School District’s $3.9 million budget passed and Elizabeth Cashel was re-elected unopposed to the school board.

Voters in the Greenport Union Free School District approved its $23.7 million budget and re-elected board member Kirsten Droskoski over challenger Amanda Clark.

The Hampton Bays School District’s $63.9 million budget passed, as did a proposition to spend $300,000 on renovations, and Dot Capuano was re-elected without opposition.

Voters in the Mattituck-Cutchogue Union Free School District approved a $44 million budget, a proposition to spend $4,391,454 on building repairs and school board member Patricia Arslanian beat challengers Lauren Ocker and Lorraine Warren.

The Montauk Public School district’s $22 million budget passed and Lee White was re-elected without opposition.

Voters in the New Suffolk Common School District passed its $1.1 million budget and elected Brooke Dailey to replace outgoing member Tony Dill.

The Oysterponds Union Free School District’s $5.5 million budget passed and school board members Janice Caufield and Jeffrey Demarest were re-elected without opposition.

Voters in the Quogue Union Free School District approved its $9.9 million budget and re-elected unopposed school board member Malcolm McLean.

The Remsenburg-Speonk Union Free School District’s $16 million budget passed, as did a proposition to create a capital reserve fund of up to $3 million. Kathleen Hofmann won re-election to the school board without a challenger.

Voters in the Riverhead Central School District passed its $191 million budget and re-elected school board member Virginia Healy. Newcomers Erica Murphy, Cynthia Redmond and James J. Scudder beat fellow challengers David Dougherty, Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht and Kimberly Wilder.

The Sagaponack Common School’s $1.8 million budget passed and Thomas Schultz was re-elected to the school board without opposition.

Voters in the Shoreham-Wading River Central School District approved its $84.7 million proposed budget and re-elected unopposed board members Katie Andersen, Michael Lewis and Henry Perez.

The Southampton Union Free School District’s $76.8 million proposed budget passed, as did propositions to spend reserve funding on a bus, smart panels and building renovations. Challenger Monique Proctor unseated incumbent Donald J. King and Sunhe Sherwood-Dudley was re-elected.

Southold Union Free School District passed $33.1 million budget and a proposition to spend up to $3.4 million from the reserve fund to buy new boilers. School board members Scott Latham and Brian Tobin were re-elected, and Thomas Grattan Jr. beat Thomas Kennedy, Kristian Prior and Marta Thomas.

The Springs Union Free School District’s $33.4 million budget passed, as did a proposition to buy a new school bus. Patrick Brabant was re-elected to the school board and Katie Sarris won an open seat.

Voters in the Tuckahoe School District approved its $23.8 million budget and re-elected board member Robert E. Grisnik, who ran unopposed.

And the Westhampton Beach School District’s $62.9 million budget also passed. Board members Halsey C. Stevens and Heather A. Wright were re-elected.